Full Notification

On July 17, 2014, Arnulfo Rodarte, resident of San Pedro and Sylvester Curameng, resident of Torrance were arrested for burglary, identity theft and possession of personal profiles belonging to over twenty victims in numerous cities across Southern California.  Andrea Serrao, resident of San Pedro was also arrested.  Serrao was arrested for embezzlement. 

On July 6, 2014, Rodarte and Curameng used a victim’s stolen credit card to make purchases at a Target store in San Pedro.  They were captured on video committing the crime.  The credit card was found to be stolen from an unlocked vehicle in Rancho Palos Verdes and deemed a vehicle burglary because the car was parked in a subterranean parking structure.

 On July 17, 2014, Lomita Station detectives were viewing video footage of the crime.  The detectives immediately recognized one of the suspects as Arnulfo Rodarte, who they had arrested in the past.  Lomita detectives immediately obtained a search warrant targeting Rodarte.  During the execution of the search warrant, detectives arrested Rodarte and were able to identify his crime partner, Sylvester Curameng, who they believed was the second suspect captured on video.  The detectives also found numerous pieces of mail and a notebook containing identifying information belonging to over twenty victims from the cities of Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills Estates, Alhambra, Arcadia, Carson, Cerritos, Chino Hills, Diamond Bar, El Monte, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Harbor City, Long Beach, La Puente, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Ontario, Pacoima, Palos Verdes Estates, Pasadena, Rancho Cordova, Rosemead, San Pedro, San Dimas, Torrance, West Covina and Whittier.  Many of these victims were already confirmed victims of identity theft.

Also during the service of the search warrant, Andrea Serrao was arrested for embezzlement.  She was a named suspect in a vehicle embezzlement case out of Los Angeles Police Department, Pacific Division.  It is alleged that Serrao rented a 2013 Mercedes Benz C250 from Enterprise Rental Car and never returned it.  It is believed she obtained the vehicle for Rodarte and Curameng, who used the Mercedes to commit their crimes. 

Curameng and Rodarte are being held at the Inmate Reception Center with a bail set at $20,000, and Serrao is being held at the Century Regional Detection Facility with a bail set at $25,000.  All three are due in Torrance Court on July 21, 2014, where they will be arraigned on the above charges.

For Additional Information Contact: 

Address/Location
LASD - Lomita Station, Los Angeles County Sheriff
26123 Narbonne Ave
Lomita, CA 90717

Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1 
Non-emergencies: 310-539-1661