Irvine, CA – The Irvine Police Department (IPD) has arrested two suspects for a variety of fraud-related crimes after receiving information from employees of an Irvine restaurant. The suspects are identified as Tristan Le, 45, of Anaheim, and Eva Tran, 26, of Stanton. They were arrested on charges related to credit card theft, forgery, presenting false identification to officers, and drugs.
At approximately 11:00 p.m. on May 14, 2016, Le and Tran entered a restaurant in the Diamond Jamboree shopping center and attempted to use a fraudulent credit card to pay for hundreds of dollars in food, which had been ordered to-go over the phone. When conscientious employees refused to allow Le and Tran to complete the fraudulent transaction, the pair left the restaurant and got into a silver Lexus.
Restaurant employees obtained a detailed description of the vehicle and called IPD. A nearby officer heard the dispatch over the police radio and observed the silver Lexus driving nearby at the intersection of Barranca Parkway and Von Karman Avenue. The officer conducted a traffic stop and contacted Tran and Le.
Inside their vehicle, the suspects were found in possession of drug paraphernalia, a credit card embosser, numerous credit cards and fake identification cards, laptops, counterfeit currency, and other items indicative of identity theft.
The suspects were arrested at the scene without incident. It was also determined that Le had a warrant for identity theft-related charges and Tran had a warrant for drug-related charges.
The Irvine Police Department commends the diligent restaurant employees. Thanks to their attention, two suspects engaging in extensive criminal activity have been identified and arrested.
IPD encourages anyone who witnesses a crime or suspicious activity to call 911 for emergencies or 949-724-7000 for non-emergencies.
###