Suspect arrested in Sonoma jewelry fraud

An Oakland man has been arrested on suspicion of purchasing nearly $7,000 worth of jewelry in Sonoma with a fraudulent credit card.

Eric Aguirre Zatarain, 28, was booked into the Sonoma County Jail after Dublin police arrested him Thursday night on a $100,000 warrant for the jewelry thefts, according to a Sonoma County Sheriff's Office press release.

Investigators believe Zatarain visited four jewelry stores in Sonoma on Jan. 13 and 14. He purchased three gold bracelets worth a total of $6,867 using a credit card in the name of a man named Ryan Mahoney. Deputies sent out a flier of the suspect with an image from the store video systems and a San Bruno detective identified the man as Zatarain.

"Zatarain is on probation for other identity fraud crimes and is believed to have used the victim's name in numerous jewelry store thefts around the Bay Area," the press release said. He was charged with with multiple counts of burglary, identity theft and theft by forged access card.

A jail spokesman said Saturday that Zatarain is no longer in custody there. The jail doesn't specify whether inmates are released on bail or transferred to a jail in another county.