Masseuse and boyfriend charged with attempting to extort Hermosa Beach Treasurer David Cohn
Hermosa Beach City Treasurer David Cohn was the victim of attempted extortion this month after a masseuse and her boyfriend stole his iPad, said Hermosa Beach Interim Police Chief Steve Johnson.
Gustavo Ceron, 29, and Yuritsi Maria Garcia, 26, have been charged with attempted extortion, Johnson said. Each was being held on $35,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. They remained in custody as of Thursday, Johnson said.
Cohn invited the couple to his Sixth Street home on Nov. 9 for a massage, Johnson said. After they left, Cohn noticed his iPad was missing and phoned Johnson.
“Treasurer Cohn was at his house getting a massage done,” Johnson said. “In the process, a young lady and a gentleman with her stole his iPad.”
Johnson assigned detectives to the case, who were able to locate the iPad and disable it through Apple security. Hermosa Beach police officers arrested Ceron and Garcia in Maywood on Tuesday and recovered the iPad, Johnson said.
Johnson said he did not want to jeopardize the ongoing investigation by providing details about the attempted extortion charge in which the suspects allegedly made demands of Cohn.
Cohn, who was elected to office a year ago, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Cohn’s iPad did not contain city-related documents or correspondence, and no resident account information was compromised, said Laura Mecoy, public relations consultant for the city.
Ceron and Garcia’s next court date is a preliminary hearing Dec. 3 at the Torrance Courthouse, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office said.