NEW YORK—For the last nine months, New York City Police Detectives Martin Pastor and Anthony Diaz have been on the case, recovering more than $700,000 worth of production equipment that had been stolen. In recognition of their efforts, ESTA’s Production Equipment Rental Group (PERG) presented an award to Pastor and Diaz at its annual membership meeting during the NAB Show in Las Vegas; the award recognized the detectives for “their dedication to combating fraud and theft in the motion picture and TV industry,” said PERG in a press release.
Detectives Antony Diaz and Martin Pastor
Working with Rental Guard, a PERG website that provides theft reporting and alert features, Pastor and Diaz have tracked down leads in Spain, France and Argentina, established informants, convinced law enforcement in other cities to pursue cases, provided advice on what companies can do to recover equipment, and made presentations at industry forums to raise awareness about equipment theft.
During the NAB Show, PERG raised $2,400 of seed money for a new tip fund for law enforcement to gather information that will assist in the recovery of stolen equipment. PERG members also showed Pastor and Diaz around the show floor to meet with other rental companies and equipment providers.
PERG is a group of ESTA-member companies operating in the motion picture and television markets with the mission of focusing attention on industry issues.
