Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – Two former top city officials in Commerce and Baldwin Park have pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme involving bribes in exchange for a corrupt Baldwin Park politician’s votes and influence over his city’s cannabis permitting process, the Justice Department announced today. 

Edgar Pascual Cisneros, 42, of Montebello, who served as Commerce’s city manager from November 2017 to December 2023, pleaded guilty on November 6, 2023, to federal bribery. Robert Manuel Nacionales Tafoya, 62, of Redondo Beach, who served as Baldwin Park’s city attorney from December 2013 to October 2022, pleaded guilty on December 5, 2023, to federal bribery and tax evasion charges.

Federal prosecutors today unsealed the criminal charges and plea agreements, in which both Cisneros and Tafoya agreed to cooperate in ongoing public corruption investigations. 

According to the plea agreements, shortly after Baldwin Park began issuing marijuana permits in June 2017, then-Baldwin Park City Councilmember Ricardo Pacheco solicited bribes from companies seeking those permits. Cisneros helped a company obtain a marijuana permit and related approvals through approximately $45,000 in bribes and that the company promised to pay Cisneros at least $235,000 to help secure the permit. Tafoya facilitated a bribery scheme involving former Compton City Councilmember Isaac Galvan, in which Galvan sought to obtain a marijuana permit for his consulting client also through bribes to Pacheco. Tafoya further admitted to evading payment of approximately $650,000 in federal tax liability.

Pacheco pleaded guilty in June 2020 to a federal bribery charge unrelated to the marijuana-permit scheme. Pacheco further admitted to orchestrating bribery schemes involving Tafoya and Gabriel Chavez, a former San Bernardino County planning commissioner who pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge in November 2022. Pacheco’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 2025. Chavez’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 2025.

In September 2023, Galvan and his consulting client, Yichang Bai, were arrested on a federal grand jury indictment alleging they paid $70,000 in bribes to Pacheco in exchange for his vote and support for marijuana permits for Bai’s company, W&F International Corp. Both men have pleaded not guilty. Their trial is scheduled for June 10, 2025.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating these matters.     

Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas F. Rybarczyk, Michael J. Morse, and Lindsey Greer Dotson of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting these cases.

Any member of the public who has information related to this or any other public corruption matter is encouraged to send information to the FBI’s tip line at tips.fbi.gov or to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A Harbor-area woman and a South Los Angeles man were found guilty by a jury today of participating in armed robberies of businesses in which local businesses in Los Angeles County were targeted in August and September of last year.

Diavion Deshawna Mouton, 23, of Carson, and Rodney Darrin Maxwell Evans, 23, of the Vermont Square neighborhood of Los Angeles, were each found guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

“Violent gun crime leaves emotional scars that last for years,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Through the Operation Safe Cities initiative, my office is partnering with local law enforcement to prosecute more and more cases that hold accountable those who choose to harm our communities.”

According to evidence presented at a four-day trial, Evans participated in two armed robberies that occurred on August 14, 2023, respectively, at Rite Aid stores in Bellflower and in the Vermont Square neighborhood of South Los Angeles. During the robberies, multiple firearms were brandished, and store employees were forced to open the store safe. In total, Evans and his co-conspirators – ringleaders Makai Yusef Sanders, 23, and Kenyatta Kamar Jones, 23, both of Hawthorne – stole a total of $12,410 from the robberies.

Mouton participated in two armed robberies on September 19, 2023, at a Walgreens store in Glendale and a Wingstop restaurant in Lynwood. She was the getaway driver for both robberies, in which Sanders and Jones brandished firearms and stole a total of $1,776 from the businesses.

During the Walgreens robbery, Sanders and Jones robbed a customer who was at a register attempting to purchase some items, held the victim at gunpoint, and stole the victim’s iPhone. A store employee, a handgun pointed at her back, was ordered to the store’s safe with the barrel of the gun used to push her to get her to move faster. In fear for her life, the employee began walking to the back of the store where the safe was located. Once at the back of the store, the employee noticed the robber was distracted talking to the other robber. The employee then locked herself inside the store’s staffing office and called 911.

In addition to the cash, Sanders and Jones stole four iPhones belonging to victims at the Walgreens store. The suspects then exited the store and drove away in a white Honda Civic, which law enforcement later discovered had been booked via a peer-to-peer carsharing company and was driven by Mouton.

Using phone records and GPS data, law enforcement tracked the defendants down and arrested Sanders, Jones, and Mouton on September 26, 2023. At the time of their arrests, Jones and Sanders possessed handguns consistent with the firearms used in the Walgreens robbery. Law enforcement also found clothing – including the black mask with a red logo – consistent with what one of the suspects wore during that robbery.

United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner scheduled a March 31, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Evans and Mouton will face a mandatory minimum sentence of fourteen years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Sanders and Jones pleaded guilty on November 26 to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. In their plea agreements, Sanders and Jones admitted to committing 12 armed robberies of local businesses – mostly chain-store pharmacies – in August and September of 2023. Both defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment at their sentencing hearings, which are scheduled for March 17, 2025.

Sanders and Jones have agreed to be sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.

Co-defendant Adrian Timothy Bedran, 24, of Rosemead, pleaded guilty on September 9 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery. He is free on $50,000 bond and awaits sentencing on January 13, 2025. 

Co-defendants DeAngel Daryl Alvarez, 24, a.k.a. “Macc,” of the Athens area of South Los Angeles, is believed to be a fugitive, and Kevin Antwon Gadley, 20, a.k.a. “One Shot,” of San Fernando, is in state custody on unrelated charges.

Operation Safe Cities establishes strategic enforcement priorities with an emphasis on prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime. Across this region, the most damaging and horrific crimes are committed by a relatively small number of particularly violent individuals. This strategic enforcement approach is expected to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of recidivists engaged in the most dangerous conduct. It is designed to improve public safety across the region by targeting crimes involving illicit guns, prohibited persons possessing firearms, or robbery crews that cause havoc and extensive losses to retail establishments.

The FBI; the Glendale Police Department; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; the Inglewood Police Department; the Long Beach Police Department; the Pasadena Police Department; the Monterey Park Police Department; the Whittier Police Department; and the Burbank Police Department investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Juan M. Rodriguez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting this case.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley man has agreed to plead guilty to a federal felony charge for swindling clients – many of them elderly church parishioners – in a long-running Ponzi scheme that took in more than $5.9 million in victim investor money, the Justice Department announced today. 

Sylvein William Maximilian D’Habsburg XVII, 48, a.k.a. “Sylvein Scalleone,” of West Hills, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud.

D’Habsburg is expected to enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

According to his plea agreement filed today, from at least January 2018 to June 2023, D’Habsburg hired recruiters to identify potential investors for his two companies, Wild Rabbit Technologies LLC and BAI Intelligence LLC, targeting the local Filipino community, including elderly church parishioners.

At investment presentations, D’Habsburg claimed that he had an artificial intelligence (AI) technology that could predict the future and detect a COVID-19 infection based solely on a video recording, among other things. D’Habsburg also falsely claimed to investors that he had received approximately $500 million in investments for his companies from retired pro athletes and other noteworthy people, such as Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Steve Wozniak, and that he would use the investment funds to hire personnel and obtain patents. 

But D’Habsburg did not use the victims’ money to hire personnel or obtain patents. Instead, he used his victim investors’ money to purchase luxury cars, such as a 1933 Rolls Royce Phantom II Continental Sedanca de Ville by Barker, and rare antiques, such as a pair of Italian carved Giltwood Thrones from the 1800s. 

As a result of his fraudulent scheme, D’Habsburg caused his victim investors a total of approximately $5.9 million in losses. 

Once D’Habsburg enters his guilty plea, he will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

The FBI is investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jason C. Pang of the General Crimes Section and Alexander Su of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A San Bernardino County man was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint alleging that he exported to North Korea shipments of firearms, ammunition and other military items that were concealed inside shipping containers bound from Long Beach.

Shenghua Wen, 41, of Ontario, is charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a felony that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Wen – a Chinese national illegally residing in the United States – was arrested this morning and is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. His arraignment is expected to occur in the coming weeks.

“It is essential that we protect our country from hostile foreign states that have adverse interests to our nation,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “We have arrested a defendant who allegedly acted at the direction of the North Korean government by conspiring to illegally ship firearms, ammunition, and other military equipment to North Korea. I am grateful to our law enforcement partners for stopping this threat and their tireless commitment to the security of our nation.”

“The significance of this arrest and discovery of this scheme cannot be overstated,” said FBI Los Angeles Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis. “Not only did the investigative team prevent additional restricted items going to the North Korean regime, but they gathered valuable intelligence for the United States and our allies. I’m proud of the hard work that went into building the case against Wen by dedicated agents and our partners who specialize in cases that involve illegal exports to foreign adversaries who evade sanctions and utilize weapons and technology for nefarious purposes.”

According to an affidavit filed on November 26 with the complaint, Wen obtained firearms, ammunition, and export-controlled technology with the intention of shipping them to North Korea – a violation of federal law and United States sanctions against that nation. Wen and his co-conspirators allegedly exported shipments of firearms and ammunition to North Korea by concealing the items inside shipping containers that were shipped from Long Beach through Hong Kong to North Korea.

On August 14, law enforcement seized at Wen’s home two devices that he intended to send to North Korea for military use: a chemical threat identification device and a hand-held broadband receiver that detects eavesdropping devices. On September 6, law enforcement seized approximately 50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition that Wen allegedly obtained to send to North Korea.

A review of Wen’s iPhone revealed to law enforcement that in December 2023, Wen smuggled items from Long Beach to Hong Kong with their destination being North Korea. Messages retrieved from Wen’s cellphones revealed discussions he had earlier this year with co-conspirators about shipping military-grade equipment to North Korea. Some of these messages include photographs that Wen sent of items controlled for export under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. From January 2024 to April 2024, Wen sent emails and text messages to a U.S.-based broker about obtaining a civilian plane engine. There also were several text messages on Wen’s iPhone concerning price negotiation for the plane and its engine.

Wen is a Chinese national who is illegally in the United States after overstaying his student visa and is therefore prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition. Wen lacks the required licenses from the U.S. government to export ammunition, firearms, and the other devices that law enforcement seized at his home to North Korea.

“The results of today’s arrest and search warrants are a testament to HSI and our partner agencies commitment to national security and protecting our sensitive technology” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson. “It is a federal crime to illegally obtain and export certain US technologies by foreign countries and those who seek to circumvent the law will be thoroughly investigated.”

“Mr. Wen’s arrest is a significant advancement in our collective efforts towards protecting our national security, safeguarding sensitive U.S. technologies and other export-controlled items, and ensuring accountability for the alleged bad actions,” said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Western Field Office.       

“The defendant’s alleged attempts to illicitly export firearms and military technology from the United States at the behest of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea constitute an alarming violation of sanctions and export control laws,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Dunlap of the Office of Export Enforcement, Los Angeles Field Office. “OEE is committed to working with our federal partners to identify and disrupt illegal export schemes that undermine regional stability and our national security interests at home and abroad.”   

A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

The FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; DCIS; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security are investigating this matter.  

Assistant United States Attorney Sarah E. Gerdes of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this case. 

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A South Bay man who provided lifestyle and personal development coaching to students in public schools through a non-profit he founded pleaded guilty today to fraudulently applying for millions of dollars in COVID-19 jobless benefits, including by using stolen identities.

Reginald Foster Jr., 38, of the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bank fraud, and one count of use of unauthorized access devices.

Foster admitted in court today that, from June 2020 to October 2020, he conspired with others to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), a law Congress passed in March 2020 to help individuals and businesses deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Foster exploited the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) provision of the CARES Act, which is designed to expand access to unemployment benefits to self-employed workers, independent contractors, and others who would not otherwise have been eligible because of the pandemic. The California Employment Development Department (EDD) administers the state’s unemployment insurance program, which included the PUA provision.

Foster admitted that he and his co-conspirators filed fraudulent applications for benefits in the names of people who had not authorized him to do so, using the identity-theft victims’ personal identifying information without their permission. Foster included false information on the applications to ensure that EDD would approve the applications and send the debit cards through which the benefits were dispersed to a mailing address he used. In total, Foster and his co-conspirators submitted 118 fraudulent applications as part of the scheme.

Foster used the debit cards to make transfers to his non-profit, Champs Up! LLC, which Foster has said provides guidance programs to middle school students in Los Angeles and Long Beach. Foster also used the cards to make multiple $1,000 withdrawals at ATMs. He then transferred the cards to co-conspirators, who used them to make further ATM withdrawals. Foster and his co-conspirators were able to withdraw almost $1.5 million of the benefits. EDD and Bank of America froze the remaining benefits as soon as the scheme was uncovered, preventing further losses of more than $4 million.

United States District Judge Mark C. Scarsi scheduled a March 24, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Foster will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for the conspiracy count and up to 10 years in federal prison for the unauthorized access devices count.

Foster remains free on $50,000 bond.

Co-defendants Shelece Counts, 31, of the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles; and Isaiah Herbert Lawrence, 31, of Houston, Texas, have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in this case and are scheduled to go to trial on January 21, 2025.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.       

The United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the California Employment Development Department, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated this matter. Substantial assistance was provided by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General; the United States Secret Service; the FBI; U.S. Customs and Border Protection Special Response Team; and the Los Angeles Unified School District Office of Inspector General.

Assistant United States Attorney Ranee A. Katzenstein of the Criminal Appeals Section is prosecuting this case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. More information on the Justice Department’s response to the pandemic may be found here.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF online complaint form.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced today to 15 months in federal prison for sending threatening emails to the FBI, including ones in which he threatened to bomb the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and referenced the notorious “Unabomber.”

Mark William Anten, 53, of Sun Valley, was sentenced by United States District Judge Wesley L. Hsu. 

At the conclusion of a three-day trial, a jury on June 5 found Anten guilty of two counts of threats by interstate communication.

“Federal agents deserve our appreciation for risking their lives to enforce the law and protect our community,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Threats against law enforcement are unacceptable and we will continue to stand with the FBI and the rest of our law enforcement partners against those who threaten them.”

“Mr. Anten double-downed on his intimidation and credible death threats to FBI employees at their place of employment,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “There are civil, productive ways to disagree with the government if so inclined, but threats of violence is not one of them and – as evidenced by today’s sentencing – will only lead to prison.”

From July 2023 to December 2023, Anten sent a series of increasingly threatening communications to the FBI, culminating in two threats to bomb the FBI field office in Westwood.

The emails included repeated references to Theodore John Kaczynski, a.k.a. “The Unabomber,” whose 20-year bombing campaign killed three people and injured nearly two dozen more. Kaczynski was convicted of federal crimes, spent the bulk of his prison sentence in the Supermax federal prison in Colorado and died in a different federal prison last year.

On November 20, 2023, two FBI task force officers interviewed Anten in front of his residence. During the interview, Anten admitted to sending the previous communications and the officers admonished him to stop contacting agents. Despite the admonition, Anten’s conduct escalated.

On December 5, 2023, Anten sent to FBI agents an email in which he wrote, “I AM THE UNABOMBER” and “I WILL UNABOMB THE LOS ANGELES FBI HQ.” 

The next day, Anten wrote to FBI agents, “I can go on a mass murder spree. In fact it would be very explainable by your actions.” He concluded the email with, “[y]ou ain’t getting away with this one,” and signed the email, “SuperMax or Death.”

Anten also sent FBI agents an email, which attached a photograph depicting the results of an internet search for “how to make a dirty bomb.”

Later that day, Anten visited the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and later emailed agents that he visited their building and would continue to do so. Surveillance footage confirmed Anten’s presence there.

The FBI investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Clifford D. Mpare of the General Crimes Section and Kedar S. Bhatia of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section prosecuted this case.

Source: US FBI

A California physician pleaded guilty today in Los Angeles to criminal health care fraud, arising from her false home health certifications and related fraudulent billings to Medicare.

According to court documents, Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 61, of Porter Ranch, was a physician licensed to practice in California and an enrolled Medicare provider. From approximately January 2012 through July 2018, Baltaian falsely certified patients to receive home health care from at least four Los Angeles area home health agencies. Baltaian’s false certifications were used by the home health agencies to fraudulently bill Medicare for the unnecessary home health care. In some instances, Baltaian pre-signed blank, undated physician certification forms knowing that the home health agencies would later falsify the forms to make it appear as if she saw the Medicare beneficiaries and made clinical findings to support the need for home health care, when she had not done either. Baltaian received cash benefits related to these referrals and also submitted claims to Medicare for signing the fraudulent certifications.

Between January 2012 and July 2018, four home health agencies used Baltaian’s false certifications to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare, resulting in loss to Medicare of at least $1,449,050.

Baltaian pleaded guilty to health care fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Timothy B. DeFrancesca of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG)’s Los Angeles Regional Office made the announcement.

FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Matthew Belz and Eric Schmale of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A South Los Angeles man was found guilty by a jury today of the armed robbery of an armored truck in Hawthorne on St. Valentine’s Day in 2022, a heist in which more than $166,000 in cash and customer checks were stolen and a firearm was discharged after the truck’s driver was held on the ground at gunpoint.

Deneyvous Hobson, 38, of the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

“Our community will not accept violent gun crime and armed and violent felons will be held accountable,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “I commend our prosecutors and our federal and local law enforcement partners for bringing this defendant to justice. With Operation Safe Cities, we will remain vigilant in protecting the public from gun violence.” 

According to evidence presented at a six-day trial, Hobson and co-defendant James Russell Davis, 36, also of the West Adams neighborhood of South Los Angeles, on February 14, 2022, robbed a Sectran Security Services armored truck by ambushing the truck’s driver after the driver had finished servicing an ATM.

Three weeks prior to the robbery, Hobson and Davis cased the Wescom Credit Union in Hawthorne and observed a Sectran driver serving an ATM. During and before the robbery, Davis acted as a lookout and performed countersurveillance nearby.

On February 14, 2022, at approximately the same time in the morning as their casing three weeks earlier, Hobson, traveling in a separate car from Davis, arrived at the credit union while the victim – identified in court documents as “J.G.” – was servicing the credit union’s ATMs.

Hobson and two other co-conspirators got out of their white Honda Accord, approached the victim, ordered him to the ground at gunpoint, and took J.G.’s service weapon, a .40-caliber handgun. Hobson and two co-conspirators stole approximately $166,640 in cash and checks from the Wescom Credit Union’s ATM. As Hobson and two accomplices returned to their car, one of the co-conspirators fired the 9mm semi-automatic handgun he was carrying. They then fled the scene.

The next day, Hobson attempted to sell for $800 via text the 9mm semi-automatic handgun he carried at the robbery, stating that the weapon was “not all the way bad it was just shot doing a get down,” according to court documents.

In October 2022, Hobson illegally possessed a 9mm pistol and 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Hobson was not permitted to possess the firearm or ammunition because his criminal history includes felony convictions in 2003 in Los Angeles Superior Court for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled an April 18, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Hobson will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Hobson has been in federal custody since February 2023.

Davis pleaded guilty on February 16 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. On June 10, Judge Aenlle-Rocha sentenced Davis to 166 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $166,640 in restitution to Sectran Security Services. Davis has been in federal custody since March 2023.

Operation Safe Cities establishes strategic enforcement priorities with an emphasis on prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime. Across this region, the most damaging and horrific crimes are committed by a relatively small number of particularly violent individuals. This strategic enforcement approach is expected to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of recidivists engaged in the most dangerous conduct. It is designed to improve public safety across the region by targeting crimes involving illicit guns, prohibited persons possessing firearms, or robbery crews that cause havoc and extensive losses to retail establishments.

The FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Inglewood Police Department, and the Hawthorne Police Department investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Jason C. Pang of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.

Source: US FBI

FORT SMITH – A Fort Smith man was arrested yesterday in Austin, Texas on criminal charges related to his alleged possession of an unregistered destructive device; namely, an improvised explosive bomb, which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by law. Mehta’s arrest ended a six-day manhunt, in which the public’s assistance was solicited in locating the defendant, who was assumed to be armed and dangerous.

According to court documents, Neil Ravi Mehta, 31, was found to be in possession of an “improvised explosive bomb” during a federal search warrant executed at his residence on Free Ferry Road, in Fort Smith, Ark.  Law enforcement officers located the device in the top left corner of the kitchen island.  The device was x-rayed by bomb technicians on-scene, made safe, and the evidence was collected.  The following images were taken during the execution of the search warrant: 

Mehta is charged in a Criminal Complaint with a single count of Unlawful Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device. A Grand Jury will later hear evidence related to this investigation and determine whether additional criminal charges will be filed against Mehta.  If convicted of the charge of Unlawful Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device, Mehta faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

This is a joint investigation involving the following federal law enforcement agencies:  the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Office of Export Enforcement (OEE); the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General (DOL-OIG).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Mohlhenrich and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elser are prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: US FBI

La oficina del FBI en Little Rock advierte de una estafa de secuestro virtual dirigida a individuos de habla hispana en Arkansas. La estafa engaña a las víctimas por teléfono para que paguen un rescate para “liberar” a un ser querido que creen que ha sido secuestrado, cuando en realidad, los estafadores no han secuestrado a ninguna persona. Sin embargo, mediante engaños y amenazas, obligan a las víctimas a pagar inmediatamente el rescate antes de que se descubra la estafa. En promedio, las familias envían miles de dólares a los criminales antes de contactar a la policía.

El agente especial encargado del FBI en Little Rock, James A. Dawson, expresó que “Los secuestros virtuales dependen de la velocidad, el miedo y la expectativa de que las víctimas no contacten a las fuerzas del orden. Los estafadores saben que sólo tienen un tiempo limitado para recibir un rescate antes de que su plan se deshaga. Queremos que las posibles víctimas contacten al FBI inmediatamente para que podamos identificar y acabar con estas empresas criminales.”

En los últimos meses, las oficinas del FBI en los Estados Unidos han notado numerosas llamadas procedentes de Centroamérica y México dirigidas a códigos de área específicos en diferentes estados. La investigación del FBI de estas llamadas ha determinado que los criminales están revisando las cuentas de las redes sociales en busca de personas que viajan fuera del país. Estos estafadores luego llaman a los seres queridos del viajero, diciendo que el viajero está en peligro o ha sido secuestrado. Los criminales entonces piden a las víctimas que envíen dinero lo antes posible. Si recibe este tipo de llamada, ya sea una extorsión o un secuestro internacional legítimo, póngase en contacto con el FBI inmediatamente.

Para evitar ser víctima de esta estafa, tenga en cuenta estas señales de advertencia:

• Las llamadas se realizan generalmente desde un número de teléfono internacional o muestran un código de área fuera del estado.
• Los estafadores pueden llamar varias veces en un esfuerzo para hablar con sus víctimas.
• Los estafadores harán todo lo posible para mantenerle en el teléfono.
• Los secuestradores virtuales ponen grabaciones de gritos en el fondo para hacer que la llamada suene más real.
• Los criminales intentarán evitar que usted llame o localice a la víctima “secuestrada”.
• El dinero del rescate sólo se acepta a través de transferencias bancarias.

Para afrontar esta estafa, tenga en cuenta los siguientes consejos:

• Mantenga la calma y evite compartir información sobre usted o su familia durante la llamada.
• Solicite hablar directamente con la víctima; pida una “prueba de vida”.
• Escuche atentamente la voz de la víctima secuestrada y haga preguntas que sólo la víctima sabría contestar.
• Solicite a la víctima secuestrada que le devuelva la llamada desde su teléfono móvil personal.
• Intente contactar a la víctima a través de sus cuentas legítimas en las redes sociales.
• No acepte pagar un rescate y nunca proporcione ninguna información financiera.

El FBI en Little Rock estima que numerosos secuestros virtuales siguen sin ser reportados debido a que muchos hispanohablantes en Arkansas tienen miedo a contactar a las fuerzas del orden debido a la preocupación sobre su estatus migratorio. Los investigadores del FBI únicamente tienen la labor de poner un alto a estas estafas. Nuestra principal prioridad es ayudar a las víctimas de delitos federales y llevar a la justicia a los criminales que están cometiendo estas estafas.

El FBI continúa trabajando con las fuerzas del orden a nivel estatal, federal e internacionales para localizar y arrestar a los criminales responsables de estas estafas. Si llega a ser víctima de esta estafa, por favor repórtelo al FBI en www.ic3.gov o llamando al 1-800-225-5324.