A Corning man was arrested following months of investigation in connection with a cattle theft in which two Bay Area men were victims, resulting in a loss of $216,000, according to a press release issued by the Tehama County Sheriff’s Department.
Jose Damian Camargo, 39, was booked into Tehama County Jail and charged with 24 counts of grand theft of cattle, 23 counts of grand theft by embezzlement, an additional count of embezzlement, six counts of forgery and one count of theft from elder or dependent adult. Bail was $500,000.
The investigation into the theft began on June 22 when investigators from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the sheriff’s department, and (CDFA’s) Bureau of Livestock Identification started looking into a report of theft of cattle from a Corning Road property in the Flournoy area, according to the release.
The victims, identified as James Weiss, 92, and Robert Glenn Aycock, 67, both of San Rafael, purchased a pasture in Corning for grazing their cattle. They hired Camargo as their ranch manager.
Between Dec. 1, 2017, and July 1, 2019, Camargo allegedly stole 24 head of cattle, a portable horse barn, 15 steel corral panels, seven gates, a well pump and $176,134 in cash from the two men. At the time of the events, Weiss was classified as an elder under California law.