Los Angeles Law News
March 11, 2010
ACCOUNTANT PLEADS GUILTY TO $13.5 MILLION PONZI SCHEME
SACRAMENTO, Calif.– United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that WILLIAM MURRAY, 55, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty and was immediately taken into custody today. The guilty plea was entered before United States District Judge Edward J. Garcia to mail fraud and interference with tax administration.More...
March 10, 2010
SAN JOSE MAN SENTENCED TO 41 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON
ILLEGALLY EARNED $3.5 MILLION IN MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEME
SAN FRANCISCO - John A. Bui was sentenced today to 41 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $3,500,000 in forfeiture as a result of his convictions for conspiring to commit wire fraud, destruction of records in a federal investigation, and witness tampering, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.More...
March 09, 2010
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY MAN SENTENCED TO OVER 18 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR SOLICITING MURDER OF I.C.E. INFORMANT
A Sherman Oaks man was sentenced this morning to 217 months in federal prison for his role in a bank fraud scheme and a related plot in which he attempted to hire a hitman to murder a witness who was prepared to testify against him in the fraud case.More...
March 05, 2010
MARINE CORPS CAPTAIN CHARGED WITH SKIMMING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FROM MILITARY CONTRACTS
Riverside, California – A captain in the United States Marine Corps was charged today with conspiring with his wife to skim approximately $1.75 million from government contracts awarded under the Iraqi First Program while he was acting as a Marine Corps contracting officer’s representative in Iraq.More...
March 04, 2010
LOS ANGELES WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FALSELY TELLING F.B.I. THAT SHE HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED
A 24-year-old Los Angeles woman pleaded guilty today to lying to the FBI last summer when she claimed to have been the victim of a days-long armed kidnapping in which her captor brought her across state lines.More...
March 03, 2010
EUROPEAN FRAUDSTER CONVICTED IN INVESTMENT FRAUD SCHEME THAT BILKED VICTIMS OUT OF $7.3 MILLION
LOS ANGELES – A British national who ran an investment scam that took $7.3 million from victims who were promised that their money would be maintained in safe accounts and used only to back the purchase of bonds has been convicted on federal fraud and tax evasion charges.More...
March 02, 2010
14 ENTITIES PAY $15.4 MILLION TO RESOLVE ALLEGATIONS OF BID-RIGGING AND PRICE-FIXING ON DEFENSE CONTRACTS
LOS ANGELES – Trelleborg AB, a Swedish manufacturer of marine fenders and marine hose, and 13 other corporations and individuals, have paid the government a total of $15,448,728 to resolve civil allegations that they fraudulently overbilled the Navy and other federal agencies by bid-rigging and price-fixing on sales of materials used on piers and other marine construction projects.More...
February 26, 2010
TWO “SOVEREIGN CITIZENS” SENTENCED IN ILLEGAL INSURANCE SCHEME
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that JAMES S. KALFSBEEK, 72, of Arbuckle, and DONNA JEAN ROWE, 59, of Lodi, were sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton to terms of imprisonment of 10 years and four years respectively. On June 11, 2009, both defendants were convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy, mail fraud, and money laundering in connection with a fraudulent insurance scheme. Both defendants were also ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a later hearing and to serve a term of supervised release after serving their prison sentences.More...
February 25, 2010
FORMER HOSPITAL EXECUTIVE SENTENCED TO 37 MONTHS FOR PAYING KICKBACKS IN ‘SKID ROW’ HEALTH CARE FRAUD SCHEME
LOS ANGELES – The former co-owner of City of Angels Medical Center was sentenced today to 37 months in federal prison for paying illegal kickbacks for referrals of “patients” who were recruited from Los Angeles’ “Skid Row.” More...
February 24, 2010
DOCTOR WHO PLEADED GUILTY TO HEALTH CARE FRAUD FOR GIVING AIDS AND HIV PATIENTS DILUTED MEDICATIONS SENTENCED TO 15 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON
SANTA ANA, California – A well-known AIDS doctor who pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud charges for “subdosing” patients by administering doses of medicine that contained less than the prescribed amount of medication that the patients were supposed to receive was sentenced this afternoon to 15 months in federal prison.More...
February 23, 2010
FINAL DEFENDANT ADMITS SHAKING DOWN INVESTORS CONNECTED TO $40 MILLION PONZI FRAUD
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Drew Parenti, and IRS-Criminal Investigation Special-Agent-in-Charge Scott O'Briant announced today that MICHAEL DAVID SANDERS, aka David Dennis Sanders, and Dave Sanders, 42, of Fair Oaks, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Impersonate an Officer and Employee of the United States. SANDERS was the final defendant to plead; co-conspirator CRAIG ANDERSON, 39, of Chicago, pleaded guilty on February 1, to the same charge; CASSANDRA MOORE, 26, of Beverly Hills, and SEAN SMARTT, 41, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor Unlawfully Possessing False Documents on February 4 and 5, respectively.More...
February 22, 2010
SHIPPING FIRM SENTENCED TO PAY $10 MILLION FOR CAUSING COSCO BUSAN OIL SPILL AND COVERUP
SAN FRANCISCO — Fleet Management Ltd. was ordered to pay $10 million today for its role in causing the Cosco Busan oil discharge and a subsequent cover-up after the ship struck the San Francisco Bay Bridge in November 2007, U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello and the Justice Department announced.More...
February 20, 2010
FIVE WHO TARGETED HOMEOWNERS IN DEFAULT SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON IN $13 MILLION MORTGAGE FRAUD CASE
O.C. Man Gets 15 Years for Fraud, Refusal to Account for Off-Shore Money
LOS ANGELES – A Downey woman who orchestrated a real estate fraud scheme that caused nearly $13 million in losses after falsely promising to help homeowners in default on their mortgages has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. A second person involved in the scheme was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison after a federal judge determined that he had refused to account for proceeds of the scheme in an off-shore bank account that he had agreed in his plea agreement to repatriate.More...
February 19, 2010
LOS ANGELES TAX PREPARER ACCUSED OF DEFRAUDING U.S. WITH LIES ON VISA APPLICATIONS AND FALSE TAX RETURNS
A Hancock Park man who is charged with conducting a multi-faceted fraud against several government agencies – including applying for immigration visas with false claims that the aliens would be employed as religious workers in the United States – has pleaded not guilty to a series of charges in a federal grand jury indictment.More...
February 18, 2010
LONG BEACH MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN $33 MILLION PONZI THAT LURED INVESTORS WITH PROMISES OF PROFITS IN REAL ESTATE
A 33-year-old Long Beach man who operated a number of ventures that he used to solicit money with false claims of profitable investments in real estate has pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge.More...
February 16, 2010
FORMER CALIFORNIA POWER AUTHORITY MANAGER PLEADS GUILTY TO DEFRAUDING STATE OF OVER $660,000
SACRAMENTO, Calif.– United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that BENJAMIN BUSTAMANTE, 32, of West Sacramento, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the former California Power Authority Demand Reserve Partnership Program of over $680,000. More...
February 15, 2010
MORTGAGE BROKER AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER INDICTED IN $19.6M MORTGAGE FRAUD
SAN FRANCISCO – Yesterday a federal grand jury in San Francisco indicted Michael Ohayon and David Papera with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced. More...
February 12, 2010
APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS BAN THAT PROHIBITS FELONS FROM POSSESSING FIREARMS
Right to Bear Arms Does Not Extend to Convicted Felons
SACRAMENTO, Calif.–The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco issued an opinion on Monday upholding the federal ban on convicted felons possessing firearms as consistent with the Second Amendment of the Constitution. The three-judge panel unanimously affirmed the defendant’s conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. More...
February 11, 2010
FORMER TUSTIN HOSPITAL EXECUTIVE AGREES TO PLEAD GUILTY TO PAYING KICKBACKS IN ‘SKID ROW’ HEALTHCARE FRAUD PLOT
LOS ANGELES – The former chief financial officer of Tustin Hospital and Medical Center agreed in court papers filed today to plead guilty to paying illegal kickbacks for patients who were recruited from the “Skid Row” area of Los Angeles.More...
February 10, 2010
FORMER BOEING ENGINEER SENTENCED TO NEARLY 16 YEARS IN PRISON FOR STEALING AEROSPACE SECRETS FOR CHINA
SANTA ANA, California – An aerospace engineer was sentenced today to 188 months in federal prison for his conviction on charges of economic espionage and acting as an agent of the People's Republic of China for more than three decades while employed by Rockwell and Boeing, from which he stole restricted technology and trade secrets, including information related to the Space Shuttle program and Delta IV rocket.More...
February 09, 2010
THREE PLEAD GUILTY TO SHAKING DOWN INVESTORS CONNECTED TO $40 MILLION PONZI FRAUD
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Drew Parenti, and IRS-Criminal Investigation Special-Agent-in-Charge Scott O’Briant announced today that, on February 5, 2010, CRAIG ANDERSON, 39, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to impersonate an officer and employee, and CASSANDRA MOORE, 26, of Beverly Hills and SEAN SMARTT, 41, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing false documents, a misdemeanor. A fourth defendant, MICHAEL DAVID SANDERS, 41, of Fair Oaks, is confirmed to begin trial on March 1, 2010. More...
February 08, 2010
OPERATOR OF MALIBU-BASED ‘CAP X’ INVESTMENT PROGRAM ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY RUNNING $12 MILLION PONZI SCHEME
The promoter of a bogus investment offering involving distressed business assets was taken into custody this morning on federal mail and wire fraud charges that charge him with running a Ponzi scheme in which he raised at least $12 million from victims across the United States.More...
February 05, 2010
FIFTH GANG MEMBER SENTENCED TO LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE AFTER CONVICTIONS IN MASSIVE FEDERAL RACKETEERING CASE
Other Members of Florencia 13 Gang Receive Multi-Decade Sentences for Numerous Crimes, including Race-Based Attacks, Committed in Bid to Control Drug Trade and Extend Gang Territory into Other Neighborhoods. More...
February 04, 2010
WEST COVINA MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN PONZI SCHEME BASED ON BOGUS INVESTMENTS IN LATEX GLOVES AFTER 9/11 ATTACKS
A West Covina man has pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud charges for running a Ponzi scheme that took nearly $700,000 from victims who thought they were investing in latex gloves, which were portrayed as being in high demand following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. More...
February 03, 2010
FORMER PRESIDENT OF INLAND EMPIRE MORTGAGE COMPANY SENTENCED TO 13 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON IN FRAUD SCHEME THAT LED TO NEARLY $30 MILLION IN LOSSES AT H.U.D.
RIVERSIDE, California – The former president of Mortgage One Corporation in Hesperia was sentenced this afternoon to 13 years in federal prison for defrauding the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and private lenders by fraudulently obtaining hundreds of federally insured loans and selling those mortgages to private lenders in a scheme that caused tens of millions of dollars in losses to the federal housing agency. More...
February 02, 2010
REAL ESTATE APPRAISER SENTENCED TO 3 YEARS IN PRISON IN MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEME THAT LED TO $46 MILLION IN LOSSES
LOS ANGELES – A former state-licensed real estate appraiser was sentenced today to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $46 million in restitution for her role in a massive mortgage fraud scheme that caused tens of millions of dollars in losses to federally insured banks.More...
February 01, 2010
Bank Robber Sentenced To Serve 57 Months In Federal Prison
San Diego, CA - United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced that Miguel Dario Florez was sentenced today in federal court in San Diego by United States District Judge William Q. Hayes to serve 57 months in custody based on the defendant’s conviction for five counts of bank robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a).More...
January 31, 2010
FORMER BANK OF THE WEST CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER PLEADS GUILTY TO EMBEZZLEMENT
FRESNO, Calif. – United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that DONICE MAXINE MEDINA, 53, of Parlier, Calif., pleaded guilty today to theft and embezzlement of bank funds before United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill.More...
January 29, 2010
CANADIAN TRUCK DRIVER ADMITS TO SMUGGLING $435,000 AND ECSTASY
CHP Stop Led to the Arrest
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Dan Lane announced today that ROBERT JAMES FOX, 38, of British Columbia, Canada, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to possession with intent to distribute MDMA (commonly known as Ecstasy) and bulk cash smuggling.More...
January 28, 2010
NEBRASKA MAN AGREES TO PLEAD GUILTY IN ATTACK OF SCIENTOLOGY WEBSITES ORCHESTRATED BY ‘ANONYMOUS'
LOS ANGELES – A Nebraska man agreed today to plead guilty to participating in an attack on Church of Scientology websites in January 2008 that shut down the group’s websites.More...
January 27, 2010
INMATE WHO WAS SERVING TIME IN STATE PRISON FOR IDENTITY THEFT SENTENCED TO 8½ YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON IN SECOND IDENTITY THEFT CASE FOR TAKING OVER CREDIT CARDS
RIVERSIDE, California – A man who was serving a three-year state prison sentence for identity theft was sentenced today to serve 102 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of identity theft and organizing a bank fraud scheme while he was incarcerated at the California State Prison in Centinela.More...
January 25, 2010
MANAGER OF EAST BAY FUEL TERMINAL SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR OF HOME CONFINEMENTFOR VIOLATING THE CLEAN AIR ACT
Also sentenced to 200 hours community service related to health impacts of air pollution More...
January 22, 2010
CONMAN FOUND GUILTY OF OPERATING $62 MILLION PONZI SCHEME THAT TARGETED SPANISH-SPEAKING INVESTORS
LOS ANGELES – A Huntington Park man who preyed on Spanish-speaking investors with promises of hefty returns in the real estate bubble has been found guilty of federal charges for bilking more than 2,000 victims out of more than $62 million.More...
January 21, 2010
SUPPLEMENT MANUFACTURER PLEADS GUILTY TO SELLING PRODUCTS CONTAINING ANABOLIC STEROIDS
VMG Global, Inc. Admits Selling Spiked Supplements Containing “Tren,”or "4-estra," and "Madol," or "DMT." More...
January 20, 2010
INLAND EMPIRE MAN AND THAI SUPPLIER CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING IVORY FROM ENDANGERED AFRICAN ELEPHANTS
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today indicted a Southland man and a Thai national in a scheme that allegedly smuggled ivory from endangered African elephants into the United States.More...
January 19, 2010
DEFENDANT WHO WAS FUGITIVE FOR 12 ½ YEARS SENTENCED TO 240 MONTHS FOR 1992 DRUG TRAFFICKING OFFENSE
SAN FRANCISCO - Donnell Hatcher was sentenced Tuesday to 240 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin, a sentence which will run consecutive to a previously-imposed 200 month sentence, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced. More...
January 18, 2010
HEDGE FUND MANAGER WHO BILKED RELATIVES OUT OF $25 MILLION SENTENCED TO OVER 10 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON
After admitting that he ran a Ponzi scheme that targeted family members and close friends and caused them to lose more than $25 million, the founder and manager of two Beverly Hills hedge funds was sentenced today to 121 months in federal prison.More...
January 16, 2010
FEDERAL COURTHOUSE BOMB SUSPECT PLEADS GUILTY
SACRAMENTO– United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that MATTHEW FRATICELLI, 31, of south Sacramento, entered a guilty plea today to a charge of possession of an unregistered destructive device. The guilty plea was taken from the defendant in federal court in Sacramento by United States District Judge Edward J. Garcia. More...
January 15, 2010
MAN SENTENCED TO OVER 13 YEARS IN $21 MILLION PONZI SCHEME THAT COSTS DOZENS OF VICTIM THEIR LIFE SAVINGS
Victims Describe Ordeals of Loss after ‘Up-Close’ Meetings with Fraudster More...
January 14, 2010
UNLICENSED ORANGE COUNTY MORTGAGE BROKER SENTENCED TO NEARLY SIX YEARS IN PRISON IN $40 MILLION FRAUD SCHEME
SANTA ANA, California – A San Clemente man who acted as a mortgage broker under several umbrellas, including the Orange-based Lucrativo Real Estate Solutions, Inc., was sentenced this morning to 70 months in federal prison for his conviction on tax evasion, mail fraud and credit card fraud charges related to a mortgage fraud scheme that caused at least $7 million in losses.More...
January 13, 2010
GUILTY PLEA IN PASADENA ARSON PLOT LINKED TO DOMESTIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
A Los Angeles-area man who installed a gasoline bomb in a multi-million dollar condominium development under construction in Pasadena pleaded guilty this afternoon to a federal conspiracy charge in which he admitted working on behalf of the Earth Liberation Front.More...
January 12, 2010
UNLICENSED ORANGE COUNTY MORTGAGE BROKER SENTENCED TO NEARLY SIX YEARS IN PRISON IN $40 MILLION FRAUD SCHEME
SANTA ANA, California – A San Clemente man who acted as a mortgage broker under several umbrellas, including the Orange-based Lucrativo Real Estate Solutions, Inc., was sentenced this morning to 70 months in federal prison for his conviction on tax evasion, mail fraud and credit card fraud charges related to a mortgage fraud scheme that caused at least $7 million in losses.More...
January 11, 2010
WEST HOLLYWOOD ANTIQUES DEALER FACES CHARGES OF SELLING FAKE PICASSO DRAWING FOR $2 MILLION
Dealer Claimed the Art Once Belonged to Malcolm Forbes
LOS ANGELES – A West Hollywood antiques dealer has been named in a federal fraud case involving the $2 million sale of a fake Pablo Picasso that she paid an artist $1,000 to fabricate. Tatiana Khan was informed of the charges this morning by FBI agents who also seized a $700,000 de Kooning painting that prosecutors allege was purchased with proceeds derived from the sale of the bogus Picasso.More...
January 08, 2010
GRAND JURY INDICTS DOCTOR WHO HEADED LIVER TRANSPLANT PROGRAM ON CHARGES OF COVERING UP PATIENT SWITCH
Intended Recipient of Liver was Removed From Wait List and Later Died
A Los Angeles surgeon who was the director of the liver transplant program at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles was indicted today by a federal grand jury for lying to the national organ transplant network after a liver accepted on behalf of one patient was instead transplanted into another patient who was significantly lower on the national wait list. More...
January 06, 2010
MANTECA BUSINESS OWNER ADMITS AIDING AND ABETTING THE SALE OF UNINSPECTED BEEF
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that RICHARD J. RIELLA, 48, of Manteca, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of aiding and abetting the sale of uninspected beef.More...
January 05, 2010
ORANGE COUNTY MAN ADMITS TO POSTING PRE-RELEASE ‘SCREENER’ OF HOLLYWOOD MOVIE ON INTERNET
An Irvine man today agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of uploading a pre-release version of the movie “The Love Guru” to a website operated by a piracy group that made the movie widely available on the Internet. More...
January 04, 2010
FEDERAL AUTHORITIES ANNOUNCE LARGE INCREASE IN CRIMINAL IMMIGRATION PROSECUTIONS IN CENTRAL VALLEY
47% increase in federal indictments over prior year More...
December 30, 2009
Former Park-and-Ride Security Guard Convicted of Murder
LANCASTER – After nearly a month of deliberation, jurors today convicted a former security guard of fatally shooting an 18-year-old college student in a Palmdale park-and-ride lot. More...
December 29, 2009
ACCUSED KILLER RETURNED TO MEXICO AFTER EXTRADITION REQUEST
FRESNO, Calif. - United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that ARMANDO REYES ANDRADE, 57, a Mexican national and resident of Riverbank, California, was returned to Mexico yesterday following a Mexican extradition request for him to stand trial for the January 2005 shooting death of Celedonio Leon Tapia in the state of Michoacan. More...
December 28, 2009
Man Charged in Ex-Girlfriend’s Murder
VAN NUYS – A 30-year-old East Los Angeles man accused of fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend was charged with murder today, the District Attorney’s Office announced. More...
December 24, 2009
TIBURON MAN SENTENCED TO 42 MONTHS IN CUSTODY IN CONNECTION WITH FAKE INVESTMENT SCHEME
SAN FRANCISCO - Malcolm McVickar Jr. was sentenced today to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay $436,583.37 in restitution for mail fraud and wire fraud, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced. More...
December 23, 2009
TWO FRESNO MEN CONVICTED IN SPREE OF 30 ARMED ROBBERIES
FRESNO, Calif.–United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner,Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)Special Agent in Charge Stephen Herkins, Fresno County DistrictAttorney Elizabeth A. Egan, and Fresno Chief of Police Jerry Dyerannounced today that a jury returned More...
December 22, 2009
NEW YORK RABBI SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON IN SCHEME TO DEFRAUD FEDERAL TAX AUTHORITIES
LOS ANGELES – The Grand Rabbi of Spinka, a religious group within Orthodox Judaism, was sentenced this morning to two years in federal prison for orchestrating a tax evasion scheme that prosecutors called “an astonishingly complex and sinister enterprise.”More...
December 21, 2009
NEVADA MAN SENTENCED TO THREE YEARS IN PRISON FOR LYING TO OBTAIN NEW PASSPORT AFTER AUTHORITIES SEIZED HIS PASSPORT DURING INVESTIGATION INTO DOUBLE MURDER
LOS ANGELES – An alleged leader of a Las Vegas-based white supremacist gang has been sentenced to three years in federal prison by a federal judge who found that he lied on a passport application as he fled an investigation into his possible involvement in a hate crime in which two people were murdered. More...
December 18, 2009
ARCHITECT OF MORTGAGE FRAUD AND REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT FRAUD SCHEMES PLEADS GUILTY IN FEDERAL COURT
SAN FRANCISCO - Patricia Morgen pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco yesterday to wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.More...
December 17, 2009
INDICTMENT UNSEALED CHARGING NINE WITH SEX TRAFFICKING OF CHILDREN
United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced that Malcolm Jamal Allen, Ama Bahati Bernard, Devon Leontae Sutton, Birdia Rollins, Nicole Brook Tierney, Vincent Windsor Heimstra, Dominique Cortez Little, Joseph Anthony Ponder, and Alexandra Grove, have been charged in a previously sealed six-count indictment handed up by a federal grand jury on December 4, 2009, with Conspiracy to Violate Sex Trafficking of Children and by Force, Fraud and Coercion; Sex Trafficking of Children and by Force, Fraud and Coercion; Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Aiding and Abetting. The indictment was unsealed today before United States Magistrate Judge Nita L. Stormes. All defendants are currently in custody.More...
December 16, 2009
UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX SETTLES FALSE CLAIMS ACT LAWSUIT FOR $67.5 MILLION
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Justice Department announced today that the University of Phoenix has agreed to pay the United States $67.5 million to resolve allegations that its student recruitment policies violated the False Claims Act.More...
December 15, 2009
AUDIOLOGIST SENTENCED TO SIX MONTHS IN PRISON FOR MEDICARE FRAUD
FRESNO, Calif. – United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that ADAM JOHN SORTINI, 88, of Merced, was sentenced on December 11, 2009, by United States District Judge Oliver W. Wanger, to six months in prison to be followed by 15 months of home confinement, plus restitution of $100,000, for his scheme to defraud the Medicare program by submitting false billings for audiology services. A jury found him guilty of 17 counts of mail fraud and one count of health care fraud on November 4, 2008.More...
December 14, 2009
Judge Sentences Defendant to Serve 210 Months In Federal Prison For Conspiracy To Conduct Enterprise Affairs Through A Pattern of Racketeering Activity
United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced that Jose Rojas was sentenced today in federal court in San Diego by United States District Court Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz to serve 210 months in custody, based on his conviction for conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(d). The sentence imposed today for Rojas followed his guilty plea earlier this year.More...
December 11, 2009
STOCKTON MAN CONVICTED OF BANK FRAUD, AGGRAVATED I.D. THEFT, AND POSSESSION OF STOLEN U.S. MAIL
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that RUSSELL ANTHONY HARDCASTLE, 39, of Stockton, pleaded guilty this morning before United States District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton to felony bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of stolen U.S. mail.More...
December 10, 2009
VALLEY MAN ADMITS SOLICITING MURDER OF INFORMANT HELPING INVESTIGATORS IN BANK FRAUD INVESTIGATION
LOS ANGELES – A Sherman Oaks man has pleaded guilty to solicitation of murder, admitting that he was willing to pay to a hitman to kill an informant working with federal investigators who were looking into a bank fraud scheme. More...
December 09, 2009
BURBANK MAN SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR LAUNDERING PROCEEDS RELATED TO HEALTH CARE FRAUD
A publisher of Russian-language newspapers and magazines was sentenced today to eight years in federal prison for running a sophisticated “cash-back” scheme that helped numerous perpetrators of health care fraud to avoid the payment of taxes and to obtain cash to be used for kickbacks to associates.More...
December 08, 2009
Brown Halts UCLA Professor's Use of Charitable Funds for Personal Business Ventures
Los Angeles -Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today reached a settlement with UCLA Professor Gerald D. Buckberg, M.D., and five officers of the nonprofit L.B. Research and Education Foundation ("L.B.") that forces them to stop using the charity as a "personal bank account" to finance their business ventures. More...
December 07, 2009
KERLAN-JOBE ORTHOPAEDIC CLINIC AGREES TO PAY $3 MILLION TO SETTLE KICKBACK ALLEGATIONS
LOS ANGELES – The Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, a sports medicine clinic with offices across the Los Angeles area, has agreed to pay the United States $3 million to settle allegations that it received illegal kickbacks from HealthSouth Corporation, the Justice Department announced today.More...
December 04, 2009
KAISER ENTITIES AGREE TO SETTLE MATTER BROUGHT UNDER HHS-OIG VOLUNTARY SELF DISCLOSURE PROTOCOL
SAN FRANCISCO – Four Kaiser entities in Northern and Southern California have agreed to pay the government $3,752,000 to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims to the United States in connection with payments from the Medicare and Medicaid programs, U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.More...
December 03, 2009
Man Deemed Sane in LAX Police Officer’s Murder
LOS ANGELES – A 51-year-old man faces life in prison after a Los Angeles jury determined today he was sane when he carjacked and murdered a Los Angeles International Airport police officer in 2005.More...
December 02, 2009
FORMER POLICE OFFICER IS SENTENCED FOR FALSELY CLAIMING SILVER STAR MILITARY DECORATION
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that ERIC GENE PIOTROWSKI, 41, of Elk Grove, was sentenced this morning by United States Magistrate Judge Gregory G. Hollows to 12 months probation and 200 hours of community service for falsely claiming that he was awarded a Silver Star Military decoration during Operation Desert Storm. He pleaded guilty on September 15, 2009. Under the Stolen Valor Act, which was enacted in late 2006, it is a misdemeanor offense to wear military medals that were not in fact awarded, or to falsely claim to have been awarded such medals. More...
November 30, 2009
RIO DELL RESIDENT SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS IN PRISON FOR MARIJUANA CULTIVATING OPERATION
Forfeited real property and $945,000 Promissory Note
OAKLAND, Calif. – Jordan Pyhtila was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for maintaining a place to manufacture marijuana and conspiracy to launder money, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.More...
November 27, 2009
CLEANUP COMPANY PLEADS GUILTY AND IS SENTENCED FOR FALSE REPORTING
Employee Found with Illegal Drugs from DEA Cleanup Site Sentenced
FRESNO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner, California Secretary for Environmental Protection Linda S. Adams, California Department of Toxic Substances Control Acting Director Maziar Movassaghi, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony D. Williams announced today that PROFESSIONAL ASBESTOS REMOVAL CORPORATION, also known as PARC ENVIRONMENTAL, pleaded guilty this morning before Chief United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii to making a false statement in a uniform hazardous waste manifest in violation of the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which governs the safe handling and storage of hazardous materials, including hazardous waste found at clandestine drug labs.More...
November 26, 2009
THREE FAMILY MEMBERS WHO USED IDENTITY THEFT IN CREDIT CARD ‘BUST-OUT’ SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON TERMS
SANTA ANA, California – Three members of a Los Angeles family who operated a credit card “bust-out” scheme in the neighborhoods surrounding the Little Armenia section of Los Angeles have been sentenced to up to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud charges.More...
November 25, 2009
U.K.-BASED FRAUDSTER SENTENCED TO NEARLY SIX YEARS IN PRISON FOR WORKING IN MULTIMILLION DOLLAR ‘LOTTERY SCAM’
LOS ANGELES – A man who participated in a London-based telemarketing scheme that defrauded elderly victims in the United States and the United Kingdom with false promises of lottery winnings was sentenced today to 70 months in federal prison.More...
November 24, 2009
SACRAMENTO GANG MEMBER GETS 6 YEARS AND 5 MONTHS SENTENCE FOR BANK ROBBERY
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that United States District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. sentenced MICHAEL ANDREW WILLIAMS, 28, of Sacramento, to six years and five months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for bank robbery. He was also ordered to pay restitution. More...
November 23, 2009
FORMER UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER SENTENCED TO 97 MONTHS IN PRISON
Fined $9 Million for Role in Laundering $30 Million of Extortion Proceeds More...
November 20, 2009
FORMER CEO OF BRICSNET FM AMERICA, INC. INDICTED FOR EMBEZZLING OVER $1,000,000 FROM COMPANY
SAN FRANCISCO - Ethan Farid Jinian made his initial appearance in federal court this morning after a federal grand jury indicted him on 14 counts of wire fraud in connection with his alleged embezzlement from Bricsnet FM America Inc., United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced. More...
November 19, 2009
FORMER NFL PLAYER SENTENCED TO NEARLY FIVE YEARS IN FRAUD SCHEME THAT COST VICTIMS OVER $5 MILLION
SANTA ANA, California – A former high school and college football star who briefly played with the Tennessee Titans was sentenced this afternoon to 57 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud charges related to a $5 million Ponzi scheme.More...
November 18, 2009
BUSINESS OWNER PLEADS GUILTY IN VALLEJO ARSON OF WINES CENTRAL WAREHOUSE
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner, ATF Special Agent in Charge Stephen Herkins, and IRS Special Agent in Charge Scott O’Briant announced that late this afternoon MARK C. ANDERSON, 61, of Sausalito, pleaded guilty to all 19 charges in an indictment that included one count of arson, four counts of interstate transportation of fraudulently obtained property, nine counts of mail fraud, one count of use of a fictitious name, and four counts of tax evasion stemming from the October 12, 2005 arson of the Wines Central warehouse in Vallejo.More...
November 17, 2009
DOCTOR SENTENCED TO NEARLY FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR WRITING CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE PRESCRIPTIONS FOR CASH
SANTA ANA, California – A physician who operated a medical clinic in Westminster was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison for illegally writing prescriptions for “patients” who simply paid cash to have access to dangerous narcotics. More...
November 16, 2009
SEVEN CHARGED IN 53 COUNT, MILLION DOLLAR MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEME
More Than 100 Properties Involved More...
November 13, 2009
FORMER EDD EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO SCHEME TO PROVIDE FRAUDULENT DISABILITY PAYMENTS TO FRIENDS
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that AUDREY RENEE BELL, 49, of Pacoima, Calif., pleaded guilty today after the United States rested its case last week in a two-week jury trial. The guilty plea was entered before Senior United States District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton to 10 counts of mail fraud. More...
November 12, 2009
VALLEY BUSINESSMAN SENTENCED TO 2½ YEARS IN PRISON FOR SELLING NON-CONFORMING GASKETS USED ON BOEING JETS
A Woodland Hills businessman was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for selling uncertified rubber gaskets that were installed on Boeing 737 aircraft. More...
November 10, 2009
MANAGER OF HEDGE FUNDS PLEADS GUILTY TO MAIL FRAUD
Alexander Trabulse admits to engaging in fraudulent conduct More...
November 09, 2009
MANAGER OF HEDGE FUNDS PLEADS GUILTY TO MAIL FRAUD
Alexander Trabulse admits to engaging in fraudulent conduct More...
November 06, 2009
VENTURA COUNTY MAN SENTENCED TO NEARLY EIGHT YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON IN $1 MILLION IDENTITY THEFT CASE
A Thousand Oaks man was sentenced today to 95 months in federal prison for orchestrating an identity theft scheme in which he used personal identifying information taken from dozens of mortgage and credit files to fraudulently obtain credit cards that were used to purchase more than $1 million in goods and services. More...
November 05, 2009
ORANGE COUNTY MAN WHO FIRED LASERS AT COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT SENTENCED TO 2½ YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON
LOS ANGELES – A resident of Orange who willfully interfered with aircraft pilots by intentionally shooting a laser at two commercial airliners that were on approach to John Wayne Airport has been sentenced to serve 30 months in federal prison. More...
November 04, 2009
WESTLAKE VILLAGE MAN WHO ORCHESTRATED $64 MILLION PONZI SCHEME SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON
Victims Were Told Money Would Buy Insurance for South Los Angeles Churches
A Los Angeles County man who was the leader of a $64 million Ponzi scheme that bilked 63 investors in California and Texas with false promises of huge returns from investments in a bond-trading program and a life insurance pool that would benefit members of African-American churches in South Los Angeles was sentenced today to 300 months in federal prison. More...
November 03, 2009
DEFENDANTS SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS FOR DEFRAUDING CALIFORNIA STATE AGENCY
FRESNO, Calif. — United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced today that United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced MARIO JURADO PENA, 39, of Sanger on Friday, October 30, 2009 to 18 months in prison and $3,120,706 in restitution for defrauding the State of California, Employment Development Department (EDD), of millions of dollars. PENA will serve his sentence in addition to the nine years he is currently serving for a narcotics conviction. Also sentenced for the same charge was his wife, JACQUELINE CHAVES JURADO, 34, of Sanger, who received one year of home detention and three years of supervised release. More...
November 02, 2009
HIGHEST OFFICIAL WITH INLAND EMPIRE INDIAN TRIBE SURRENDERS TO FEDERAL AUTHORITIES ON BRIBERY CHARGES
The chairman of the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians surrendered this afternoon to federal agents after being indicted on federal charges of accepting a quarter million dollars in bribes from tribal vendors and concealing income from the IRS. More...
October 30, 2009
Seven Charged, 10 Pounds of Methamphetamine, Large-Scale Laboratory & Guns Seized More...
October 29, 2009
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown, FBI Special More...
October 28, 2009
Students allegedly licensed to remove asbestos without proper training More...
October 27, 2009
The chairman of the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians surrendered this afternoon to federal agents after being indicted on federal charges of accepting a quarter million dollars in bribes from tribal vendors and concealing income from the IRS. More...
October 26, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. — United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown and B. Bernard Ferguson, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Los Angeles Division, announced today that a federal grand jury in Fresno indicted VERNON DALE MUSTIN, 51, of Spiro, Okla., charging him with one count of transporting an explosive with intent to kill or injure, one count of mailing injurious articles and one count of possessing and using a destructive device. More...
October 23, 2009
Cases Involve More Than $26 Million in Fraudulent Medicare Claims More...
October 21, 2009
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced today that the Federal Government has entered into a settlement agreement with SHIRLEY M. ESTRADA and MARCUS R. ESTRADA, along with their related business, Aristo-Care, Inc.More...
October 20, 2009
Defendant Sentenced for his Conviction on Conspiracy to Transport Stolen Property and Structuring Transactions More...
October 19, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. — United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced that on October 15, 2009, a federal grand jury returned a multiple-count indictment charging SALOMON RODRIGUEZ and VERONICA CAPITAINE-ROSALES with possession, transfer, production, and sale of fraudulent United States immigration and social security identification documents out of Fresno and Tulare Counties. RODRIGUEZ and CAPITAINE-ROSALES are scheduled to appear in court before United States Magistrate Judge Dennis L. Beck on October 16, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.More...
October 16, 2009
LOS ANGELES – A 26-year-old gang member convicted of the 2004 slaying of an off-duty county police captain was formally sentenced to death today.More...
October 15, 2009
Siskiyou County - Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that he has filed criminal charges against the former manager of a Mount Shasta-based medical clinic who filed "bogus claims" under Medi-Cal for medical services that were never performed. More...
October 14, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. — United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced today that, on October 8, 2009, United States District Court Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced JUSTO MATA BUSTOS, 27, of Parlier, and FERNANDO ESPANA RUBIO, 21, of Madera, each to 14 years and three months in prison for the armed kidnapping of a Tracy jewelry store owner. On October 2, 2009, Judge O’Neill sentenced co-defendant DIANA TERAN 30 of Madera, to 10 years and one month in prison. All three defendants pleaded guilty to kidnapping, and BUSTOS and RUBIO also pleaded guilty to brandishing a firearm in connection with a crime of violence. More...
October 12, 2009
Convicted in First Human Trafficking Trial in Northern District of California More...
October 09, 2009
Father Previously Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison in $30+ Million Scheme More...
October 08, 2009
Defendant Used Fraudulent Deed to Obtain More Than $130,000 in Equity From Residence in Bankruptcy Proceeding More...
October 07, 2009
Federal Prison Sentence to Run Consecutively to 16-Year State Prison Term More...
October 06, 2009
Special Agents with the FBI arrested a Chicago-area man Friday night on federal charges of interstate stalking for allegedly taking nude videos of a television broadcaster and posting those videos on the Internet after attempting to sell the videos to a celebrity website. More...
October 05, 2009
In First Jury Verdict of its Kind, Construction Companies Ordered to Pay Nearly $29 Million for Losses Suffered by National Forest More...
October 02, 2009
An Orange County lawyer agreed in court papers filed today to plead guilty to two felony charges related to a scheme in which he took more than $2 million awarded to employees of a company he sued in a class action and lost almost all of the funds while day trading in the stock market. More...
October 01, 2009
San Diego - United States Attorney for the Southern District of California Karen P. Hewitt announced that Rachelle Lynette Carlock pled guilty today in federal court in San Diego before the Honorable Margaret M.. McKeown to one count of possession and use of a destructive device to commit a crime of violence, to wit: conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c), arising from the bombing of the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Courthouse in San Diego on May 4, 2008, and other acts. More...
[ Back to top ]
