A 33-year-old felon pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years in prison for stealing about $588,000 from a Laguna Beach man.
Jose Angel Martinez Casillas, who pleaded guilty Friday, was arrested Sept. 6, 2018, crossing the border as he attempted to use an alias, former Senior Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche said when he filed charges against the defendant.
Casillas, who told authorities he was brought to the country originally by his mother when he was 3, was convicted in 2011 of breaking into rooms at a Garden Grove hotel and stealing from guests while he worked there in a maintenance job, Labreche said. He was deported following that conviction.
The victim hired Casillas as a repairman, so he had access to his employer’s home, Labreche said. From August 2016 through February 2017, Casillas stole checks worth a total of $430,000 from his boss’ home, forged his signature and cashed them, Labreche said.
After Casillas stopped working for the man, whose name was not released, the defendant then turned to using his ex-employer’s bank routing number to take about $150,000 more, Labreche said.
Casillas would have family members buy cars for him and used the pilfered cash to repay them, Labreche said. He used some of his ill-gotten gains to build a home in Tijuana, Labreche said.