CHANDLER, AZ — Authorities say a man was found in possession of multiple identities and the equipment to make more after he refused to leave a hotel on time.
Chandler police say officers were called to the San Marcos Hotel near Arizona Avenue and Chandler Boulevard on January 30 after a person was refusing to leave after his checkout time.
Officers started talking to the man, identified as Austin Holmberg, in the parking lot near a rented SUV he said was his. Police say Holmberg initially identified himself as Daniel Santiago Rendon and told officers he was 24 years old.
Inside the Suburban, officers found 19 different identifications with names other than Austin Holmberg, including credit cards and state-issued IDs. Officers also found blank hotel card stock used for re-encoding credit cards, printing devices, laptops and a ledger containing other people's identities.
Police say Holmberg continued to insist his name was Daniel Santiago Rendon during the booking process. Fingerprinting eventually confirmed that Rendon was not his true name, police said in a news release.
Holmberg has been charged with one count of fraudulent schemes, one count of possession of a forged instrument, one count of unlawful possession of a scanning device and one count of possession with intent to defraud.
In court paperwork, police say Holmberg started using the Rendon identity several months ago and was using it to defraud businesses. He said he was arrested in Tucson as Daniel Rendon and has a warrant for his arrest.
Holmberg has previously been arrested for forgery, theft, and burglary and spent 3.5 years in jail in California, Chandler police said.
