A Santa Clarita Valley man who orchestrated an international “crime tourism” scheme that dispatched thieves from Central and South America to various parts of the United States to shoplift, burglarize homes and businesses, and steal credit cards before laundering millions of dollars in illicit proceeds pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges.
Juan Carlos Thola-Duran, of Canyon Country, entered a plea in L.A. federal court to three felonies: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and structuring transactions to evade financial reporting requirements.
As part of his plea deal with the government, Thola-Duran will forfeit homes in Santa Clarita and Canoga Park, give up dozens of vehicles, and turn over millions of dollars in diamond-encrusted and gold jewelry.
At sentencing on Nov. 18, Thola-Duran could face up to 55 years behind bars and at least $1.2 million in fines. He could also be ordered to pay nearly $24 million in restitution to victims of the scheme, the plea agreement says.
According to the 46-count indictment, the scheme was run by Thola-Duran and his live-in girlfriend, Ana Maria Arriagada. The couple operated a Van Nuys car rental business called Driver Power Rentals.
From 2018 to July 2024, Thola-Duran directed crime groups from Central and South America to travel to various parts of the United States to commit thefts, using cars provided by DPR, the indictment states.
After the thefts, Thola-Duran, 59, and Arriagada, 43, ordered associates who stole credit cards to immediately go to stores such as Target, Best Buy and Home Depot to max out the cards by purchasing electronics, gift cards, designer purses and other high-end luxury goods before the pilfered cards could be canceled, according to the indictment.
Thola-Duran then arranged for the thieves to deliver stolen goods to accomplices at DPR or mail the products to co-conspirators at a FedEx store in Sherman Oaks, prosecutors said.
Associates picked up the parcels and delivered them to Thola-Duran and others, with Thola-Duran acting as a fence to buy the goods at a fraction of their retail value, according to the indictment, which names seven defendants.
Federal prosecutors said Thola-Duran sold the stolen goods for about $5.5 million over the course of the scheme, including $5.1 million sent to various bank accounts controlled by accomplices.
Thola-Duran and Arriagada used the proceeds of the thefts to purchase assets such as real estate, jewelry and horses, and structured cash withdrawals to avoid triggering the requirement that banks report transactions exceeding $10,000 to the U.S. Treasury Department, court papers show.
Arriagada pleaded guilty in June 2025 to charges of wire fraud, receipt of stolen property, money laundering, and structuring transactions.
“These criminals were running a burglary operation with a sophistication that rivals Amazon and instead of dispatching delivery drivers, they were dispatching trained thieves throughout Southern California to steal from what should be where we are safest — our homes,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement when the indictment was filed in 2024.
Crime tourism groups consist of criminals from foreign countries who come to a city and engage in burglaries, shoplifting and other crimes, federal prosecutors said.