Police arrested a group of Santa Barbara area residents last week after they allegedly used fake credit cards to check into two rooms at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara. The group stayed three nights and went on a $6,000 shopping spree at the resort’s spa before hotel management became suspicious and attempted to verify their payments. When the cards came back fraudulent, managers called the police, who contacted the group and reportedly found heroin, meth, and drug paraphernalia in both rooms.
One of the suspects, 33-year-old Angel Garcia, who was out on parole for a previous offense, tried to flee from officers but was quickly apprehended. He’s being held in County Jail without bail. The other three suspects, 33-year-old Francisco Sensi, 37-year-old Maryam Burgazi, and 37-year-old Bianca Lauwers, were arrested and charged with fraud and drug possession. All told, the group tried bilking the Bacara out of approximately $11,000. They told police someone they didn’t know had booked the rooms and offered to let them stay there for free.