Stolen art ring broken up in South Lake Tahoe, two in custody
Two men arrested in South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday are facing several charges including forgery, conspiracy to commit a crime, first and second degree burglary and impersonation to make others liable.
Chad Anthony Galvan, 33, and Marcus Daniel Gamez, 35, were arrested by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department after four expensive works of art were purchased from Marcus Ashley Galleries using stolen identities.
Galvan is from Palos Heights, Illinois and Gamez is from Oakland, Calif. Both gave officers other names, ages and hometowns so these could be incorrect. Galvan and Gamez also gave the ages of 31. It has been confirmed that the names are correct.
The pair have long criminal backgrounds with arrests on conspiracy, forgery, burglary and fraud, South Lake Tahoe police said.
Investigating Officer Brian Hannink told South Tahoe Now that they are continuing to identify other potential crimes as there may be more victims of fraud in the area. Hennick said Galvan and Gamez have been operating in the area for about two weeks.
One painting has been recovered so far. According to Hannink, the two would obtain another person's identity and credit information, go into the gallery to make a purchase and walk out with a painting valued at thousands of dollars.
South Tahoe Now will be updating this story as new information is available. Go here for the website.