Recently in District Attorney Category

From The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office:

LOS ANGELES - A City of Commerce councilman must resign and abstain from holding public office for the next three years after pleading guilty today to obstruction of justice, the District Attorney's Office announced.

East Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Henry Barela, who imposed the sentence, further indicated that Hugo Argumedo, 49, may not hold public office while on his three-year probation term.

Deputy District Attorney Sandi Roth of the Public Integrity Division said the defendant pleaded to a misdemeanor count of obstructing justice. A felony count of perjury by declaration was dismissed at sentencing.

The case, filed Dec. 14, stems from a false affidavit that Argumedo certified as true, filed in a civil lawsuit between the City of Commerce and the former city attorney, Francisco Leal.

The false affidavit, signed by Argumedo, was filed by Leal in an attempt to defend allegations that he failed to pay a settlement owed to the City of Commerce after a contractual dispute.

Argumedo's conduct caused the city to incur additional legal fees and resulted in a miscarriage of justice to the city, the prosecutor said.

Statement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office:

LOS ANGELES - District Attorney Steve Cooley announced today that Internet sales and home delivery of medical marijuana are illegal and those in violation face felony prosecution.

The District Attorney made the announcement in response to news stories that medical marijuana providers found a "loophole" to state law banning sale of medical marijuana for profit and in the new City of Los Angeles ordinance that has resulted in closure of dispensaries.

"There is no loophole," said Cooley, "Selling medical marijuana for profit continues to be a felony crime under California law."

Cooley said that limited transportation is allowed only if incidental to the procurement of the medical marijuana by a primary caregiver or a qualified patient.

"There is no immunity or affirmative defense for a collective member, a dispensary owner or a cultivator to transport to other members of the collective, cooperative or dispensary," the District Attorney said.

Cooley said the California Supreme Court already has ruled these types of operators are not primary caregivers under California law.

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.

From the DA's office:

LOS ANGELES - Imprisoned former private investigator Anthony Pellicano and the man he hired to threaten a former Los Angeles Times reporter in 2002 both pleaded no contest today to making a criminal threat.

Pellicano, 65, and Alexander Proctor, 66, entered their pleas before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William N. Sterling, said Deputy District Attorney Ron Goudy with the Organized Crime Division.

Each defendant, already serving federal prison terms on unrelated convictions, was immediately sentenced to the maximum of three years in prison. The state terms are to be served concurrently with their remaining federal prison sentences. In exchange for their no contest pleas, the conspiracy charge was dismissed against each defendant.

The pair was charged in June 2005 with conspiracy and making a criminal threat against Anita Busch, who was a reporter with the Los Angeles Times. At the time, Busch was working on an article on the relationship between actor Steven Seagal and an alleged Mafia associate.

The felony complaint said Pellicano hired Proctor on or between April 9, 2002 and June 19, 2002, to threaten Busch to "cause her to fear for her life."

BOSTON, May 22, 2009--The defendant formerly known as "Clark Rockefeller" will go to trial next week, 10 months after he allegedly abducted his daughter from the heart of Boston's tony Back Bay and led investigators on a manhunt that ended in Maryland but sparked international curiosity as to his true identity.
        Jury selection in the trial of CHRISTIAN KARL GERHARTSREITER (D.O.B. 2/21/61), a native of West Germany who most recently lived across from the Boston Public Garden, is scheduled to begin Tuesday. He is charged with parental kidnapping for the July 27, 2008, incident in which he absconded with his daughter, then 7, during a post-divorce visitation supervised by an independent social worker.
        Under Massachusetts law, kidnapping a minor relative is a felony punishable by up to five years in state prison.
        In addition to that lead charge, Gerhartsreiter is also accused of three additional offenses: assault and battery for allegedly shoving the social worker as he hustled his daughter into a waiting sport-utility vehicle driven by an unwitting accomplice; assault and battery with a dangerous weapon - the SUV - for instructing that driver to "go" as the social worker clung to the door handle and fell to the ground, suffering minor injuries; and furnishing a false name to police after his Aug. 2 arrest in Baltimore.
        The latter charge, developed in the course of a far-reaching investigation in the Suffolk County Special Grand Jury, reflects the defendant's identification of himself as "Clark Rockefeller" during an interview with Boston Police detectives and special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Under Massachusetts law, providing a false name to police for a dishonest purpose carries a one-year jail term.
        Gerhartsreiter made off with the young girl shortly before 1:00 on the third day of their first visit following his December 2007 divorce from the child's mother. The driver who chauffeured them from the scene was allegedly told in advance that the court-ordered social worker monitoring the visit was a "clingy" acquaintance from whom they would have to make a quick escape.
        Gerhartsreiter allegedly instructed the driver to drop them off at Massachusetts General Hospital, from where he took a taxi to the Boston Sailing Center. There he met a second unwitting confederate he had promised $500 for a ride to New York City under the pretense of making a Long Island boat launch by 8:00. During the course of that ride, prosecutors say, Gerhartsreiter prevented the driver from using her phone - and learning of the Amber Alert that followed the child's abduction - by secretly turning it off and overtly telling her not to use it.
        From New York, Gerhartreiter made his way to Baltimore, where he had earlier purchased a home with cashier's checks. He had allegedly identified himself as "Charles Smith" to his realtor and assigned a false name to his daughter as well. On Aug. 1, the realtor recognized Gerhartsreiter from media reports of the abduction and notified the FBI. That notice led rapidly to Gerhartsreiter's arrest and his daughter's rescue.
        Gerhartsreiter was returned to Boston, arraigned in the Boston Municipal Court on Aug. 5, and ordered held without bail. Following his indictment by the Special Grand Jury, a Suffolk Superior Court clerk magistrate set bail in the amount of $50,000,000; a Superior Court judge later revoked that bail at prosecutors' request. The defendant has remained in custody since his arrest.
        Jury selection is expected to last at least one full day and possibly several days. There will be no court proceedings on May 29. Once a panel of deliberating and alternate jurors is selected, an estimated 10 to 15 days of testimony are expected to follow.
        Assistant District Attorney David Deakin, chief of District Attorney Daniel F. Conley's Family Protection and Sexual Assault Bureau, led the grand jury investigation and is prosecuting the case. Gerhartsreiter is represented by attorneys Jeffrey Denner and Timothy Bradl. Judge Frank Gaziano is presiding over the case in courtroom 906 of the Suffolk County Courthouse, located at Three Pemberton Square in Boston.

This from the DA's office:

LOS ANGELES - The District Attorney's Justice System Integrity Division announced charges today against a former Glendora police officer accused of taking money.

Timothy Radogna, 33 (dob 07/10/75), is charged with one count each of possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, possession for sale of a controlled substance and grand theft exceeding $400.

Radogna could be arraigned as early as tomorrow in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. The defendant was charged in a felony complaint for arrest warrant on May 14. Radogna is being held on $150,000 bail.

If convicted as charged, the defendant faces a maximum term of nine years and eight months in state prison.

Five teens charged with slaying a Covina Hills woman while she was on the phone with 911 are scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

This from City News Service, via the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office:

Just last week, Pasadena police and the DAs office announced they had captured a man suspected in a couple of rapes during the holidays.

But, apparently another rapist is stalking Colorado Boulevard, using the same MO and possibly matching the description of the previous rapist. Here's the story as we know it:

PASADENA - A woman was kidnapped, raped and bound Friday before being dropped off in Los Angeles, authorities said.

Pasadena police received a call from Los Angeles police about 5:20 a.m. saying a woman in her late 30s reported being kidnapped from the 2600 block of East Colorado Boulevard and raped, Pasadena police Lt. Tracey Ibarra said.

The woman reported she was offered a ride by her attacker when he drove her to an unknown location within the city and sexually assaulted her, Ibarra said.

She was also struck in the face during the incident, causing minor injuries, the lieutenant added.

After the assault, the attacker bound the victim's hands and dropped her off at a secluded spot near the 210 Freeway and La Tuna Canyon Road in Los Angeles, Ibarra said.

The suspect was described as a white man in his 40s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, of heavy build, with brown hair and blue clothing, the lieutenant said.

He was driving a white Ford F-150 pickup truck that appeared it was being used as a utility or contractor's vehicle, she said, and may have been armed with a knife.

 

PUSD believes it got shortchanged by contractors doing work on their last big bond measure.

The district turned the results of its investigation over to Pasadena PD, which turned its investigation over to the DA's office, where the case was promptly rejected.

The official reason for the rejection was the tangle of convoluted paperwork associated with the claim. Nate McIntire and Caroline An got the same paperwork, and agree it's a barely dechiperable mess.

In any case, PUSD thinks it can get the DA's office to reopen the case. Here's a snippet of their story, which ran in the Star-News today:

PASADENA - School district officials called on the District Attorney's Office on Monday to reopen an investigation into potential fraud related to school improvement projects.

In an afternoon press conference, Superintendent Edwin Diaz released documents that show two contractors improperly billed the Pasadena Unified School District almost $300,000.

"We're hoping that at least one of these individuals will be charged," Diaz said and added he is urging the school board to begin civil action against the individuals.

District officials also released hundreds of pages of documents they claim support their allegations. The documents included invoices for work never performed and records of payments made to an unlicensed contractor working under the supervision of a district employee.

Officials also released transcripts of conversations with an unlicensed contractor in which the contractor confessed to paying kickbacks to the supervisor.

The documents were given to investigators in March.

In May, prosecutors declined to file any charges after citing poor record keeping and faulty project oversight by the district.

Sandy Gibbons, spokeswoman for Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, said Monday her office had not received Diaz's letter requesting it revisit the case.

From LA Observed, via a local radio station.

Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley was sworn in for a third term yesterday. Frank Stoltze says Cooley's the first D.A. in 70 years to win a third term in L.A. County.

Here's a photo gallery of DAs past.

Here's the bio of LA County's last three-term DA, Burton Fitts.

Sounds like a mash-up between Crime Scene and Leftovers.

Mayor Ernie Gutierrez of El Monte found himself in a bit of trouble Wednesday. He was arrested and held by cops in his own city on suspicion of spousal abuse.

The story has angered several residents of El Monte, who believe Gutierrez received some sort of special treatment when the DAs office decided not to prosecute after a day long investigation.

Here's the bulk of the story. We report. You decide:

EL MONTE - Ernie Gutierrez, the mayor of El Monte, was arrested early Tuesday on suspicion of domestic violence and detained for most of the day, police said.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office refused to bring charges against Gutierrez, whose term expires in 2009, El Monte police Chief Ken Weldon said.

Gutierrez did not comment on the incident.

Police did not identify the victim, or indicate how they received the complaint.

Gutierrez was held by police while the District Attorney's Office reviewed the case. He was released when officials determined there was insufficient evidence to charge him.

Gutierrez was arrested about 2:15a.m. and was booked at L.A. County Jail, according to El Monte police Lt. Robert Roach.

"There was not enough evidence to move forward," Weldon said. "We continue to fully support our mayor."

Bethania Palma writes the latest chapter in the Sergio Corona story:

The District Attorney's office Monday filed misdemeanor charges against a school board member who was Tased and arrested last month, authorities said.

Sergio Corona, 34, was charged with three counts stemming from a May 22 incident in which police Tased him twice and took him into custody, authorities said.

He faces one count each of vandalism, resisting or obstructing an officer and driving without a license.

Corona allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana and methamphetamine earlier that night, according to a police report.

The DA's office last month sent a toxicology report back to police to confirm results but did not file drug-related charges.

The DA's office released their report Wednesday into the snafu surrounding the slaying of Monica Thomas-Harris, by her estranged husband. The report hit newsrooms one day after Cooley cruised to reelection.

Thomas-Harris, 37, was shot to death by "Keno" Curtis Jan. 5 in a low budget Whittier motel room. Their bodies were found by a maid doing a routine cleaning inspection.

Here's the report.