Circuit Breaker Fencing Operation
MURRIETA (CNS) – A 65-year-old man accused of fencing stolen circuit breakers that he acquired from thieves who targeted housing developments throughout the Temecula Valley pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony charges.
Eugene Gino Popa of Perris was arrested in July following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation.
Popa is charged with receiving stolen property, purchasing a known stolen vehicle and manufacturing brass knuckles.
He was arraigned Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Zimel, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Nov. 18 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
Popa is free on a $10,000 bond.
According to the sheriff’s department, the defendant came under investigation while deputies from the Burglary Suppression Team were gathering evidence tied to a rash of thefts during which the bandits extracted circuit breaker units from multiple newly constructed residences, as well as a few businesses, in and around Temecula.
“After several months of following investigative leads, the team identified a suspect who was involved in a fencing operation of the stolen circuit breakers,” Sgt. Josh Hephner said.
Fencing is when a party acquires known stolen property and sells it at a profit.
“Investigators learned that Popa was purchasing stolen circuit breakers on a regular basis from suspects,” Hephner said. “The investigation revealed Popa also owned a business selling circuit breakers, primarily through e-commerce.”
A search warrant was procured and served at the defendant’s residence in the 22800 block of Cougar Street, along with another property in the 11600 block of Sterling Avenue in Riverside.
Hephner alleged the searches uncovered “thousands of stolen circuit breakers and other items of evidentiary value.”
Popa was taken into custody without incident.
The parties allegedly responsible for the thefts were not identified, and it was unclear whether any of them had been arrested.
Court records show that Popa has a prior misdemeanor conviction for reckless driving.
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