Suspected Sonoma ID scammer tracked down

A man suspected of bilking three Sonoma jewelry stores out of
$6,867 in gold bracelets in January is in custody. Eric Aguirre Zatarain, 28, of Oakland, was arrested Thursday night in Dublin, as he was waiting in a car while a female accomplice was inside a store trying to purchase jewelry with fraudulent credit cards.

On January 13 and 14, a male suspect using a fraudulent credit card in the name of a victim named Ryan Mahoney made was able to purchase three gold bracelets for a combined total of $6,867

The Sonoma Police Department was able to download video surveillance from the stores and create a digital flier that was sent to all Bay Area law enforcement agencies.

A detective from the San Bruno Police Department recognized the individual in the photograph as Eric Aguirre Zatarain. The Oakland man is on probation for other identity fraud crimes and is believed to have used the victim’s name in numerous jewelry store thefts around the Bay Area.

Sonoma Police Sgt. Spencer Crum said Zatarain’s booking photos, vehicle and distinctive tattoos matched the description of the video surveillance from the Sonoma jewelry store thefts. A $100,000 warrant was issued for Zatarain’s arrest. 


Dublin Police arrested Zatarain for his warrant March 14. He was booked into the Alameda County Jail and was later transferred to the Sonoma County Jail where he is charged with multiple counts of Burglary, Identity Theft and Theft by Forged Access Card