VENTURA, CA - District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that a jury found Daniel Ray Coffman (DOB 03/31/54) guilty of three counts of felony grand theft. After a two-week trial, Coffman, a former resident of Westlake Village, was found guilty of defrauding an Oak Park woman. The case was investigated by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

Coffman was on parole when he met Tracy Clark. He falsely told her that he was wealthy and that his ex-wife had frozen his assets. Coffman convinced her to loan him more than $28,000, that she obtained through high-interest cash advances, because she believed him when he gave her promissory notes promising to quickly repay the money. Coffman also defrauded her out of more than $12,000 by fraudulently using her credit card. Two other women testified at trial that Coffman had also defrauded them using a similar scheme. A fourth victim, Claudette Siah, testified about how Coffman talked her into turning over her life savings to him in 2001. Coffman was convicted of embezzling from Ms. Siah, and has paid none of the $87,247 that he owes her. He was previously sent to state prison for three years for defrauding Ms. Siah.

Judge Brian Back will sentence the defendant on March 1, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 47. Coffman faces a maximum of five years and four months in state prison, to be served locally. After the jury’s verdict, Coffman’s bail was revoked and he was held without bail.