A 38-year-old woman from Grand Prairie is facing indictment on theft charges after she allegedly transferred Bitcoin from the owner’s account, using account password information stolen from the victim’s home.
Dallas Police said they responded to a house in the 3800 block of Gaspar Drive on January 25, 2021, after a person at the residence reported a broken window and signs of a burglary. Responding officers said that a safe containing Bitcoin account passwords was among the items the burglar took.
During a follow-up investigation, the homeowner told detectives that the passwords had been used to access cryptocurrency accounts and transfer $570,000 worth of Bitcoin.
Surveillance video of the residence showed a man forcing the gate open shortly before noon on January 24. He entered the backyard and looked through a glass door before stepping out of view.
About a half hour later, the man reappeared in the video as he exited the home through the back door, according to police. He was seen carrying a Roomba, a gun, and an athletic bag which appeared to contain a safe.
Police later identified the man as Michael Jason Neria. He was arrested on March 3, 2021, in Oklahoma at the Winstar Casino in Thackerville. His arrest was based on outstanding burglary warrants from Dallas, Frisco, and Irving.
Police said Neria and several other suspects may have participated in as many as two dozen other burglaries. When interviewed by a detective, Neria waived his rights and gave them details of burglaries in which he took part. The home on Gaspar Drive is one of the burglaries he described.
Neria allegedly told police that Joann Vasquez, 38, of Grand Prairie, was in possession of the accounts that control the missing Bitcoin. Police said Neria called Vasquez while he was in custody and asked her to send money from the Bitcoin accounts to his account. Within a short time, the funds arrived in his account.
Officers recovered $100,000 of the funds from Neria; however, they say $470,000 remains unaccounted. Neira told police that Vasquez was in control of the account and passwords and that she knew the passwords were obtained from the burglary.
Police allege Vasquez was caught on bank surveillance video using her Texas driver’s license to withdraw funds from a Bitcoin ATM after the Gaspar Drive burglary. After investigation, police say Vasquez visited Bitcoin ATMs four times between January 25, 2021, and February 1, 2021, and withdrew close to $9,400 altogether.
Vasquez was booked into the Dallas County Jail on September 6. No bond has been set, and it is unclear if she has an attorney. Â
