Recently in corruption Category
WEST COVINA -- A former Covina Police Department civilian records clerk pleaded guilty Friday to charges of stealing more than $100,000 dollars from the agency and hiding her son-in-law's crime report to prevent his prosecution, authorities said.
Mary Louise Wasilchin, also known as Louise Vance-Wasilchin, 58, of Upland, admitted to stealing at least $140,000 from the police department and hiding the records during an arraignment hearing in West Covina Superior Court, Los Angeles County District Attorney's officials said.
Under a plea agreement, she is expected to be sentenced to two years and eight months in state prison, according to police and Los Angeles County District Attorney's officials. She will not be eligible to serve her sentence in county jail under the state's new prison realignment program.
"I'm glad there's a resolution in the case," Covina Police Chief Kim Raney said. "It's appropriate that she goes to state prison, and the next step now is to get full restitution for the city."
He added that the investigation and prosecution has been an unpleasant experience for the department.
"You've got a supervisor who was trusted by her managers, and it turns out that trust was betrayed," Raney said.
Police believe Wasilchin actually stole more than $340,000, officials said. The exact amount Wasilchin will be ordered to repay will be determined at a sentencing and restitution hearing Feb. 17.
Wasilchin has already agreed to repay $140,000 of stolen money, however officials will present evidence in the restitution hearing that the amount is higher, Lt. Patrick Buchanan said.
"We look forward to presenting more information to the court," he said.
Prior to Friday's plea deal, Wasilchin could have faced up to six years and eight months in prison if convicted as charged, according to Deputy District Attorney Edward A. Miller.
Wasilchin stole city parking meters funds and fine money, as well as vehicle impound fees, D.A. spokeswoman Jane Robison said in a written statement. The thefts allegedly took place between January 2008 and May 2011.
Raney pointed out that the amount of money Wasilchin is suspected of taking could have paid the salaries of three patrol officers for a year.
She was arrested Dec. 15 following an extensive probe, investigators said. She was first placed on leave, then resigned.
Authorities became suspicious of Wasilchin after she was involved in a car crash on April 29 and a police officer noticed 1,000 quarters inside the vehicle in a canvas bag. She was not working that day.
A subsequent search of Wasilchin's Upland home turned up more than 2,000 dollar coins in a bedroom and another $1,000 in coins in an office, Miller said.
When investigators searched Wasilchin's desk on May 5, they discovered a police report she had intercepted detailing her son-in-law's alleged driving under the influence and hit-and-run arrest on May 6, 2008.
"An investigation revealed that the report was never delivered to be filed in court," Robison said, adding that, "there was no evidence that her son-in-law was aware of her actions."
Raney said the Wasilchin's guilty plea so early in the trial process was "a reflection on how solid the case was."
"We're pleased that it didn't have to go into a long lengthy trial and she admitted her guilt," Buchanan added.
Taken from courtroom by paramedics:
Excerpt from San Gabriel Valley Tribune story -
Wilson Wilson, 78, wailed and moaned repeatedly and then appeared to gag and convulse in her chair as Judge Alex Ricciardulli read the sentence out loud.
"No," Wilson groaned.
Sheriff's deputies immediately cleared the courtroom to attend to Wilson, who called paramedics after she reported difficulty breathing. Wilson was taken by ambulance to a local hospital to be treated, according to the deputies.
LOS ANGELES
- Former Temple City Mayor Cathe Wilson was sentenced today to four years in state prison following her conviction last month of bribery and perjury charges involving a development in the San Gabriel Valley city.Deputy District Attorney Sean Hassett of the Public Integrity Division said the Los Angeles Superior Court Superior Court Judge Alex Ricciardulli sentenced the 78-year-old mayor and ordered her to pay $10,000 in restitution.
Wilson was convicted May 2 of three counts of asking for or receiving a bribe and three counts of perjury. The perjury charges involved one count of lying to the Los Angeles County Grand Jury in 2008 and two counts of submitting false material in Fair Political Practices reports.
Wilson, her campaign manager and another former Temple Mayor, Judy Wong, were indicted in June 2009 on charges that cash bribes were demanded and received in 2007 from developer Randy Wang for his Temple City Piazza project. Another council member, David Capra, was charged separately.
Wong, 54, pleaded no contest and was sentenced last year to 16 months in state prison. Scott Carwile, 52, Wilson's campaign manager, pleaded guilty to a perjury count and was sentenced May 24 to three years probation and one day in county jail. Capra pleaded no contest in 2009 to a misdemeanor charge of failure to report a campaign contribution and agreed to resign from the council.
Prosecutors said earlier that officials from Temple City cooperated with the Public Integrity Division in its investigation.
From reporter Ruby Gonzales who notes that a judge could determine Pico Rivera's Weinerschnitzel king Ron Beilke's fate today:
LOS ANGELES - A Krikorian Premiere Theatres executive testified at Ron Beilke's corruption trial Wednesday that the theater monitored the former Pico Rivera mayor and several other council members over their alleged misuse of free movie passes.
Michael Cummings, vice president of operations with Krikorian, said at one point the company sent a letter with the passes "to help curb what we deemed was misuse of the passes." It listed their rules and restrictions.
Council members and city staff members were given the passes starting in 2005 while the Pico Rivera theater project was under way, Cummings said.
"The passes were issued so they could check out what they will have in Pico Rivera," he said, but they were never intended for unlimited use.
Beilke has been charged with one felony count of perjury, one felony count of conflict of interest and three misdemeanor counts of conflict of interest. He has pleaded not guilty to all.
Prosecutors accuse Beilke of lying when he reported on his 2008 economic-interest form that he received $240 worth of movie passes from Krikorian Premiere Theatres. The real value was $3,464, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors also allege Beilke had a conflict of interest when he approved contracts related to the theater and to a street-improvement project on Rosemead Boulevard. His Wienerschnitzel restaurant is near the projects.
If convicted of all charges and sentenced consecutively, Beilke faces six years and two months in prison, according to Deputy District Attorney Sandi Roth.
This from the DA's Office:
LOS ANGELES - The man who served as Vernon's mayor for more than a half-century and his wife were sentenced today to probation and ordered to pay more than $600,000 in fines and penalties following their conviction last month for voter fraud and other charges.
Leonis Malburg, 80, was barred from holding any elective office and placed on five years probation and by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson. The judge found the couple guilty Dec. 4 following a court trial. Malburg's 83-year-old wife, Dominica, was placed on three years probation, said Deputy District Attorneys Max Huntsman and Jonlyn Callahan, who prosecuted the case.
Malburg was ordered to pay a total of $183,800 in fines and penalty assessments and more than $395,000 in restitution to the City of Vernon for salary, benefits and travel for the time he was elected in April 11, 2006. His wife was ordered to pay $36,000 in fines and penalties.
"We're pleased with the sentence," Huntsman said. "We hope politicians get the message" that they must live in the district where they've been elected to represent and where they are registered to vote.
* Micheal Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) brags about sex with a lobbyist representing Sempra Energy. Until a little while ago, he sat on the Assembly Utilities committee. He's been removed by Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles). This hearing was before the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a bill dealing with SCAQMD emission credits.
The past caught up with Gracie Gallegos, the former mayor of Pico Rivera. On her rap sheet, a felony conviction for Insurance fraud. Here's the story:
Former Mayor Gracie Gallegos pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud while serving on the City Council, but other city officials said Monday they didn't know about it.
Gallegos entered her plea in August 2007 and was sentenced to five years' probation and 120 hours of community service, according to court documents. She was elected to the Pico Rivera City Council in March of 2007.
Gallegos resigned from the council less than three weeks ago. She was serving as mayor at the time.
She said she left the council to take care of other priorities, including an ill father with late-stage cancer, the family business and supporting her daughter who studies abroad.
Received an interesting DOJ press release this afternoon that talks about the arrest of four local men involved in running guns and drugs for a Mexican drug cartel, right here in the San Gabriel Valley.
Here's some of what is says:
An investigation into guns being trafficked from Arizona to California has led to the arrest of four individuals, one of whom sold several machine guns to a undercover operative and claimed to be tied to a Mexican drug cartel.The four defendants were arrested early this morning by special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department. During the course of the 10-month investigation, authorities purchased or seized 50 firearms, including 17 guns that were discovered during the execution of search warrants this morning.
During the investigation, an undercover operative made a series of gun purchases from three of the defendants. The purchases included guns similar to AK-47s, Uzis and AR-15s, some of which were fully automatic weapons.
Those arrested today are:
- Edgardo Prado Casteneda, aka "Primo," 26, of Azusa, who claimed to be a Southern California operative of the La Familia drug cartel based in Michoacan, Mexico;
- Vicente Garcia Jr., aka "Chevy," 38, of Azusa;
- Steven Scott Blanks, 47, of Norco; and
- Victor Velasquez, aka "Fingers," 34, of El Monte, who is accused of delivering a quarter-pound of methamphetamine that was purchased by the undercover operative.
The four defendants are scheduled to make their initial appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
<snip>
The arrests were made today as Prado apparently made plans to collect a "debt" and possibly kidnap a man he said owed money to La Familia. Over the past several weeks, Prado allegedly had a series of conversations with the undercover operative about helping collect a large "debt" that a man owed to La Familia. According to the affidavit, Prado told the informant that a boss in the cartel that he called "Cuete" had sent a courier to Mexico to transport narcotics, but the courier was arrested and provided information to Mexican authorities that led to the arrest of another high-ranking cartel member in Mexico City. As a result of this, "Cuete" owed the Cartel $3 million. If the informant participated in the collection of the "debt," Prado promised him a share of money that would be paid by the cartel.
A criminal complaint filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles charges Prado with selling firearms without a license and distributing methamphetamine.
Garcia is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Blanks is charged with possession of a machine gun.
Velasquez is charged with distribution of methamphetamine.
If convicted of the crimes alleged in the criminal complaint, the defendants would face maximum potential sentences of at least 10 years in prison.
Lately, there's been a hefty dose of folks taking filet knives to local government and exposing some of the dirty inner workings. Here's a sampling of some of the bad and the ugly:
A group of Montebello cops claim their chief is a racist who only promotes his white friends. The claim carries a $30 million price tag.
The grand jury indicts a cop accused of embezzling $500,000 from tow fees collected at the Industry Station. Sgt. Joe Dyer had been on leave since 2008.
In the camellia-scented cesspool that is Temple City, a former city council candidate pleaded guilty to perjury in a case that will probably expose a corrupt money laundering scheme involving Piazza Las Tunas.
Welcome to the San Gabriel Valley!
The mayor, a former mayor and a campaign fixer/suspected bagman who hoped to be on the council face some serious felony bribery/perjury charges after finally appearing in court Wednesday.
If you believe what the DA alleges, small-time greed drove these political hacks to basically extort a developer who may have been in over his head in the first place.
The truth of the matter is Temple City is probably not only local government corrupted by the easy cash that flows from developer's pockets. It's just that most developers aren't carrying around a pocket wire to record the transaction and burn the council. Here's an excerpt from our story on Boss Wilson and her crew:
LOS ANGELES - Temple City's mayor, its former mayor and a former City Council candidate were indicted Wednesday on felony charges of bribery, perjury and other counts related to a nine-month corruption probe into their dealings with a local developer.
The 21-count indictment was returned Monday by the Los Angeles County Grand Jury and unsealed Wednesday by Judge Patricia Schnegg at the criminal courts building in downtown Los Angeles.
Temple City Mayor Judy Wong was charged with six counts of bribery, three counts of perjury and one count of solicitation of bribery. Former mayor Cath Wilson was charged with three counts of bribery and three counts of perjury.
Former City Council candidate Scott Carwile, who was also once Wilson's campaign treasurer, was charged with four counts of perjury and one misdemeanor count of failing to report a campaign contribution.
"It's actually quite rare that we bring bribery charges, because of the nature of the crime," said Deputy District Attorney David Demerjian, who heads the DA's Public Integrity Division. "Normally, neither side involved in the bribery will report it to us. It's usually beneficial to them to just continue on with the conspiracy."
<snip>
Bail was set at $250,000 for Wong, $150,000 for Wilson and $100,000 for Carwile. All three posted bail, were booked, and were ordered to return July 9 for a pre-trial hearing.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown will unveil the findings of a 16-month probe into the Maywood Police Department this afternoon. Here's the AP's version of the story:
LOS ANGELES--A small police department that patrols two gritty cities engaged in widespread use of unlawful force and routinely lacked probable cause to justify arrests and searches, the state attorney general said Tuesday.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown released a lengthy report detailing the findings of a 16-month investigation of the Maywood Police Department.
The report slammed the department on several fronts, criticizing its hiring of officers with misdemeanor convictions and its fostering of what it called an endemic attitude of discourtesy, sexism and racial insensitivity.
"The Maywood Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprived persons of rights, privileges or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution," the report states.
Maywood Police Chief Frank Hauptmann's executive assistant Evelyn Ruedas said the chief was declining comment on the report.
DA's officials say search warrants were served at City Hall this morning and at 2 other locations. Three council members are under investigation for allegedly taking bribes from developer Randy Wang in exchange for providing smooth sailing to Wang's proposed mixed-use development on Las Tunas.
*UPDATE 1:42 p.m. from reporter Alfred Lee:
Investigators searched City Hall and five (not two) residences: Mayor Cathe Wilson, council members Judy Wong and David Capra, former City Council candidate Scott Carwile (whom Randy Wang has accused of taking cash bribes for his campaign) and Jay Liyanage, the former project manager of Wang's Piazza mall project.
Property values in the Inland Empire are sinking to new lows, while the Assessor is suspected of fiddling with nose candy.
Bill Postmus, once a rising star in the Inland Empire's Republican Party, was arrested Thursday morning in possession of a pile of meth. One can only guess what else investigators found when they raided his house, but it's a well-known fact that meth addicts have addicts have a lot of proclivities that don't make for family reading. Here's the early story from the San Bernardino Sun:
Assessor Bill Postmus was arrested this morning after investigators say they found methamphetamine in his Rancho Cucamonga house while serving a search warrant for an ongoing investigation related to possible abuse of his authority as a county official.
About 50 San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office investigators and investigative technicians served 10 search warrants in six cities, including San Bernardino, Highland, Apple Valley, Victorville, Rancho Cucamonga and Rancho Santa Margarita in Orange County.
District Attorney spokeswoman Susan Mickey said she could not disclose specific locations.
But she did confirm that a search warrant was also served at the office of Jim Erwin, a former assistant assessor who now serves
Manny Lozano's all-expense paid trip to China caught the eye of Dave Demerjian who heads the DAs Public Integrity unit. Apparently he didn't declare the trip on his form 700 as required by state Campaign Finance law. Here's the story:
BALDWIN PARK - The District Attorney's Office is reviewing conflict-of-interest allegations involving Mayor Manuel Lozano, officials said.
The agency received a complaint in September and has been probing the issue since, said Dave Demerjian, head of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Division.
Demerjian would not divulge details about the complaint nor say who filed it.
Local businessman Greg Tuttle said though he didn't file the complaint, the District Attorney's review stems from a grievance he did file last year with the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
In that complaint, Tuttle alleged Lozano took an all-expenses paid trip to China in 2007, but never claimed the trip on his statement of economic interests.
I just finished reading your article in today's SGVT in regard to the "Tow fee controversy." It is certainly sad that a "model law-enforcement agency" has been tarnished by the act of one individual and or others who failed to oversee the procedure of collecting tow fees. I would like to refer you to the comment made by John Stites, president of the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association who stated in the article published on Friday, October 17th: "The higher-ups in the department bear responsibility for the missing money" He goes on to say: "We're not money men, Oftentimes they put us in positions we are not trained to handle and it ends up going bad. I've seen it happen more than once."
Of course this does not mean that someone is not responsible for his or her own lack of honesty, nor does it mean that all the blame should be given to the current higher-up's. If my information is correct, and perhaps you would be interested in looking for the facts regarding the policy of where and how money was collected for city tow fees that was instigated years ago during Sherman Block's term as Sheriff of L. A. County. It was and is a poorly thought out policy.
Now, for the main reason I am taking the time to write to you personally. As I continued to read your article, I was disappointed in you and your comments regarding the "Joe Six-Packs" of the world and the "greasy paws of a tow monkey." I don't think you considered that everyone who gets their vehicle towed does not fall into the category that you so cutely labeled "Joe Six-Packs" . People get their vehicles towed for many reasons, Often, it may be because their vehicle was stolen, recovered and impounded. They are innocent victims of a crime committed against them. I won't take the time to go into the other various reasons that vehicles are towed, stored or impounded, but I assure you that most of the time it is not for drunken driving as you insinuated. As for the comment: "No doubt it would be a helluva lot easier than putting the cash in the hands of a greasy paws of a tow monkey" .....What where you thinking?
First of all, money collected by towing companies are generally collected at a office counter staffed by reputable employees. Secondly, for you to demean the men and women who perform a service for individuals, the community and the police agencies shows me that you are not in touch with reality. Have you ever noticed a tow truck on the freeway assisting in the removal of a disabled or wrecked vehicle. Would you not agree that the driver is putting him or herself in danger? If you should ever have the misfortune to be stranded in your vehicle, would you consider the person who is coming to your aid a...."greasy tow monkey?"
I don't know anything about you, other than the fact that according to your column you have the title of Metro Editor. Therefore, even though I might disagree with your published comments, I would never put a derogatory label on you. I suggest that in the future you might want to refrain from labeling people with inflammatory character references.
Sincerely,
Andria Welch
Of course this does not mean that someone is not responsible for his or her own lack of honesty, nor does it mean that all the blame should be given to the current higher-up's. If my information is correct, and perhaps you would be interested in looking for the facts regarding the policy of where and how money was collected for city tow fees that was instigated years ago during Sherman Block's term as Sheriff of L. A. County. It was and is a poorly thought out policy.
Now, for the main reason I am taking the time to write to you personally. As I continued to read your article, I was disappointed in you and your comments regarding the "Joe Six-Packs" of the world and the "greasy paws of a tow monkey." I don't think you considered that everyone who gets their vehicle towed does not fall into the category that you so cutely labeled "Joe Six-Packs" . People get their vehicles towed for many reasons, Often, it may be because their vehicle was stolen, recovered and impounded. They are innocent victims of a crime committed against them. I won't take the time to go into the other various reasons that vehicles are towed, stored or impounded, but I assure you that most of the time it is not for drunken driving as you insinuated. As for the comment: "No doubt it would be a helluva lot easier than putting the cash in the hands of a greasy paws of a tow monkey" .....What where you thinking?
First of all, money collected by towing companies are generally collected at a office counter staffed by reputable employees. Secondly, for you to demean the men and women who perform a service for individuals, the community and the police agencies shows me that you are not in touch with reality. Have you ever noticed a tow truck on the freeway assisting in the removal of a disabled or wrecked vehicle. Would you not agree that the driver is putting him or herself in danger? If you should ever have the misfortune to be stranded in your vehicle, would you consider the person who is coming to your aid a...."greasy tow monkey?"
I don't know anything about you, other than the fact that according to your column you have the title of Metro Editor. Therefore, even though I might disagree with your published comments, I would never put a derogatory label on you. I suggest that in the future you might want to refrain from labeling people with inflammatory character references.
Sincerely,
Andria Welch
CONTRIBUTORS
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| Frank Girardot, Metro Editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspapers, brings you behind the yellow tape with takes on true crime, cold cases and more. This is also your forum to discuss crime, its impact on your neighborhood and how we cover it. Have any questions or tips? You can leave a comment here or e-mail Frank. |
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Brian Day is the crime reporter for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper group. E-mail Brian. |
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