On February 6, 2018, at approximately 11:45 p.m., 29-year-old Juan Requejo from New Mexico and 27-year-old Brittnee Sorenson from California, were arrested for various charges including Vehicle Theft, Possession of a Controlled Substance, False Information, Fraud, and Interference with Judicial Process. Requejo was additionally charged with Forgery and his bond is set at $100,000. Sorenson’s bond is set at $60,000 and both remain in-custody.
Around 11:15 a.m., on the indicated date, a YCSO K9 deputy stopped a gray colored Honda passenger car travelling east on I40 in Ash Fork for no visible license plate. Initially, the vehicle did not yield when the deputy activated his emergency lights. The driver eventually pulled over after travelling an additional mile. Requejo was driving with Sorenson as his passenger. Both occupants were extremely nervous during the initial interaction and Requejo did not have a driver’s license. Additionally, the deputy could detect an odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.
Requejo identified himself with a false name and birth date and was not even able to spell the false first name correctly. Sorenson, interviewed separately, identified the driver by a different false name.
During a search of the vehicle to locate the source of the marijuana odor, deputies found balloons indicating the possibility the suspects may have secreted drugs by inserting them into their body orifices. When confronted, Requejo admitted he had hidden meth inside his buttocks and 12 grams of meth, contained in a black balloon, were recovered. Requejo hid the drugs during the time he refused to pull over after the deputy initially attempted to stop him.
When Requejo eventually provided his true name, deputies located several warrants including a no bond probation violation warrant.
As the search of the vehicle continued, deputies found numerous “Visa” credit cards, notebooks containing credit card numbers, mail, tax returns and social security cards, none of which were in the name of either suspect. It appeared all these documents were stolen. Several apparent stolen purses were also found. After checking the vehicle identification numbers, deputies learned the car had been reported stolen out of California.
As the investigation developed, deputies determined both suspects were engaged in extensive credit card fraud and had already created several fraudulent cards with stolen credit card information. Sorenson admitted calling credit card customer service lines and entering the stolen card numbers to determine which were still valid. Deputies spoke to one person listed on the stolen documents who confirmed her documents were taken during an auto burglary and that the unknown suspects had attempted to access some of her accounts.
Based on the amount of information collected, there could be numerous victims of fraud and identity theft identified. Due to the large nature of the case as a result of the number of stolen documents, credit card number lists, and fraudulent cards created by the suspects, deputies will be assisted by federal investigators who can provide expertise and resources working with banking investigators. This seizure could bring quite of few victims peace of mind knowing that Requejo and Sorenson are in-custody.