A local woman that was already on the local media’s radar for suspected fraudulent business practices was arrested this week after a lengthy investigation conducted by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
In April of 2014 KESQ, the local CBS station in the Coachella Valley ran a segment about a woman’s allegedly fake business offering tabletop advertising at restaurants. She was reportedly taking money and then never fulfilling her services. Following the segment, KESQ reported that approximately 50 people contacted the station with stories of being scammed out of money ranging from $1,500 up to $7,000 dollars. The station followed up by reporting the fraudulent business practices of the 49-year-old Palm Desert resident, Theresa Darrah to the Riverside Sheriff’s Department.
The Palm Desert Station Investigations Bureau then began an eight month investigation into the allegations which included a multitude of victims throughout the Coachella Valley in Palm Desert, La Quinta, Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, and Thousand Palms. The case was submitted to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office for review once the investigators had gathered enough evidence. On January 6, 2015 an arrest warrant was issued for Darrah for multiple counts of burglary and grand theft.
Darrah was arrested around 7:00 P.M. that day within the 76000 block of Daffodil in Palm Desert and booked into the Riverside County jail in Indio. She is currently being held with $1,000,000 bail. While currently charges extend only to the tabletop advertising scheme, KESQ also reported in August that Darrah was selling advertising for non-existent magazines under a different name. Court records show Darrah filed a petition to legally change her name to Theresa Stacey early in 2014.
Any other victims in the tabletop advertising case or those with information are requested to contact investigator Mike Rowe at 760-836-1600 or by calling Crime Stoppers at 760-341-STOP. Tips can remain anonymous and may lead to a cash reward.
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