Press Release

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Skimmer Tip Leads to Identity Theft Arrest

On January 3, 2024, Detective Urban received notification from an allied agency
regarding a possible suspect and vehicle being involved in installing a skimming device
at an ATM. At approximately 12:57, while utilizing License Plate Readers (L.P.R.s),
Detective Urban located the vehicle in the drive-thru of the Westamerica Bank on Geer
Road in Turlock. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle for equipment violations.
The sole-occupant of the vehicle was contacted and identified as Marius Onisei, a 31-
year-old Stockton resident. A search of the vehicle was conducted. Detective Urban
located over thirty gift cards that were embedded with multiple accounts of stolen
information belonging to different people.
Onisei was arrested and transported to the Turlock Police Department for an interview.
He was later booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Facility for possession of
personal information in excess of ten or more victims and remains in custody in a bail
enhancement.
Detective Urban said, “Thanks to the use of new technology and coordinated efforts of
multiple cooperative agencies, we are able to aggressively pursue and investigate
identify theft cases such as this.”
The Turlock Police Department ask that anyone with information, call Detective Urban
at (209)668-6571. You can also contact the Turlock Police Department’s Tip Line at
(209) 668-5550 extension 6780 or email at tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us.
The Turlock Police Department is an active participant in the Crime Stoppers Program.
Callers can leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636 or
(866) 602-7463 and you may be eligible for a cash reward. You can also leave an
anonymous tip online at www.stancrimetips.org or by texting “StanCS” to 738447. The
P3 app is also available for download for Apple and Android devices.
To receive more detailed, up-to-date information directly from the Turlock Police
Department via e-mail or text message, register for "Nixle" alerts at www.Nixle.com or
more directly at https://local.nixle.com/register/.
For additional information, follow our social media pages on Facebook and Twitter.




Back to Press Releases