SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former warehouse manager for a Santa Ana COVID-19 business pleaded not guilty Thursday to stealing more than $1 million in tests and attempting to steal more worth an additional $270,000.
Carlos Peralta, a former employee of Covid Clinic, was charged Thursday with grand theft by employee and attempted grand theft by employee, both felonies.
Santa Ana police in February asked for the public’s help tracking down Peralta, who was arrested Tuesday.
Peralta was the warehouse manager of the business at 3401 W. MacArthur Blvd., according to Santa Ana police Sgt. Maria Lopez. The warehouse ships tests for the virus to customers throughout the country such as clinics, pop-up testing sites, schools and hotels, police said.
Peralta was accused of having about 100 separate shipments of COVID-19 tests sent to his home from several of the clinic’s warehouses, police said.
Peralta was ordered to return to court for a pretrial hearing Oct. 17 in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.