Fay Arfa, A Law Corporation

DA Gascon's Office Does Not Want People to Submit Requests for Resentencing DA Gascon's Office does not accept calls, emails, letters, etc. about individual cases. The DA's Office cannot respond to requests or concerns about individual cases or requests for resentencing made by incarcerated persons, family members, attorneys, and/or other representatives at this time. If someone wants to get resentenced, the person should participate in rehabilitative programming and avoid di...sciplinary actions while incarcerated. Gathering letters of support from institutional staff, family, community members, and re-entry providers also may be helpful. The information should be kept for use in case a resentencing hearing is scheduled. The DA's office does not want any documents sent to their office. Individuals, family members or attorneys cannot request resentencing under Penal Code Section 1170(d). Only the DA, the CDCR, the Sheriff, or the Board of Parole Hearings can request resentencing. See more

Smuggling Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Sold as Herbal Products Gets South Korean Man 4 Years in Federal Prison A federal judge sentenced Nam Hyun Lee, 62, a.k.a. Daniel Lee, a South Korean man living illegal in the U.S., to 46 months in federal prison for illegally importing bulk quantities of erectile dysfunction drugs that he marketed as herbal male sexual enhancement products that earned him millions of dollars. Lee pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling misbranded dru...gs, Sildenafil and Tadalafil, the active ingredient in Viagra and Cialis. Lee admitted that in late 2016, he caused 21.4 kilograms of the drugs to be imported into the United States from China, describing the drugs as Acrylic Paint and Glass Bottles. Lee used the Sildenafil and Tadalafil to manufacture pills he sold to distributors, who then sold the products to liquor, gas and convenience stores across the United States, according to court documents. Even though his products contained drugs that required a prescription, the labels on Lee’s products either stated that no prescription was necessary or failed to state one was needed meaning the products were mislabeled. Over the course of about 2 years until his businesses were shut down by federal authorities in October 2018 Lee sold at least $3.5 million worth of pills under numerous names, including Rhino and variations of that name. Lee will have to forfeit his $1.2 million Fullerton residence, nearly $458,000 seized from eight bank accounts, $346,324 in U.S. currency, and a 2018 Cadillac Escalade. See more

DISBARRED ATTORNEY GETS 15 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR STEALING FROM CLIENTS A federal judge sentenced Shant Ohanian, 38, a disbarred lawyer to 180 months in federal prison for stealing more than $4 million from his clients through various ways including collecting fees for work he never performed. Ohanian pleaded guilty in June 2019 to one count of wire fraud and has been in federal custody since the following month, when his bond was revoked because of allegations that he w...Continue reading

Ex-Labor Union President Gets 12 Years in Prison for Embezzling Union Health Plan Funds & Lying to Federal Officials A federal judge sentenced John S. Romero, 74, the former president of a Colton-based labor union, to 144 months in federal prison for stealing nearly $800,000 from the union’s health plan trust fund, which he used to pay for personal expenses including legal bills and a car loan for his son’s sports car. A jury found him guilty of one count of conspi...racy, 12 counts of theft in connection with health care, and one count of making a false statement to a government agency. Romero appointed himself president of United Industrial Services Workers of America (UISWA) and trustee of the UISWA health plan trust fund. Money paid into the fund was supposed to be used exclusively for health care benefits of its participants. Instead, Romero stole the union’s health funds for the benefit of himself and his immediate family. The feds alleged that Romero appointed a sham trustee who had no prior experience with unions. He also actively misled the third-party administrators of the health plan into making improper payments from the trust fund. From 2008 to 2014, Romero embezzled health plan funds to pay a $110,000 personal civil judgment against himself and his son, John J. Romero, 55, also of Loma Linda. He also embezzled $40,000 to pay criminal defense lawyers who represented Romero in a separate case. Romero funneled more than $310,000 to himself by disguising the funds as rent payments on two properties he owned and held under a shell company. Romero also stole more than $300,000 in union health plan money to make salary payments to his family, even though none of his family members ever worked for the plan. He also used plan funds to pay off a $25,000 loan on his son’s Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 sports car. Romero also filed a false financial report with the U.S. Department of Labor in which he concealed than $100,000 in union receipts and disbursements that Romero kept in a secret bank account and used it to make regular payments to his mistress. Romero also appointed his son as the secretary and treasurer of the union. He later appointed his ex-wife, Evelyn Romero, 71, as the UISWA president and trustee in 2010, shortly before Romero began serving a two-year federal prison sentence for making false statements to federal officials while he was president of a different labor union. Romero’s son, ex-wife, and daughter, Danae Romero, 42, of Loma Linda, pleaded guilty to criminal charges in this case. Evelyn and Danae Romero each were sentenced to two years’ probation in this case. John J. Romero was sentenced to time served in prison, plus three years of supervised release. The other defendants also had to pay back monies, namely, Evelyn Romero $316,502; John J. Romero $273,350; and Danae Romero $200,552. See more

Senora Gets 12 Years in Federal Prison for Carjacking, Soliciting Murder Cheryl Perez-Castaneda, 58 acted as a señora or a high-level female associate for an imprisoned Mexican Mafia member got 144 months in federal prison for using her power on the street to solicit a murder and for participating in a carjacking attempt that resulted in a shooting. She pleaded guilty in October 2020 to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Or...ganizations (RICO) Act and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence. Perez-Castaneda was a high-level associate of a Mexican Mafia cell run by Michael Lerma, 63, a.k.a. Pomona Mike and Big Mike. Lerma exercised control over, and extorted drug proceeds from, Latino street gangs in and around Pomona, as well as from inmates at Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County. Members of Lerma’s criminal enterprise also engaged in robberies, identity theft and fraud, drug trafficking, kidnapping, and other acts of violence, the indictment alleges. Lerma profited from these criminal activities when top-level female associates known as señoras deposited proceeds into his prison account. Perez-Castaneda, who, from February 2012 to July 2016, acted as a señora by collecting extortionate taxes from Pomona drug dealers; distributing the drug proceeds to the Mexican Mafia, including Lerma, who was incarcerated at Pelican Bay State Prison; and giving orders to others regarding the racketeering enterprise’s criminal activities. Perez-Castaneda also used her power as Lerma’s voice on the street to solicit the murder of a Los Angeles County Jail inmate in July 2013 in retaliation for the shooting of her son. When Perez-Castaneda was informed that the victim had been stabbed, but not killed, she sought and obtained the approval of a Mexican Mafia member to have the victim placed on a green light list, marking him for murder.In July 2013, Perez-Castaneda also participated in the attempted theft of a Mercedes-Benz automobile owned by another jail inmate. When the car’s caretaker refused to hand over the vehicle, one of Perez-Castaneda’s co-defendants shot him. Perez-Castaneda laughed about the shooting on a recorded telephone call. In March 2018, a federal grand jury charged Lerma and 12 other defendants with multiple felonies, including racketeering conspiracy, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and firearms offenses. So far, prosecutors have secured five guilty pleas in this case. Trial for the other defendants in this case, including Lerma and Jose Valencia Gonzalez, the alleged shooter in the July 2013 carjacking incident, is scheduled for May 11. See more

Man Who Promoted "Incel" Admits He Cyberstalked Two Teenage Girls Carl De Vera Bennington, 34 pleaded guilty to two federal cyberstalking charges for his multiyear internet harassment campaign against two teenage girls who rejected his sexual advances. Bennington sent one teenager unsolicited online messages for several years. When she blocked him from contacting her from one of her online accounts, Bennington created new online accounts and then continued sending her message...s, including graphic messages between June and November 2019 in which he insulted the victim, demanded she engage in sex acts with him, and threatened to sexually assault her. When the victim demanded that Bennington stop harassing her, he threatened to kill her and her family. Bennington also harassed another teenager, ho deactivated her social media accounts in 2017 after he solicited her to engage in a sexual relationship with him. In August 2019, after she reactivated her social media accounts, Bennington sent her numerous online messages threatening to kill her unless she responded to his demands for sex acts. Neither teenager ever met Bennington in person. Bennington frequently promoted incel (involuntarily celibate) ideology, which involves individuals who are unable to find a willing sex partner and promotes the view that women oppress men and have too much freedom to choose their own sexual partners. The ideology ranges in tone from expressing sadness and self-loathing to advocating the absolute hatred of women. See more

Department of Justice Releases New Report on Implementing Effective Unmanned Aircraft System Programs The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) today released a new report, Roadmap to Implementing an Effective Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Program, with its partners at the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). Drones, as UAS are generally known, present one of the most exciting frontiers in law enforcement by giving depart...ments an essential tool with which to gather vital situational data without placing law enforcement professionals in harm’s way. This report is an eight-step guide to launching a drone program and is available on the COPS Office website. This report details the critical steps to starting a drone program, from planning and preparation to purchasing the right equipment, staffing and training a drone team, and writing policies and procedures. The recommendations and tips included in this guidance were developed in consultation with members of the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) UAS Working Group, convened by the COPS Office in 2019 following a two-day forum on the police use of drones and response to the threat of malicious drone attacks. The findings from that forum were compiled into Drones: A Report on the Use of Drones by Public Safety Agenciesand a Wake-Up Call about the Threat of Malicious Drone Attacks, which was released early this year. See more

Recording Child Pornography on Social Media Gets Man 25 Years in Federal Prison A federal Judge sentenced Chaunta A. Bashir, a.k.a. taytheonly, 27, to 300 months in federal prison for producing dozens of sexually explicit images and videos of children, including videos that were recorded on his Snapchat and Facebook social media accounts. He pled guilty to one count of production of child pornography. From June 2015 to October 2018, Bashir produced multiple imag...es of child pornography. In October and November 2017, he took sexually explicit images and videos of a 3-year-old child, including of himself sexually abusing the child. In the spring and summer of 2018, Bashir produced additional sexually explicit images and videos of children ranging in age from 4 years to 14 years. Bashir recorded some of those videos on his Facebook and Snapchat social media accounts. While searching Bashir’s home in October 2018, law enforcement officials found more than 600 images and videos from his electronic devices that depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. See more

Dive Boat Captain Charged with Seaman’s Manslaughter in Fire off Santa Barbara Coast that Killed 34 People The feds charged Jerry Nehl Boylan, 67, the captain of the P/V Conception, a Santa Barbara-based dive boat that caught fire last year near Santa Cruz Island, resulting in the 33 passenger and one crew member's deaths of 33 passengers and one crew member, with 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter. As captain and master of the vessel, [Boylan] was responsible for the safety... and security of the vessel, its crew, and its passengers. The indictment alleges that Boylan caused the deaths of 33 passengers and one crewmember by his misconduct, negligence, and inattention to his duties. The indictment cites three specific safety violations: failing to have a night watch or roving patrol, which was required by the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and for over 20 years was a requirement in the Conception’s Certificate of Inspection issued by the United States Coast Guard; failing to conduct sufficient fire drills, which are mandated in the CFR; and failing to conduct sufficient crew training, which was also required by the CFR. The Conception was a 75-foot, wood-and-fiberglass passenger vessel that docked in Santa Barbara Harbor. During a Labor Day weekend dive trip last year, the boat carried 33 passengers and six crew members, including Boylan. During the early morning hours of September 2, 2019, a fire broke out while the boat was anchored in Platt’s Harbor near Santa Cruz Island. The fire, which engulfed the boat and led to its sinking, resulted in the deaths of 34 people who had been sleeping below deck. Five crewmembers, including Boylan, escaped and survived. Each charge of seaman’s manslaughter carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. See more

FEDS ARREST MAN FOR CRASHING A DRONE INTO AN LAPD HELICOPTER The feds arrested Andrew Rene Hernandez, 22, a Hollywood man, for recklessly operating a drone that crashed into a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter. The drone damaged the LAPD aircraft and forced the pilot to make an emergency landing. The drone also damaged a vehicle when the the drone fell from the sky after the crash. Hernandez faces a charge of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft. On Se...ptember 18, 2020, in the early morning house, LAPD officers responded to a burglary call at a pharmacy in Hollywood. The responding officers requested air support, and an LAPD helicopter flew toward the scene. As the helicopter approached the pharmacy, the pilot saw the drone and tried to evade the unmanned aircraft. Despite the evasive efforts, the drone stuck the helicopter, forcing the pilot to initiate an emergency landing. The drone damaged the helicopter’s nose, antenna and bottom cowlings. The drone’s camera and SD card, led to the identification of Hernandez as the drone’s operator. Hernandez admitted to flying the drone on September 18 after he heard police vehicles and an approaching helicopter just after midnight. Hernandez just wanted to see what was going on. As the drone was ascending, Hernandez saw the drone smacked by the hovering police helicopter, and it fell to the ground at a nearby residence. A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. As charged, the unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft offense alleged in the complaint is a misdemeanor offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of one year in federal prison. See more

Criminal Fees AB 1869 (Stats. 2020, ch. 92) Effective July 1, 2021, courts will no longer have authority to collect the following fees: Government Code:... 27712 (public defense fee) 27753 (cost of counsel) 29550(c) (criminal justice administration fee) 29550(f) (administrative screening fee and citation processing fee) 29550.1 (criminal justice administration fee) 29550.2 (county booking fee) 29550.3 (city booking fee) Penal Code: 987.4 (minor public defense fee) 987.5 (public defense registration fee) 987.8 (public defense fee) 1203 (interstate compact supervision) 1203.016(g) (adult home detention administrative fee) 1203.018(j) (electronic monitoring administrative fee) 1203.1b (probation department investigation/progress report fee) 1203.1e (parole supervision fee) 1208.2(b) (program administrative fee) 1210.15 (continuous electronic monitoring fee) 3010.8 (parole continuous electronic monitoring fee) 4024.2(e) (work furlough administrative fee) 6266 (work furlough program fee) The legislation also adds Government Code section 6111. This statute, effective July 1, 2021, provides that the unpaid balance of any court-imposed costs (pursuant to section 27712, section 29550(c) or (f), and sections 29550.1, 29550.2, and 29550.3) is unenforceable and uncollectible. Further, the court must vacate any portion of a judgment that imposes those costs

Alleged Bank Robber Arrested after Crashing Getaway Car at Vandenberg Air Force Base The feds arrested Maurice Antwion Pilgrim Jr., 19 years old, on charges that he robbed a credit union in Santa Barbara County, tried to rob a bank, and then led law enforcement on a high-speed chase that resulted in him crashing his getaway car at Vandenberg Air Force Base. He will be charged with robbery and one count of attempted robbery. On October 13 Pilgrim, ro...bbed Coast Hills Credit Union in Lompoc, making off with $3,000. Two days later, he tried to rob Mechanics Bank in Guadalupe, but fled after seeing a nearby bank security guard. After the failed bank robbery, law enforcement officials found Pilgrim driving on Highway 1 and started chasing him, The high-speed chase ended when Pilgrim crashed his car near the Vandenberg Air Force Base visitor center. Pilgrim ran away, but was arrested soon afterward. After his arrest on October 15, Pilgrim made incriminating statements and clothing and other items found in a Ford Taurus Pilgrim had rented in July but was never returned matched security camera footage and witness descriptions of him. Pilgrim also allegedly told law enforcement that, before the robbery, he used Google to research penalties for bank robbery. An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted of both counts, Pilgrim would face a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison. See more

LA JOBS PORTAL The LA Jobs Portal was created in response to the economic crisis many Angelenos are experiencing, due to cut hours or job losses as a result of COVID-19. This is a way that people can find help and jobs while adhering to the Safer At Home Orders that have been put into place by Mayor Garcetti and Governor Newsom. On that website Angelenos can find job opportunities across all industries including grocery stores, delivery and transportation services.

Montrose Man Arrested on Wire Fraud Charge that His Adult Entertainment Website Venture Was Million-Dollar Scam The feds arrested Patrick Khalafian, 51, on a federal grand jury indictment charging him with defrauding investors out of more than $1 million via an adult entertainment website scam, the Justice Department announced today. The single-count indictment charged him with wire fraud. Khalafian pleaded not guilty to the charge. The indictment alleges that, fr...om November 2009 to October 2016, Khalafian solicited investments for businesses including 168 Entertainment LLC, Empire Entertainment Group Inc., and EEG LLC that purportedly developed and operated adult entertainment websites. Khalafian allegedly represented that victims’ investments would be used for business operations, including developing software and the platform for the proposed websites, paying for servers, hiring employees and purchasing advertising. He also promised that victims’ investments would be repaid by a certain date, according to the indictment.Instead, Khalafian allegedly used the victim investors’ funds on gambling, luxury shopping sprees, and to pay back other investors. Khalafian allegedly lied to his victims about the status of the adult entertainment websites and eventually stopped responding to victims, disconnected his phone number and changed his email address. In July 2015, Khalafian received $1 million of ill-gotten gains wired from a victim’s bank account in Canada to a bank account he controlled in Woodland Hills, according to the indictment. Prosecutors believe this amount comprises approximately half of the money Khalafian raised via this scheme. An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court. See more

Inland Empire Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Leading Crew that Robbed at Least 15 AutoZone Stores at Gunpoint Daeon Raishawn Cox, 22, a Riverside an who led a crew that committed at least 15 armed robberies of Inland Empire AutoZone stores, sometimes using an AR-15-style rifle, got sentenced to 108 months in federal prison. Cox pleaded guilty in July 2019 to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, and one count of brandishing a fir...earm in furtherance of a crime of violence. From September 5, 2018 until December 13, 2018, when he was arrested after leading police officers on a high-speed pursuit, Cox and his co-conspirators robbed at least 15 AutoZone stores at gunpoint, making off with more than $11,000 in cash. In many of the robberies, Cox or a co-conspirator brandished or pointed a gun at the AutoZone employees in order to gain compliance. These firearms included at least two handguns, and in some instances, an AR-15-style rifle. Cox directly participated in at least eight of the armed robberies, plus one additional attempted robbery. One of Cox’s co-defendants, Dashon Raymond White, 26, of Moreno Valley, pleaded guilty in July 2019 to conspiracy to one count of interfere with commerce by robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 15, 2021. Cox, White, and co-defendant Jada Shardae Allen, 20, of Perris, were caught after their attempt to use an AR-15-style rifle to rob an AutoZone on December 12, 2018 was interrupted by Fontana police, who had been conducting surveillance at the AutoZone store in that city after learning about the string of AutoZone robberies in the Inland Empire, according to an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint in the case. he suspects led police on a high-speed chase on Interstate 15 and threw the rifle out of the car. The chase ended when they crashed and tried to run away. Cox was found hiding in a garbage can. All three suspects were eventually apprehended by officers. Officers recovered the firearm on the side of the freeway. Allen’s trial is scheduled for January 26, 2021. See more

Ex-‘Arsenio Hall Show’ Musical Director Gets Sentenced to Prison for Stealing About $1 Million Intended for Charity Concert A federal judge sentenced Robin DiMaggio, 49, the former musical director of The Arsenio Hall Show to 27 months in federal prison for embezzling nearly $1 million from a charity concert intended to raise money for children made homeless by wars. During the summer of 2016, DiMaggio promised to help the Bulgaria-based non-profit o...rganization Peace for You Peace for Me Foundation organize a concert in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. The concert was intended to raise money to help children who lost their homes because of global conflicts.DiMaggio, a professional drummer who also had served as a musical director for the United Nations, offered to get world-famous musicians and celebrities to perform at the concert, and he claimed to need money to book these artists. Relying on these promises, the foundation’s financial sponsor wired nearly $1 million to DiMaggio. Rather than use the money for the charity concert, DiMaggio instead used it to fund his personal lifestyle and pay his debts. Within weeks of the last wire transfer of $750,000, he used $251,370 of the funds to purchase a Calabasas home for his ex-wife. DiMaggio also bought his mother a $35,000 car and bought his son a $24,000 car. He also wired $150,000 of the funds to a bank account in the name of his company, DiMagic Entertainment Inc. None of the transfers was sent to artists or their management in connection with the charity concert in Bulgaria. The sponsor later sued DiMaggio in Los Angeles Superior Court, where DiMaggio continued to lie in court proceedings that someone else had stolen the money. DiMaggio also forged bank documents and deleted correspondence while this civil litigation was spending, and he ultimately filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. In his September 2017 bankruptcy filing, DiMaggio made false statements that he had not made alimony payments or given any gifts worth more than $600 to any person in the prior two years.

Fake Wounded Marine Who Got VA Benefits Sentenced to Over One Year in Prison A federal judge sentenced James Stiles, 43, of Orange County man who falsely held himself out to be a United States Marine Corps combat veteran and two-time Purple Heart recipient to fraudulently obtain veterans’ health care and housing benefits 16 months in federal prison. Stiles also has to pay back $167,234 in restitution for his health care fraud conviction. In November 2...012, Stiles applied for health care benefits through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by submitting and signing a fraudulent application. On the form, Stiles falsely claimed that he had served in the Marine Corps from 1995 to 2005, and that he was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded in combat. Once he was enrolled in the VA’s health care benefit program, Stiles scheduled medical appointments at will. From December 2012 to March 2016, Stiles received 692 outpatient treatments, primarily at the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center in Long Beach. Stiles admitted in his plea agreement that in December 2015 he also applied for housing benefits intended for homeless veterans, and he submitted forms where he falsely claims to be the recipient of two Purple Hearts. As a result of this application, Stiles was accepted into the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supporting Housing program. The Orange County Housing Authority, HUD's local housing partner in Orange County automatically provided his landlord with vouchers on Stiles’s behalf each month beginning in February 2016. Also, in February 2016, Stiles submitted a form to the VA for the purpose of obtaining disability benefits in which he falsely claimed that he was a veteran. Stiles’s scheme to defraud ended in April 2016 when the VA confronted him, and he admitted he had never served in the U.S. military and was not entitled to receive VA benefits. In a March 2016 audio recording where Stiles falsely told a religious outreach group for veterans that he was a captain in the Marine Corps, that he served for 10 years, that he was simultaneously shot in the head by a 5-year-old ‘kid’ and in the back by a sniper, that he was subsequently in a coma for approximately two years, and that he still lives with the bullet in his head. See more

Police Arrest Woman and a Traffic Stop During Which the Police Found Evidence of Identity Theft Involving Over $500,000 in COVID-19 Unemployment Relief The feds arrested Cara Marie Kirk-Connell, 32, of Menifee in Riverside County woman on charges that she defrauded California’s unemployment insurance system by using stolen personal information obtained from the darknet to fraudulently receive more than a half-million dollars in COVID-19 unemployment benefits. T...he feds allege thaton September 11, Murrieta police conducted a traffic stop of Kirk-Connell. During a search of her car, the police found eight debit cards that contained unemployment benefits in other people’s names, $30,000 in cash and several driver’s licenses for other motorists. During a police interview, Kirk-Connell allegedly admitted that she and others would go onto the dark web to gather identifying information of other individuals. Kirk-Connell then used this information to apply for unemployment benefits from the California Employment Development Department, which distributes the benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, passed by Congress in March. The CARES Act expanded unemployment benefits to cover those who were previously ineligible, including business owners, self-employed workers, and independent contractors, who were put out of business or significantly reduced their services because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kirk-Connell also admitted that once she had applied for those benefits in other people’s names, she would have the debit cards sent to an address where she would receive them. Once she received the debit cards, she said, she would activate them by using the victims’ Social Security numbers as well as PINs she had chosen, and then make numerous ATM withdrawals and other expenditures, according to the affidavit. EDD records showed that the cards and identities that Kirk-Connell possessed had been used to apply for and authorize approximately $534,149 in COVID-related unemployment benefits from California’s EDD program, of which nearly $270,000 had already been spent, the affidavit states. Further, EDD records showed that some of the individual cards had more than $17,000 loaded on them when issued, according to the affidavit. A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted of these charges, Kirk-Connell would face a statutory maximum sentence of 32 years in federal prison. See more

Feds Capture Masked Bandit The federal government captured David Anthony Battle, 50, of Moreno Valley who ore medical masks over his face during a month-long robbery spree of Inland Empire pharmacies. The federal government charged Battle with six counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery) and two counts of attempted Hobbs Act robbery. According to the indictment, from July 6 to August 4, Battle robbed six pharmacies in Moreno Valley, Colto...n and San Bernardino. He tried to rob two other Moreno Valley pharmacies on July 10 and August 10. During each incident, Battle wore similar clothing including wearing medical masks covering his nose and mouth and used a similar method of brandishing what appeared to be a handgun by pulling it out from his waistband and holding it at his side. He then demanded that money in the cash register be placed in a bag and handed over, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint in this case. Law enforcement reviewed store surveillance videos, which led them to arrest Battle, court documents state. During Battle’s arrest, a black BB-gun-style pistol was found on the ground near him. Battle got about $5,453 gains from the robberies; $3,200 of that money came from the July 6 robbery of a Walgreens store in Moreno Valley. An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted of all charges, Battle would face a statutory maximum sentence of 160 years in federal prison. See more

San Gabriel Valley Woman Faces Federal Charges of Running Sex Trafficking Operation that Targeted Immigrant Women A federal grand jury indicted Mei Xing, 59, a.k.a. Xing Mei, Anna, and Boss, of San Gabriel on charges of sex trafficking five immigrant women by hiring them to work at massage parlors and forcing them to engage in commercial sex acts. The federal indictment charges Xing with five counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. Xing previously was ...indicted on June 12 on one count of sex trafficking, and today’s charging document adds four additional victims. According to the superseding indictment, from July 2016 to October 2018, Xing ran a sex trafficking operation that targeted immigrant women. An affidavit previously filed in this case alleges that Xing owned and operated several massage parlors in the San Gabriel Valley cities of El Monte and South El Monte. The victims reported that Xing pressured them into performing commercial sex acts at the massage parlors, court papers state. Xing allegedly coerced victims by all manner of threats, including threating to report their prostitution to police, threatening to expose their immigration status, and implicitly threatening to have them murdered. Xing allegedly told the victims she could make good on her threats because of her relationships with the government, the police, and the criminal underworld, according to court documents. Xing has been in federal custody since her arrest in this matter in April. An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Xing would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for each count and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment. See more

San Marino Man Accused of Truck Attack on Pasadena Protesters Held on Illegal Gun Charges The feds arrested Benjamin Jong Ren Hung, 28, of San Marino, a San Gabriel Valley man who allegedly drove his truck into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators on May 31 in Pasadena. The feds charged him with conspiring to violate firearms laws. According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Pasadena Police officers arrested Hung on May 31 after he intentionally drove hi...s pickup truck into a crowd of protesters demonstrating in Old Town Pasadena. The crowd scattered as the truck approached, and no injuries were reported in the incident. During a search of Hung’s truck on May 31, police found a loaded semiautomatic handgun, multiple high-capacity magazines loaded with ammunition, an 18-inch machete, $3,200 in cash, a long metal pipe, and a megaphone, according to the affidavit. Hung allegedly acquired the firearm from a friend who purchased it for him in Oregon and then brought it to California. When the friend bought the firearm, he falsely represented that he was the actual transferee of the gun, rather than Hung, the affidavit states. Hung and his friend then allegedly conspired to transport the firearm to California, where Hung kept the firearm at his San Marino home prior to bringing it to the May 31 demonstration. The affidavit further alleges that in March Hung purchased at least three additional firearms in Oregon and then transported them to California. He also allegedly amassed other firearms and tactical equipment from suppliers throughout the United States and used his family’s vineyard in Lodi, California as a training camp to prepare to engage in civil disorders. A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Hung faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. See more

The Feds Send Corona Woman Sent Back to Prison for Doing Another Scam A federal judge ordered Carolyn Marie Jones, 57, a Corona woman who recently finished a 79-month federal prison sentence stemming from a $15 million bank fraud scheme back to 20 months in prison for doing a similar fraud scheme in which she lied to a victim about celebrities such as LeBron James supporting her supposed venture. Jones admitted that she violated the terms of her supervised releas...Continue reading

The Feds Arrested Two Active-Duty Marines on Alleged Drug Trafficking Conspiracy After Fellow Marine’s Fatal Drug Overdose The feds arrested two active-duty United States Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton on a federal grand jury indictment charging one Marine and three civilians with conspiring to distribute narcotics including oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl to civilians and members of the United States Marine Corps, one of whom suffered a fatal drug o...Continue reading

TRYING TO BUY RICIN GETS MAN 42 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON A federal judge sentenced Steve S. Kim, 41, of La Crescenta, to 42 months in federal prison for attempting to obtain ricin from an online source that he admitted was intended to be used as a weapon. Kim pleaded guilty in September 2019 to one count of violating a criminal statute called prohibition with respect to biological weapons. The prosecutors argued that, according to Kim’s own statements, he intended to use the ...deadly biological toxin to murder an individual who weighed 110 pounds, likely his wife. Over a two-month period in late 2018, Kim attempted to obtain ricin from an online vendor, that, unbeknownst to Kim, was an FBI undercover operative. During online sale negotiations, Kim stated that he wished to procure the ricin to use on an individual he described as weighing 110 pounds and who would consume the deadly toxin in a drink, according to court documents. The investigation revealed that Kim’s wife weighed approximately 110 pounds, Kim and his wife were experiencing marital difficulties, and a computer seized from Kim showed internet searches for strategies to manage anger issues. Kim purchased the ricin using Bitcoin for the approximate value of $350. Kim directed the ricin to be delivered to his office via the United States Postal Service and, on November 29, 2018, the FBI delivered an inert powder concealed in package. That evening, Kim took the parcel home, accessed the inert powder, and was immediately arrested. While the parties dispute Kim’s intended use of the ricin, the act of attempting to obtain the deadly toxin constituted incredibly dangerous conduct without regard to the safety of others, according to sentencing papers filed by prosecutors. One sentencing memo quotes a pre-sentence report by the United States Probation Office: Defendant’s conduct had the potential of endangering the community. Kim caused what he believed to be a lethal biological toxin to be shipped through the United States Postal Service where it was delivered at his place of employment. Had Kim been successful in obtaining ricin, he could have seriously harmed many people who unknowingly came into contact with the hazardous package. See more

Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Cost: $50.00 $75.00... https://www.centurycitybar.com/event/virtual-wine-tasting/ Wine from Home A Virtual Wine Tasting Experience September Edition Century City Bar Association