Three people suspected of involvement in a counterfeiting ring were arrested early this morning in Rocklin.
Rocklin Police Lt. Terry Roide said the department has handled more than 20 counterfeit check cases in the last three months, and neighboring jurisdictions have been affected as well. Rocklin investigators have been working with the Sacramento Valley High Technology Task Force to identify individuals in what Roide characterized as a large-scale counterfeit operation.
In most cases, he said, the counterfeiters appear to have approached someone on the street and quickly prepared a counterfeit check for the individual to cash. Many of the checks were for business accounts and written for typical of those for payroll checks.
Thursday, Rocklin police detectives, in conjunction with detectives from the Placer Regional Auto Theft Task Force, Placer Special Investigations Unit and investigators from the Placer County District Attorney's Office conducted a surveillance in Rocklin targeting the suspected "kingpin" of the operation.
During the evening, a Rocklin patrol officer stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation and found inside the vehicle numerous counterfeit $100 bills (pictured), credit cards, checks, computers, digital media, printers and counterfeit identification that were related the to investigation. A .357-caliber handgun also was located in the vehicle, police said.
Based on the additional information from the vehicle stop, Rocklin police detectives wrote a search warrant for the residence they were watching and served it early this morning. Inside the residence, detectives found counterfeit money, counterfeit checks, counterfeit identifications, card readers, printers, computers and materials to create counterfeit documents. Roide said two individuals were inside the residence, including the suspected kingpin, Malik Abdul Jamerson (left photo), 35, of Sacramento.
Also arrested in the case were Sabrina Gail Thavarabrahma (center photo), 53, of Sacramento, and Alexis Jeanette Marie Ramos (right photo), 22, of Rocklin. All three are accused of making fictitious checks, passing counterfeit money, manufacturing deceptive government identification and conspiracy to commit a crime. They were booked into Placer County Jail.
Rocklin detectives are working with the Sacramento Valley High Technology Task Force to analyze the digital media, and Roide said he expects additional victims will be identified.
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