With the aid of staffers at West Los Angeles College, a suspect was arrested yesterday by sheriff’s deputies in a series of identity thefts.
Victims are in the dozens in the long-running case.
Reon Jordan is alleged to have purchased gift receipts, similar in concept to gift cards, to pay for career-related courses at West. Astute college staffers found Ms. Jordan’s payment patterns suspicious. They contacted the on-campus sheriff’s office.
This initiated a nine-month investigation that uncovered dozens whose profiles were being used to make a range of purchases. According to a statement issued by the sheriff’s office, Ms. Jordan was arrested on a $1.2 million bail warrant. She is charged with over 26 felonies.
Ms. Jordan allegedly obtained her victims’ information while working for a medical billing company with offices in Pasadena where she has worked since 2008. The sheriff’s office found hundreds of identity profiles in Ms. Jordan’s home. They suspect there are more victims than have already been identified. The amount of theft is believed to be in the tens of thousands of dollars, impacting many entities outside of the college.
At a campus press conference today, West L.A. President Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh offered his thanks to staff for flagging the suspicious transactions and to the Sheriff’s Dept. for their work leading to the arrest.
“It is important to note that our students, and we serve over 10,000, are here focused on legitimate goals in education. They are here to study for university transfer, career and technical education, and for lifelong learning. Most sacrifice heavily to pursue their academic goals. We pride ourselves on providing a safe environment so our students can focus on pursuing their goals and dreams.”
Persons with information for the ongoing investigation should contact the County Sheriff's Community College Bureau at 323.669.7555.
Ms. Long-Coffee may be contacted at longcofm@wlac.edu
