TOM GREEN COUNTY, Texas — UPDATE (3:50 p.m. May 25): The Tom Green County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday it is actively searching for Jordan Matthew Velez, 36, owner of Viking Rentals Services and JC Asset Management.
After an investigation by the department's Criminal Investigations Division, a warrant has been obtained for Velez for theft of property $150,000<$300,000, a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 20 years in state prison.
Velez is accused of defrauding eight customers out of $260,000 in equipment and services over the past several years.
He was booked into the Tom Green County Jail in April for theft of property and released on bond.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office, the San Angelo Police Department or Crime Stoppers.
ORIGINAL STORY (April 19, 2022): The Tom Green County Sheriff's Office is asking the public for help in a theft by fraud investigation.
According to a TGCSO press release, on Friday, March 11, 2022, a report of felony theft was received.
During a subsequent criminal investigation, they found Jordan Matthew Velez, 36, doing business as Viking Rental Services, had sold two pieces of heavy equipment to the victim on, or about, Dec. 20, 2021, on Facebook Marketplace.
The victim, after not receiving his purchased property, found the serialized items had been sold through an auction house in January 2022. The victim then contacted Velez numerous times, but did not receive the purchased property or a refund, the release said.
On Tuesday, April 19, 2022, the TGCSO found and arrested Velez at a business in San Angelo. He has been charged with theft of property $2,500<$30,000, for defrauding the customer.
During the course of the investigation, the sheriff's office found three other victims who have either purchased equipment/trailers and not received the item, and/or have not received title paperwork for the items.
The sheriff's office asks anyone who is a victim of Velez to call the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office's non-emergency line, 325-655-8111.
This is an ongoing investigation.
Velez was booked into the Tom Green County Jail and as of Tuesday afternoon, had not been released.
