Susie Fowkes, Santa Clara County Crime Examiner

December 8, 2011

http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-san-francisco/12-people-including-inmates-charged-money-laundering-scheme

A dozen people have been charged with laundering stolen credit cards through jail inmate commissary accounts, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office reported Wednesday.

Darin Volk, 26, and eleven others have been named in a 36-count complaint alleging conspiracy to commit identity theft, conspiracy to possess a cell phone in jail, and identity theft, D.A. Jeff Rosen announced.

Prosecutors believe Volk enlisted the help of other inmates in Milpitas’ Elmwood correctional facility in his alleged scheme, as well as at least three people out of custody.

Brian Hoar of Turlock is believed to have deposited money into inmate commissary trust accounts and inmate telephone accounts at Volk’s directive.  Heather Murphree of Turlock and San Jose residents Shanna Conroy and Jaimelynn Sakoda were then asked to withdraw a portion of the money from the accounts, the complaint alleges.  The inmates named in the complaint had authorized the withdrawals and were left with a share of the fraudulent deposits as payment. According to the D.A., jail personnel followed standard procedure and issued Santa Clara County checks to the three women without knowing that the accounts had been funded by fraud.