Hermosa Beach man allegedly cons victim of $20,000
A Hermosa Beach man has been arrested on suspicion of soliciting an investor to give him $20,000 to convert movies into a digital format, but doing none of the work, police said Monday..Jose "Tony" Perez, 45, was arrested May 5 on suspicion of grand theft and theft by false pretenses, police said.
Perez claimed to have the ownership rights to several independent movies and solicited an investor to give him $20,000 to convert them to a downloadable digital format, Manhattan Beach police Officer Stephanie Martin said.
He promised to return the investment within three months.
"None of the work was done and when the victim pressed Perez for accounting, Perez provided the victim with counterfeit invoices and bank statements," Martin said.
Detectives contacted several of the actual rights owners to the movies. They told police that Perez, using the business name of Phoenix Entertainment Group, allegedly conned them in the same manner, Martin said.
About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
|
Leave a comment