Best Defender Bytes:

SANTA ANA – A drunken driver is scheduled to be arraigned today for murder following a hit-and-run crash that resulted in a woman’s death. Dallas Frank Reichstein, 46, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of murder and one felony count of hit and run resulting in permanent injury or death with a sentencing enhancement allegation for a prior strike conviction in 2014 for residential burglary. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 34 years to life in state prison. He is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned today, Feb. 27, 2015, at 10:00 a.m., in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana.

At approximately 10:10 p.m. on Jan. 28, 2015, the defendant is accused of driving a Nissan Xterra Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) while under the influence of alcohol, westbound on West MacArthur Boulevard in Santa Ana. The defendant is accused of driving 54 mph in a 40 mph zone.

At around the same time, 59-year-old Pearleen Hopkins was crossing the street on West MacArthur Boulevard outside of the designated crosswalks.

The defendant is accused of slamming into Hopkins with his SUV and failing to stop and render assistance. The victim died at the scene as a result of the injuries she sustained from the impact of the vehicle.

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SANTA ANA – A man is expected to be arraigned today for pimping and pandering a woman. Barryn Vaugh Stroh, 34, is charged with one felony count of pimping and one felony count of pandering by procuring. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison. He is expected to be arraigned today in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined.

Circumstances of the Case
In January 2015, the defendant is accused of pandering 25-year-old Jane Doe by procuring her for the purpose of prostitution as a way to earn money. He is accused of soliciting Jane Doe for commercial sex by placing sexually explicit ads of the victim on a website known for prostitution. Stroh is accused of pimping the victim by collecting the money she obtained for performing commercial sex acts.

On Feb. 25, 2015, an undercover police officer arranged a meeting with the victim at a hotel in Tustin. Police officers arrived at the hotel room of the meeting where they located and arrested the defendant who was in an adjacent room.

This case was jointly investigated by the Tustin Police Department and Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force. Members of the OCHTTF and the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Office work proactively to protect women and minors from falling victim to commercial sexual exploitation. OCHTTF is a partnership between the Anaheim Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Huntington Beach Police Department, OCDA, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and community and non-profit partners,

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SANTA ANA – Three defendants were convicted yesterday for firing several rounds at a police officer’s vehicle that was out on patrol in Anaheim for the benefit of their Hispanic criminal street gang. Juan Carlos Covarrubias, 22, Jordy Roman Martinez, 21, Andrew Gomez Sanchez, 21, all of Anaheim, were found guilty by a jury of one felony count of shooting at an occupied motor vehicle and one felony count of street terrorism, with sentencing enhancements for the vicarious discharge of a firearm by a gang member and criminal street gang activity. They will each be sentenced to 35 years to life in state prison at their sentencing May 1, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-40, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

At the time of the crime, Covarrubias, Martinez, and Sanchez were actively participating in a criminal Hispanic street gang with knowledge that its members engage in a pattern of criminal gang activity.

At approximately 3:30 a.m. on June 1, 2012, Sanchez was driving Martinez and Covarrubias and pulled up in front of an unmarked Anaheim Police Department (APD) vehicle that was patrolling the street. Sanchez was driving the car on the wrong side of the road to block the officer’s vehicle from moving forward on Palm Street at Boysen Avenue in Anaheim. The officers were in their full uniform at the time of the incident.

Martinez got out of the vehicle with a loaded firearm and began shooting several rounds at the officers inside the vehicle with specific intent, premeditation, and deliberation to murder the police officers. The officers attempted to find safety by turning their vehicle around, switching on their police emergency lights, and attempting to drive to safety.

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A California man and purported billionaire financier was taken into federal custody today for his role in an alleged Ponzi scheme in which investors lost $2.5 million, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Inspector in Charge Gary Barksdale of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group.

Kenneth Brewington, 50, of Corona, California, was indicted on Feb. 24, 2015, by a federal grand jury in the District of Colorado for conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, mail fraud and six counts of wire fraud.

According to allegations in the indictment, from September 2009 until 2011, Brewington and his co-conspirators sold promissory notes to investors through a financial services marketing company based in Denver called Compass Financial Solutions (CFS).  The indictment alleges that Brewington and his co-conspirators falsely represented to investors that Brewington held millions of Euros in overseas bank accounts, and that the proceeds raised from investors would be used to obtain the release of his overseas funds.  To conceal the scheme, Brewington and his co-conspirators allegedly had investors wire their funds to an attorney trust account.  The funds from that account, however, were then allegedly sent to Brewington and his co-conspirators.  Brewington and his co-conspirators allegedly used the investors’ money for their own personal benefit.

The former corporate counsel for CFS, William E. Dawn, 77, of Denver, and the former CEO of CFS, Brian G. Elrod, 58, of Lakewood, Colorado, previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme.  Sentencing hearings are scheduled for May 29, 2015, and May 22, 2015, respectively.

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LOS ANGELES – A Northern California man who operated the Internet’s best-known “revenge porn” website pleaded guilty late this afternoon to federal computer hacking and identity theft charges for hiring another man to hack into e-mail accounts to steal nude photos that were later posted on his website.

Hunter Moore, 28, of Woodland, California, who operated the now-defunct isanyoneup.com, pleaded guilty today to one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information for purposes of private financial gain and one count of aggravated identity theft.

As a result of his guilty pleas, Moore faces a statutory maximum sentence of seven years in federal prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years.

Moore pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee, who is scheduled to sentence the defendant on June 24.

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SANTA ANA – A bounty hunter who was featured on a reality show was arrested today and will be arraigned for embezzling over $18,000 in connection with a bail bond transaction. Arturo Alfred Torres, 52, Winnetka, is charged with one felony count of grand theft by embezzlement. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of three years in Orange County jail and is expected to be arraigned this week, in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. The time and date are to be determined.

Torres had previously appeared on the television reality show “Bounty Wars” on the Discovery Channel as a bounty hunter.

On Feb. 8, 2013, Joan S.’ son was arrested and booked in the Los Angeles County jail and held on $20,000 bail. She contacted a bail bonds company and consequently met Torres. Torres, along with a bail agent, is accused of going to Los Angeles County jail, bailing out Joan S.’ son, and then driving him to his mother’s home in Orange County. While meeting with Joan S., Torres is accused of asking for a $20,000 check made out to him personally. Torres is accused of collecting the check from the victim and cashing it into his personal checking account.

No charges were filed against Joan S.’ son and on March 21, 2013, his bail was exonerated. Torres is accused of refusing to return the money to Joan S. despite the victim’s numerous attempts to have it returned.

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LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today indicted a Dutch national on federal computer hacking and identity theft charges related to the theft of digital versions of three motion pictures.

Joey Vogelaar, who used the online monikers of “TyPeR” and “neXus,” was named in a two-count indictment that alleges unauthorized access to a protected computer and aggravated identity theft.

Vogelaar, 28, a resident of Delft, the Netherlands, allegedly stole pre-release digital copies of the Sony Pictures Entertainment film “How Do You Know” and the Paramount production “Rango,” as well as the Dreamworks movie “Megamind,” which at the time of the alleged theft was in theatrical release.

In 2010, Vegelaar allegedly used a username and password belonging to another person to access a computer system where the films were located. The compromised computer system was located at a company outside of the studios that was involved in the production process.

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WESTMINSTER - A man is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow on animal abuse charges for allowing his dog to become entangled in the backyard, causing the dog to chew a part of his own leg off. Samer Samir Ibrahim, 23, Westminster, is charged with one misdemeanor count of keeping an animal without proper care and one misdemeanor count of animal abuse by a caretaker. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow, Feb. 26, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. in Department W-4, West Justice Center, Westminster.

Ibrahim is accused of owning and caring for an 11-month-old German Shepherd named Rocky. He is accused of only allowing the dog to remain in the backyard in conditions where the dog caught fleas and was significantly thinner than an average healthy German Shepherd.

Between Nov. 2, 2014, and Nov. 8, 2014, the defendant is accused of failing to properly care for Rocky by allowing the dog’s rear right foot to become entangled in the backyard of the defendant’s home for a period of time.

Ibrahim is accused of allowing Rocky’s leg to remain entangled, preventing adequate blood flow to the dog’s leg, causing Rocky to chew off approximately four to five inches of his leg that was entangled. The defendant is accused of attempting to treat Rocky’s severe injuries by wiping his injured leg with antiseptic wipes then covering it with a sock and failing to immediately take the dog to a proper veterinary facility.

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A Los Angeles-area executive was arrested today in connection with a $9 million scheme to defraud United Commercial Bank and East West Bank, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Yonekura of the Central District of California, Special Inspector General Christy Romero for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP), Assistant Director in Charge David L. Bowdich of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Erick Martinez of the IRS-Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Los Angeles Field Office.

Chung Yu “Louis” Yeung, 37, of San Dimas, California, was indicted on Oct. 22, 2014, in the Central District of California for one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and five counts of bank fraud.  The indictment was under seal until his arrest today.  Guo Xiang “David” Fan, 52, was also indicted for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud, as well as money laundering, and remains at large.

According to the indictment, Yeung was Vice President and Fan was President of Eastern Tools and Equipment, an Ontario, California company that sold portable generators and other equipment.  The indictment charges Yeung and Fan with defrauding United Commercial Bank (UCB) and East West Bank, which took over UCB’s accounts, of more than $9 million.

Specifically, the indictment alleges that Yeung, Fan, and others overstated Eastern Tools’ accounts receivable to increase its line of credit with UCB and later East West.  To support the inflated accounts receivable submitted to the banks, Yeung, Fan, and others allegedly opened approximately 20 shell companies, backstopped with fictitious business name statements, post office boxes, bank accounts, and telephone numbers.  They then allegedly moved money from Eastern Tools’ bank accounts into the shell companies’ bank accounts to create the false appearance of substantial commercial activity.  Finally, Yeung, Fan, and others allegedly siphoned those funds into their own personal accounts.

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