Woman suspected of befriending people, stealing their credit cards
A woman who posed as a wealthy owner of a modeling agency was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of running up nearly $10,000 in charges on the stolen credit card of a man she met in a Hermosa Beach bar, police said.Maria Christina Johnson, 40, using the phony name "Gia Hendricks" is suspected of befriending men and women from the South Bay to Washington and Oregon to steal their credit cards, checks and other personal identification and use them to commit fraudulent transactions, Manhattan Beach police said.
"She is just telling people all these different stories," Manhattan Beach police Detective Mike Rosenberger said. "There always seems to be some kind of lie."
The Manhattan Beach Police Department began investigating Johnson recently when a resident reported that a woman he knew as Hendricks charged about $10,000 onto his American Express card.
The man told police he had met her in a Hermosa Beach bar and took her
home. He dropped her off in the morning, unaware that she had allegedly
taken the credit card from his wallet, Rosenberger said.
Johnson
then allegedly went on a 2-day spree, spending $1,000 for two bottles of
liquor at 12 and Highland in Manhattan Beach, $200 and $300 tips, and
buying an $800 bicycle, Rosenberger said.
At the time, however, she was accompanied by another woman who had taken her in and given her a place to stay. That woman notified the victim, who contacted police, Rosenberger said.
Detectives believe Johnson used several identities, including falsely claiming to be associated with the Hendrick Motorsport NASCAR Racing Team, to befriend people to get rides and places to stay.
She had no permanent address, police said.
Detectives tracked her to Hollywood on Tuesday. She was arrested on suspicion of forgery and burglary and held on $80,000 bail.
She previously has faced arrests for identity theft, forgery, theft, bail jumping and fraud, police said.
Johnson is suspected of two similar crimes in Hermosa Beach and is wanted in Oregon and Washington, where she served two years in prison for identity theft, police said.
Johnson also has used the names Gia Hendricks, Gia Hendrick, Maria Hendricks, Maria Johnson, Christina Johnson and Gia Johnson.
She is white, 5 feet 5 inches tall, 154 pounds with a tattoo of Orion on her lower back. Her birthdate is May 2, 1971, but she also uses May 2, 1972, police said.
Rosenberger asked anyone with information about her to contact him a 310-802-5127.
Johnson
then allegedly went on a 2-day spree, spending $1,000 for two bottles of
liquor at 12 and Highland in Manhattan Beach, $200 and $300 tips, and
buying an $800 bicycle, Rosenberger said.At the time, however, she was accompanied by another woman who had taken her in and given her a place to stay. That woman notified the victim, who contacted police, Rosenberger said.
Detectives believe Johnson used several identities, including falsely claiming to be associated with the Hendrick Motorsport NASCAR Racing Team, to befriend people to get rides and places to stay.
She had no permanent address, police said.
Detectives tracked her to Hollywood on Tuesday. She was arrested on suspicion of forgery and burglary and held on $80,000 bail.
She previously has faced arrests for identity theft, forgery, theft, bail jumping and fraud, police said.
Johnson is suspected of two similar crimes in Hermosa Beach and is wanted in Oregon and Washington, where she served two years in prison for identity theft, police said.
Johnson also has used the names Gia Hendricks, Gia Hendrick, Maria Hendricks, Maria Johnson, Christina Johnson and Gia Johnson.
She is white, 5 feet 5 inches tall, 154 pounds with a tattoo of Orion on her lower back. Her birthdate is May 2, 1971, but she also uses May 2, 1972, police said.
Rosenberger asked anyone with information about her to contact him a 310-802-5127.
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.
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