Man arrested in large fraud case

Nationwide fraud case, potentially 1,000 victims

On May 26, 2011, detectives from Placer County working together with the Sacramento Police Department Parolee Interdiction Team and Canine Unit were able to arrest  Michael Stephen Moynihan, 24 years old, of Sacramento. Moynihan had been sought by the Placer County Sheriff’s Department for a nationwide fraud case.

Placer County Detectives were contacted by Detectives of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado Springs Colorado. Detectives in Colorado had been conducting an investigation involving Moynihan that entailed Moynihan calling jails and bail bond agents across the United States to obtain information on recent arrested and released subjects. Moynihan would impersonate a police officer to obtain this information and then call the released subjects and claim to be their bond agent. He would demand more bail money from the victims and stated if they did not comply he would arrest them again.

There may be as many as one thousand potential victims in this case. Since this investigation began detectives with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office have been contacted by other law enforcement agencies from all over the country that have citizens in their jurisdiction who have also been victimized by Moynihan.

Moynihan fled from investigators on two prior occasions. Moynihan was apprehended with the assistance of a K-9 after a short foot pursuit in Sacramento. Moynihan was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries and later booked into the Sacramento County Jail where he is being held on a no-bail parole hold until charges are added next week.