Case # 15NF0368
Date: May 5, 2015
MAN CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS IN JAIL FOR IDENTITY THEFT AND POSSESSING PIPE BOMBS AND PERSONAL ITEMS STOLEN FROM CARS
FULLERTON – A man was convicted and sentenced today to four years in jail for committing identity theft and possessing pipe bombs and personal items stolen from cars. Jonathan Michael Binder, 38, Yorba Linda, pleaded guilty today to four felony counts of possession of a destructive device in or near a private habitation, one felony count of possession of materials to make a destructive device, three felony counts of identity theft, and one misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property.
On or around Jan. 5, 2015, John Doe 1’s car was broken into and several items were stolen, including his wallet and skimboard. The next day Binder opened a Capital One credit card using John Doe 1’s personal identifying information.
On Jan. 9, 2015, John Doe 2’s car was broken into and several personal items were stolen, including a stethoscope and a pair of red Beats by Dr. Dre (Beats) headphones.
On Jan. 13, 2015, John Doe 3’s car was broken into and numerous items were stolen, including the victim’s credit cards and driver’s license. Binder used the victim’s credit card information to purchase multiple gift cards from Walmart.com and sent them to his personal email and mailing address in Oregon. Additionally, on the same day, the defendant purchased a $300 PayPal gift card and a beverage from a 7-Eleven using John Doe 3’s credit card information.
John Doe 3 contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) after noticing fraudulent charges on his credit card statement.
OCSD, who investigated this case, later conducted a search of Binder’s home in Yorba Linda and found John Doe 1’s skimboard along with John Doe 2’s stethoscope and Beats headphones. During the search, OCSD discovered four operational pipe bombs and materials that could be used to assemble another pipe bomb.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Brock Zimmon of the Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted this case.