Burglars tunnel thru wall, steal cash from South Los Angeles family's business
South LA family's business broken into
Burglars tunneled through the walls of two businesses to steal cash from a family-run tax and multi-service company's vault in South Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES - Burglars tunneled through walls of two businesses to get to the vault at Pichinte Tax and Multi Services in South Los Angeles. But the physical damage is not half as brutal as the loss for a critical family business in South LA.
"They took everything my father and family have worked 15 years to put together," says Jennifer Pichinte, who works alongside her dad offering insurance, DMV registrations, tax consulting, and MoneyGram services.
The cash in the vault was not their money; it was MoneyGram's, to be used by customers. So the family has to pay everything back. They service a community in a high-risk area, so they have not been able to get insurance for the business, and their savings were also in the vault.
"We've lost everything," says Jose Pichinte, holding back tears.
He explains they had installed the best security system they could afford: cameras, alarms, and an iron gate. That's why the burglars broke into the small restaurant next door, taking nothing from there, but tunneling through that wall into Pichinte's and then breaking through another wall into the back.
LAPD is handling the investigation, saying little other than they would love some tips on this. If you look at the security video, you can see the burglars came prepared with equipment and masks. They didn't even bother disabling cameras, even as the alarm was going off.
Jose Pichinte says he does not want to shut down the business he spent his life creating in the community that so badly needs it. Yes, there is a fundraiser to help them (here), but even more, the family is hoping people will turn out to continue getting services to help pay the debt they now owe to MoneyGram, which is substantial.
"I know times are hard for people," Jennifer says. "But this is not the answer...to destroy someone else's life."
Around her neck, a medal of St. Jude hints at her palpable concern. The saint is prayed to for impossible cases, and LAPD may have their work cut out for them. If anyone has any information about the burglary, you can leave anonymous tips by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.
A GoFundMe has since been put together to help the family. Those looking to help can click here.