Former Redondo Beach Police Officer Charged with Revealing a Search Warrant

February 3rd, 2012

LOS ANGELES – A former Redondo Beach police officer pleaded not guilty today to charges that he warned another police officer seen entering a suspected drug house that it was about to be raided by police, the District Attorney’s office announced.

Christopher Sabosky, 33 (dob 9-28-78), was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Upinder Kalra and pleaded not guilty to the one felony count each of conspiracy to commit a crime and revealing warrant information before the search warrant was served.

On Dec. 16, 2010, officers from the Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and El Segundo Police Departments were preparing to execute search warrants at a suspected drug house on Sheldon Street in El Segundo. Officers conducting surveillance noted the driver of a GMC Yukon entering the house about 1:30 p.m. and radioed information that the truck was registered to Jeff Grau, a Torrance Police Department officer.

Before officers could enter the residence, the complaint alleges Sabosky texted Grau, who was a friend of his, that police were about to search the house. Sabosky also allegedly called Grau as Grau was fleeing the scene. The complaint also alleges that Sabosky tried to influence another officer into not detaining his friend.

Sabosky, who was fired Jan. 24 by Redondo Beach Police Department, surrendered today to court after a felony complaint for arrest warrant was filed Friday by Deputy District Attorney James Garrison with the Justice System Integrity Division.

Sabosky was released on his own recognizance. He returns to court Feb. 14 in Department 33 to set a date for his preliminary hearing.

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Orange County Couple Plead Guilty to Federal Fraud Charges for Bilking Banks out of Nearly $5 Million

February 3rd, 2012

SANTA ANA, California – A Newport Coast couple pleaded guilty this morning to defrauding a consortium of seven banks, including Bank of America, in connection with a $130 million line of credit.

Thomas Chia Fu, 63, and his wife, Cheri L. Shyu (also known as Cheri Fu), 60, owned Anaheim-based Galleria USA, Inc., which imported home decor items manufactured in China. The Fus obtained a $130 million revolving line of credit for Galleria from a consortium of seven banks. In connection with that revolving line of credit, the couple overstated by tens of millions of dollars the accounts receivables of the company – lies they told the banks in order to continue borrowing funds under the revolving line of credit, according to plea agreements filed in this case. The Fus also admitted to falsifying in Galleria’s computer system the accounts receivable amounts by a factor of 10 or more times the actual amount purchased to support the exaggerated numbers and hide Galleria’s true financial status.

The banks suffered an estimated loss of $4.7 million on the revolving line of credit from October 2008 to July 2009.

The Fus pleaded guilty this morning before United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney. Cheri Fu is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Carney on July 9, and Thomas Fu is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30.

At sentencing, the Fus each face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

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Owners of Los Angeles Toy Company Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in International Scheme to Launder Money for Drug Traffickers

February 3rd, 2012

LOS ANGELES – The two owners of a local toy manufacturing company were sentenced today to over three years in federal prison for their roles in a cash “structuring” scheme that prosecutors say was linked to the “Black Market Peso Exchange” that allows drug cartels to launder the proceeds of their narcotics trafficking.

The business owners were sentenced along with their company, Angel Toy Company (ATC), which manufactured plush toys while developing an international reputation for laundering money generated by drug trafficking, according to court documents.

The co-owners sentenced today were:

• Meichun Cheng Huang, 58, of Irvine, ATC’s vice president in charge of sales, who was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison; and, Huang’s sister,

• Ling Yu, 53, of Arcadia, the president of ATC, who also was sentenced to 37 months in prison.

Huang and Yu were sentenced by United States District Judge S. James Otero, who remanded both defendants into custody. In addition to the prison terms, Judge Otero ordered each defendant to pay a $20,000 fine.

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“Silverware Bandit” Sentenced to More than 200 Years

February 1st, 2012

LOS ANGELES – A man convicted for a string of break-ins at the homes of more than half a dozen elderly women in the areas of west Los Angeles and Santa Monica was sentenced today to 210 years to life in state prison.

Jeffery Wayne Langford, 56, was convicted on Feb. 15, 2011, of eight counts of first-degree burglary, six counts of first-degree residential robbery, three counts of criminal threats, two counts each of cutting a utility line and false imprisonment of an elder, and one count of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury.

Deputy District Attorney Belle Chen of the Elder Abuse Section prosecuted the case. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Dabney imposed Langford’s sentence at a morning hearing.

The crimes involved seven victims, ranging in age from 75 to 93, and took place between June and August 2008. Two incidents were in the City of Santa Monica and the rest were in the west Los Angeles area.

All of Langford’s victims were elderly women who lived alone in single story homes. In each of the burglaries, the defendant climbed through a window, roused the victims and demanded money, jewelry or silver. The latter demand earned Langford the designation of “The Silverware Bandit.”

In one instance, defendant attempted to choke a victim who tried to stab him with a screwdriver he had placed on her bed. Langford went on to burglarize her home. In another instance, Langford disabled a victim’s medical alert monitor, so she would be unable to call for help.

Prior to this case, the defendant had seven prior “strikes,” alleged in an amended complaint, including convictions in 1982 and 1976 for residential burglary.

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Murder-for-Hire Plot Leads to Six-Year Federal Prison Sentence

February 1st, 2012

LOS ANGELES – A Santa Barbara County man who solicited a “hitman” to murder a Bel-Air man, his wife and a business associate was sentenced today to 72 months in federal prison for orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot that stemmed from a decade-old business dispute.

Eugene Darryl Temkin, 51, of Goleta, California, received the six-year sentence from United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson.

Following a bench trial in August, Judge Wilson found Temkin guilty of soliciting a crime of violence, attempting to interfere with interstate commerce by threats and violence, and using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire.

“The evidence showed that defendant engaged in criminal conduct of the worst sort: With meticulous planning and full contemplation, defendant agreed to pay a hitman, ‘Pavel’ [who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer], to brutally kill in cold blood three people, two of whom he barely knew,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing brief. “What is more, these killings were only to take place after ‘Pavel’ first tortured the victims in order to force them to pay $15 million into defendant’s off-shore bank account.”

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Father-Son Team Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Involvement in $39 Million Investment Scam

February 1st, 2012

LOS ANGELES – A Sherman Oaks man who along with his son ran a scheme that defrauded more than 1,000 victims out of over $39 million with promises of large returns in companies, including one that supposedly sold caffeinated breath mints, was sentenced today to 153 months in federal prison.

Richard Alan Cohen, 63, was sentenced this morning by United States District Judge George H. Wu.

Last Monday, Richard Cohen’s son – Daniel Cohen, 36, of Calabasas – was sentenced to 151 months in prison for his role in the fraudulent telemarketing scam.

In addition to the prison terms, Judge Wu ordered the Cohens to pay $39,590,212 in restitution to victims of the fraud.

In the mid-2000s, the Cohens formed several companies – including Eurobrand, LLC, doing business as Euromints; Samuel & Cohen Media, LLC, doing business as Unleashed Magazine; Mintech International, Inc.; and Rig Leasing, Inc. - that they used to solicit investors with false claims that the businesses were successful and generated large profits. Potential investors were solicited in several ways, including by a team of salespeople who worked in a Calabasas “boiler room.” In addition to making claims that the businesses were viable and successful, salespeople often told potential investors that the companies were on the verge of “going public” or were going to be taken over by larger companies. Salespeople commonly told potential investors that they could buy company stock from a widowed investor who was willing to sell her investment at a discounted price.

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Dance Instructor Convicted of Rape Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

February 1st, 2012

LOS ANGELES – A salsa dance instructor who worked as a choreographer on the FOX television show “So You Think You Can Dance” was sentenced today to 10 years in state prison for raping one female victim and assaulting another with intent to rape.

Judge Kathleen Kennedy, who denied a defense motion for a new trial, ordered Alex Da Silva, 43, to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Deputy District Attorney Martha Carrillo with the Sex Crimes Division prosecuted the case.

Judge Kennedy said it was clear Da Silva “does not respect women” and “believes he is entitled to do whatever he wants when he wants.”

A jury in September convicted Da Silva of raping a 22-year-old woman in August 2002 and assaulting a 25-year-old woman in March 2009 with intent to commit rape. The victims were either dancers or aspiring dancers who met him through his dance instruction classes.

The jury was hung on four counts involving two additional female victims and Judge Kennedy today dismissed those charges.

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Alleged “Puffy Coat Bandit” Indicted

February 1st, 2012

Steven Dwayne Paulson, 46, the suspected “Puffy Coat Bandit,” was indicted today by a federal grand jury for seven counts of bank robbery. The Puffy Coat Bandit was linked to seven bank robberies that occurred between 12/20/11 and 1/9/12. Paulson was arrested on January 10, 2012, after a detective with the Upland Police Department detained a driver matching the description of the suspect who was driving a vehicle described by witnesses as a getaway vehicle used by the suspect. Further investigation resulted in Paulson’s arrest and he is currently being held in federal custody.

The FBI investigates bank robberies jointly with police and sheriff’s departments that have jurisdiction for cities in which bank robberies occur. This case was worked jointly by the FBI, the Upland Police Department, the Riverside Sheriff’s Department, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Corona Police Department, Rancho Cucamonga Police Department, and the Glendora Police Department.

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119 Individuals Charged in 119 Individuals Charged in San Diego County Law Enforcement Operations

February 1st, 2012

119 Individuals Charged in San Diego County Law Enforcement Operations Two Mexican Mafia Members and 117 San Diego County Street Gang Members and Associates with Ties to The Mexican Mafia Charged with Racketeering Conspiracy, Drug Trafficking Violations and Firearms Offenses

San Diego, CA - A federal grand jury in San Diego has handed up 17 indictments and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California has filed eight criminal complaints charging a total of 119 defendants with federal racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking violations and federal firearm offenses, announced United States Attorney for the Southern District of California Laura E. Duffy.

United States Attorney Duffy said, “The cases unsealed today make communities stronger and safer. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to an anti-gang, anti-violence strategy built on close coordination between federal, state and local officials. This coordination provides better intelligence about street gangs and violent crime within our communities. And better intelligence means better law enforcement and prosecutions.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Keith Slotter commented, “Today’s arrests mark one of the largest single takedowns in San Diego FBI history. The FBI and our law enforcement partners stand unified in our efforts to protect this county from the violence, drug trafficking, and extortion schemes employed by the Mexican Mafia and its affiliates. San Diego is inherently safer today because of the cooperation between our agencies working together to disrupt and dismantle the criminal activities of these dangerous individuals.”

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New Charges Added in Hollywood Arson Case

January 31st, 2012

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles County prosecutors today added 63 additional counts of arson against the 24-year-old man suspected of setting nearly 50 fires that terrorized Los Angeles residents over the New Year’s weekend, the District Attorney’s office announced.

Harry Burkhart is scheduled to appear for arraignment this afternoon in case No. BA392381 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Department 30, 210 W. Temple St., Los Angeles. Prosecutors will ask that his $2.8 million bail be raised to reflect the additional charges.

Deputy District Attorney Sean Carney of the Target Crimes Division said prosecutors amended the complaint to bring the total number of arson charges to 100 after reviewing new evidence from an ongoing investigation. The complaint alleges an accelerant was used.

Burkhart is now charged with 75 counts of arson of property, 19 counts arson of an inhabited structure, two counts of arson of an uninhabited structure, two counts of attempt to burn and two counts of possession of flammable material. The charges involve 49 arson fires in Hollywood, West Hollywood, Sherman Oaks and Los Angeles between Dec. 30 and Jan. 2.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported. But property damage to homes and automobiles was in the millions of dollars. Most of the fires were started in automobiles. In many cases, flames spread to structures.

Burkhart, who travels on a German passport but purportedly was born in Chechnya, was staying with his mother in Hollywood. She currently is in federal custody on fraud-related crimes. Her immigration/extradition cases are pending in federal court.

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