2 men arrested with hundreds of fraudulent credit cards

Two men were arrested in Palm Desert on Wednesday after deputies found hundreds of manufactured credit cards, purchased gift cards and stolen clothing and electronics from several local businesses in a rental car.

Deputies were alerted to three men around 2:15 p.m. after someone reported a suspicious person in the 73000 block of El Paseo Drive. Authorities said the suspects were attempting to use fraudulent credit cards at a local business but fled on foot before deputies arrived.

Shortly after being called to the scene, deputies arrested San Diego resident Javier Barragan, 31, and 25-year-old Osairo Tovar of Tijuana. The third suspect is still on the run.

The investigation revealed the suspects have been committing retail fraud with stolen credit card numbers in San Diego, Indio, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Temecula. The stolen credit card numbers came from victims living all across the United States.

Deputies estimate the suspects racked up tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges.

Barragan and Tovar were both charged with numerous counts of burglary, fraud, identity theft, and possession of stolen property. They were booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Investigator R. Smith with the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at 760-836-1668.