Man accused of scamming donors by faking child's death

By JENNIFER SQUIRES
Sentinel staff writer

The story printed in English and Spanish on cardboard donation boxes seemed reasonable enough: A boy died of cancer and his family needed donations to send the child's body to Mexico for burial.

In fact, at least 35 Watsonville businesses bought it. They offered the man looking for donations counterspace to for the boxes last week and customers dropped in spare change and singles.

But the effort was not nearly kind-hearted as it seemed.

The man — Guadalupe Villalobos Valdes, a 47-year-old with an Ohio ID — made up the entire story and, in Watsonville alone, had collected more than $2,000 in the past week, police say.

Officials believe he set up similar donation boxes in at least 27 other California cities, but they don't know how much money has been donated in those locations.

And he didn't even know the boy in the photo.

"It's very strange," Watsonville police Deputy Chief Kim Austin said, unable to recall other incidents of phony donation boxes in the city. "It's nice to get somebody like this out of commission"

Valdes' alleged scam unraveled Tuesday when he returned to Olympian Gas on Freedom Boulevard to pick up a box.

The business owner asked Valdes about the donation box, which said the boy, Luis Lopez, had died Sept. 12 at a children's hospital from "orthopedic bone cancer"

Based on Valdes' answers, the business owner decided not to let him take the box. She later figured out that no boy named Luis Lopez died on Sept. 12 and called police.

Valdes was arrested at the gas station Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of fraud and grand theft.

When he was picked up, Valdes had a ledger that indicated similar boxes may have been left at other locations and officers went to all of the Watsonville businesses listed, police said. They recovered boxes with the same boy's photo and more than $2,000 in donations, according to police.

"We have very generous people here who are willing to help others," Austin said. "Unfortunately, people like this take advantage of that"

Watsonville police are contacting law enforcement in the other 27 cities.

"This is an ongoing statewide investigation," Austin said. "We don't know how long he's been doing it"

Police asked that people who have the donation boxes call the Watsonville police investigations unit at 768-3350 or their local police department.

For the time being, the donations will be held by police. Austin said those who gave money would not be allowed to re-claim their spare change, but she encouraged people to find legitimate charities to donate to by looking online or calling the Volunteer Center.

If people do choose to give money to donation boxes, she advised they check for a phone number or e-mail address on the container and contact those they're helping.

Contact Jennifer Squires at jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com.

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