No tolerance for fraud at ski resorts

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE -- From a 52-year-old parent to a pair of young con artists from the Sacramento area, ski resorts are catching visitors trying to infiltrate the slopes with fraudulent passes.

Since Feb. 7, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department has detained nine people who allegedly attempted to ski for free, but were thwarted by lift operators who earn a bonus for such finds.

"It seems like a good idea until they're going to jail," said sheriff's Sgt. Steve Stroot. "It's a cost-benefit analysis, and I think the cost doesn't justify the benefit."

Scams run from somebody borrowing a friend's season pass to using an outdated pass. The most sophisticated involved two friends from Carmichael, who got free rides about a dozen times this year before being discovered.

One 20-year-old attempted to board the Heavenly Ski Resort tram last weekend when the lift operator believed the pass photo didn't match his face. When asked his birthday, he immediately said the pass wasn't his and he had found it on the street, officers said.

When told by a suspicious deputy of the crimes he had allegedly committed -- misuse of lost property, possession of stolen property and access card defraud -- the suspect stuck to his story.

Then a Heavenly ticket manager brought the pass owner to the deputy. The owner, 21, was at the season pass office asking for a replacement when the manager became suspicious because she saw him hanging around when the suspect was arrested.

When he grew hesitant about filing a lost property report and was pressed for the truth, he finally admitted he had given his pass to his buddy.

The pass owner was booked into El Dorado County Jail.

The lure to ride for free doesn't just pertain to teenagers and young adults.

On Sunday, a 52-year-old father was busted for trying to use his friend's Heavenly pass. The man, who works for the Marin Municipal Water District, immediately said the pass wasn't his, but said he had permission from his friend when the lift operator became suspicious of the photo.

He was cited and released by deputies and presumably went to meet his two young children.

Not all infiltrators go so peacefully. When a 27-year-old San Francisco man was caught using a pass at Sierra-at-Tahoe, he walked into the woods and hid in a tree trunk. After being found by a security officer and escorted into an office, he denied he had attempted to use a fraudulent pass.

After further interrogation, he retrieved the pass, which he had hidden in a plastic container in the office.

A New Hampshire man fled after a Heavenly lift operator discovered a bad pass. He was found by sheriff's deputies. A South Lake Tahoe man was caught by Sierra-at-Tahoe security after he tried to get away after trying to use a pass from last year.

Assistant District Attorney Hans Uthe said violators may be fined $300 for the infraction. People who are repeat offenders or make counterfeit tickets and passes may face stiffer penalties.

Uthe's office is attempting to move the infraction up to a misdemeanor by contacting trade organization that represent ski resorts.

The crime was made an infraction when lift tickets were still $20, Uthe said. Now, with day passes in the $50 to $60 range, Uthe would like to see more punishment.

"If you steal $70 worth of goods from Raleys, you will be taken into custody and charged with a misdemeanor or more," Uthe said. "I think resorts should have the same sort protection as other merchants."

Another person who likes to see swift punishment is Todd Majoris, marketing director at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

Majoris said it's the "core responsibility" for lift operators to catch snowboarders or skiers with bad passes. An electronic scanner used by Sierra and Heavenly checks the bar code on the pass to see if it is valid.