
Cesar Mendoza Mora (Kewaunee Co. Jail)
KEWAUNEE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A man with ties to Mexico is charged in what authorities say is a major theft ring spanning multiple communities and counties.
Bail was set at $50,000 cash for Cesar Mendoza Mora. The Mexico native, who said he’s lived in Green Bay for the past seven years, was arrested last week. The 27-year-old is facing a felony: receiving stolen property.
He’s accused of buying thousands of dollars in car and truck tires that were paid for using a fraudulent or stolen credit card.
In court Monday, the state asked for a significant cash bond, telling the court in addition to the felony of receiving stolen property charge, Mendoza Mora also has an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold, based on his status as foreigner.
“I believe a large cash bail is necessary to secure the defendant’s appearance. Obviously when somebody is facing a felony charge and potential prison, to me there’s that impetus to flee the jurisdiction,” said Kewaunee County District Attorney Andrew Naze.
According to the criminal complaint, Mendoza Mora, using the name “Michael Donovan,” purchased multiple sets of car and and truck tires from Bob’s Auto Parts and Jorn’s Chevrolet, in Kewaunee. He paid for the tires over the phone, using what was believed to be a fraudulent credit card, before picking up the purchase almost immediately. Days later the credit card purchases would be rejected, but the materials were no longer in the store.
“It’s unfortunate, but sometimes those transactions don’t go through immediately. So that’s just the nature of the process,” Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski said. “And it’s a good message, I think, to businesses, to individuals, when you are doing transactions, make sure that the transaction goes through its entirety before you hand over anything.”
Through investigative work, Kewaunee County detectives were able to identify Mendoza Mora as their suspect.
While the initial charge has been filed against him in Kewaunee County, the sheriff says this case if far from over.
“This is continuing to unravel because it takes time to dig through the records, to find out how deep this goes, and again, to see if there’s something more organized, that there’s more levels of this that we need to work through,” Joski said.
The Kewaunee County criminal complaint lists Ashwaubenon, Green Bay, Little Chute, Luxemburg, and Two Rivers as other communities looking into the same type of crime with the same motive. Again, the thief used the name “Michael Donovan.”
Green Bay Police confirm they have an active investigation underway.
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