A Van Nuys man was arrested recently for allegedly defrauding a local ATM machine of several thousand dollars, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department said this week.
An ATM machine at a gas station on Turnpike Road and Calle Real was discovered by the station’s manager in February to have had a $30,000 shortage over one month. The manager told sheriff’s detectives that the machine did not appear to be tampered with.
Using a private detective to monitor the ATM machine, it was discovered that Joseph Porche had visited the ATM 14 times over one month, and was allegedly using his computer knowledge to defeat the machine’s internal security system. Porche was also found to be in possession of the marked money placed into the ATM machine.
A subsequent search warrant at Porche’s Van Nuys residence turned up evidence the detectives say link him to the crime at the gas station. Porche was arrested and charged with computer crimes fraud and is being held at the Santa Barbara County Jail on $100,000 bail.