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Two Women Headed To Prison For Wallet Snatching Ring On South Coast

Two women are going to prison for their role in an organized wallet snatching ring operating in Ventura County. Ventura County Sheriff’s detectives say the ring would distract their often elderly female victims.

Working in tandem with an accomplice, one person provided the distraction and a second would grab wallets from purses hanging from the back of chairs in restaurants and coffee shops.

Detectives say ring members used the stolen credit cards to purchase high end items, which would then be sold for cash. Members of the ring came from South America.

Prosecutors say Jennifer Huapaya received a four year prison sentence and Ashley Botteri a seven year sentence for their roles in the scheme. The two Los Angeles based women entered guilty pleas to identity theft, burglary, and elder abuse charges.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.