A photographer claiming to work for a music record label was arrested after defrauding an unsuspecting young woman out of money in exchange for a bogus modeling contract.
On Thursday, February 18, 2021, the Seal Beach Police Detective Bureau became aware of a fraud suspect scheduled to meet a victim in Seal Beach. Days prior, the victim, a young adult woman, was contacted by the suspect via Instagram. The suspect claimed to be an intern for record label and was recruiting models for an upcoming photoshoot and music video. The suspect offered to pay the victim up to $175 an hour for the photoshoot. The victim, believing the offer was legitimate, agreed to meet the suspect in Seal Beach.
Booking photo of commercial burglary suspect William Erwin. Courtesy photo.
On Thursday, February 11, 2021 at about 12:49 pm, the Seal Beach Police Department received a call of a commercial burglary at the Target store located at 12300 Seal Beach Boulevard. During this incident, a man and a woman entered the store and selected merchandise including high-end liquor and electronic items.
The woman walked out of the business and entered into a pickup truck which she then parked behind the store. At the same time, the male suspect quickly ran out of the store’s rear emergency exit, stealing over $1,000 in merchandise, and into the truck which was waiting for him behind the store. The man and woman then sped off through the parking lot and away from the shopping center.