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A man who is allegedly well-known in the Tri-Valley for befriending people on the golf course just so that he can steal their wallets is being charged with a felony case by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
Brent Matthew Palmer is a 53-year-old man who, according to Pleasanton Police Department Lt. Erik Silacci, has made a name for himself in the area — but for all the wrong reasons.
“We’ve known about this guy for a while,” Silacci told the Weekly.
The lieutenant alleged that over the years, Palmer has been going around the Tri-Valley cities and getting caught stealing other people’s wallets from their golf bags at various courses.
Silacci said Palmer would pair up with other people and befriend them before leaving the course early and taking their wallets on his way out.
“That’s kind of his M.O. is he will kind of befriend people … and then get access to their golf bag,” Silacci said.
That’s what happened back in September 2023 when Palmer was arrested outside of the Callippe Preserve Golf Course where he did the exact same thing to a couple, Silacci said.
“He got paired up with this couple and they were kind of just chit-chatting as they were doing their round and I guess he kind of left a little early before the round was over,” Silacci said. “Well during that time he basically took the guy’s wallet and that’s when the charges started happening.”
Silacci said the victim didn’t even realize his wallet was missing until the end of the round, which is also when he started noticing the charges that were being made to his credit card.
Palmer allegedly stole $200 and used the victims credit card at various retail stores, including Safeway, racking up a total of $4,192 in charges.
Silacci said PPD had charged Palmer with grand theft and believes those charges, along with possible identification theft, are what is being brought forward by the district attorney’s office this month.
The DA’s office has not responded to multiple requests from the Weekly for clarification on the specific charges and why it has taken so long to charge Palmer.
But this isn’t the only case Palmer is dealing with over these past few years. Silacci said Palmer has other pending charges and has similar cases in Livermore and San Ramon.
Ted Asregadoo, public information officer to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, told the Weekly that his office filed a complaint with the court against Palmer on March 12 and that there is a warrant issued for his arrest.
According to an Oct. 3 Facebook post by the San Ramon Police Department, Palmer was arrested for fraud-related charges and outstanding related warrants for similar crimes in other counties. San Ramon PD stated that one afternoon, a person called to report being defrauded out of nearly $2,000 after being promised some high end golf clubs.
Asregadoo said he couldn’t release the complaint due to Palmer not being in custody or having been arraigned on the charges, but according to the Contra Costa County Superior Court’s online public portal, Palmer has seven felony charges for grand theft, identify theft, obtaining property under false pretenses and buying or receiving stolen property.
Silacci also said Palmer has a case with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office for a similar incident at the Las Positas Golf Course. He said the golf course had even put up a flier of Palmer warning people that Palmer is known to steal cards.
According to Alameda County Superior Court criminal case portal online, Palmer is scheduled to be arraigned on June 27 in an Oakland courtroom.
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