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Source: US FBI

SANTA ANA, California – Three individuals, including two Chinese nationals, were arrested today on federal criminal complaints alleging they set up shell companies that laundered more than $13 million stolen from victims of investment scams known as “pig butchering.”

The following defendants were arrested this morning and are expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana:

• Mingzhi Li, 24, a.k.a. “Zheng Lin,” of Downtown Los Angeles;
• Zeyue Jia, 23, a.k.a. “Jiao Jiao Liu,” also of Downtown Los Angeles; and
• Jun Shi, 55, of San Gabriel.

The defendants are charged with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, a felony offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

Li and Jia are both Chinese citizens who entered the United States on student visas that have since expired; it is believed that they do not have lawful status in the United States.

A federal magistrate judge ordered Li and Jia jailed without bond. Shi was ordered released on $20,000 bond. The defendants’ arraignments are scheduled for March 17 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

According to affidavits filed with the complaints, Shi established both Magic Location Trading LLC and Stone Water Trading LLC on December 7, 2022. Both companies listed the same address in downtown Los Angeles as being their base of operations.

Magic Location and Stone Water allegedly operated as money service businesses that were formed for the purpose of remitting funds on behalf of third-party customers to other entities. The defendants and the companies did so without registering with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) or the State of California, as required under federal law.

Shi and Li, using the alias “Zheng Lin,” opened U.S.-based bank accounts Magic Location, while Jia, using the alias “Jiao Jiao Liu,” opened U.S.-based bank accounts for Stone Water. Those accounts received funds from investment fraud victims. In total, law enforcement identified 242 wire transfers to Stone Water that were received from individuals – including identified crime victims – totaling approximately $7,618,982, and 60 wire transfers to Magic Trading totaling approximately $5,405,514, according to the complaint.

The defendants allegedly then transferred those funds to overseas bank accounts and other domestic businesses, transferred money to individuals, and used the ill-gotten gains for personal expenses.

The victims in this matter were attempting to fund what they believed to be investment accounts that they purportedly maintained on digital platforms such as websites or mobile applications. The victims’ investments including commodities such as gold contracts or virtual currency such as Bitcoin.

“Pig butchering” fraud schemes (a term derived from a foreign-language phrase used to describe these crimes) consist of scammers encountering victims on dating services or social media, or through unsolicited messages or calls, often masquerading as a wrong number. Scammers initiate relationships with victims and slowly gain their trust, eventually introducing the idea of making a business investment.

Victims are then directed to other members of the scheme operating fraudulent investment platforms and applications, where victims are persuaded to transfer money for the purpose of financial investments. Once funds are sent to scammer-controlled accounts, the purported investment platform often falsely shows significant gains on the purported investment, and the victims are thus induced to send more money for additional investments.

Ultimately, the victims are unable recover their money, often resulting in significant losses for the victims.

For example, one victim – a 72-year-old Minnesota man – exchanged messages with a Chinese woman on the WhatsApp messaging application. She convinced him to invest in a digital platform called “Enkuu,” according to the complaints. In August 2023, the victim wired $75,000 to Stone Water and, the following month, wired $250,000 to Magic Trading for the purpose of investing in “Enkuu.” He later was unable to withdraw any of his money from “Enkuu.”

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

The FBI is investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin N. Spencer of the Orange County Office and Angela C. Makabali of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section are prosecuting these cases. 

Source: US FBI

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the location of a one-time Long Beach resident who was charged with a murder that occurred at a restaurant in Long Beach, California, on October 18, 2008.

Jose Manuel Flores, 47, is wanted for his alleged involvement in the shooting death of an individual inside the Brite Spot Restaurant in Long Beach, California, on October 18, 2008.

Following an investigation by the Long Beach Police Department, Flores was charged with murder and possession of a firearm by a felon on March 9, 2010, in the Superior Court of the State of California in Long Beach. Flores had a criminal history and was considered a felon at the time of the alleged murder.

Once detectives with the Long Beach Police Department determined that Flores had fled the state of California, they requested assistance from the FBI in order to locate Flores, who was thought to have fled south of the U.S. border. On June 24, 2010, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Flores in the United States District Court in Los Angeles after he was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Flores uses a date of birth of November 25, 1977, and was born in Florida. He has used aliases including “Willie” and “Malo.” He has also used the suffix “Jr.” at the end of his formal name. Flores has brown eyes and brown hair and weighed approximately 160 lbs. in 2010, with a height of 5’7”. Flores is an American citizen of Hispanic descent. He has tattoos on his right arm, back, chest, head and neck. A photo of Flores dated 2008 can be found on the FBI’s wanted poster for Flores at Flores Wanted Poster.

Flores has ties to or may visit Southern California and Mexico. He previously resided in Long Beach, California, and is believed to currently be living in Mexico. Flores is known to have ties to the Los Zetas cartel in Mexico. Flores should be considered armed and dangerous with violent tendencies.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the location of Jose Manuel Flores.

If you have any information concerning this case or the whereabouts of Flores, please contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565 or the Long Beach Police Department Homicide Detail at (562) 570-7244. You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. 

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison for using Instagram to advertise sexually explicit images of high school girls without their permission, to distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and to threaten victims who objected to his behavior.         

Alejandro Garcia Aranda, 23, of Sylmar, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr., who also ordered him to pay $45,000 total restitution to 15 victims. In sentencing Garcia Aranda, Judge Blumenfeld emphasized the “cruel,” “callous,” and “monstrous” nature of the offense.

Garcia Aranda pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of distribution of child pornography. He has been in federal custody since July 2024.

In April and May of 2020, Garcia Aranda used the Instagram handle “valleyhoezzz818” with the self-proclaimed goal of “[e]xposing all valley hoes with their @’s” to target local girls who attended schools in the San Fernando Valley.

Using Cash App, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle, Garcia Aranda received payments from customers who wanted to obtain sexually explicit content of the victims that he had advertised and offered to sell on the Instagram account. After receiving and confirming payment, using the Instagram account, Garcia Aranda then sent a direct message to customers and provided a link to a zip file containing the CSAM.

When victims discovered that sexually explicit materials depicting them were being advertised and disseminated by Garcia Aranda and requested that he stop and remove them, Garcia Aranda attempted to extract further additional sexually explicit material from them, including by threatening to post additional photographs.

Garcia Aranda admitted to knowingly distributing CSAM – three sexually explicit videos and one sexually explicit image involving children – in May 2020. Garcia Aranda further admitted to possessing more than 600 images of CSAM. 

The FBI investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Kathy Yu prosecuted this case.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A Long Beach man pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for his role in the March 2021 murder of a victim in Inglewood during a marijuana deal.   

Mateo Paul, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act) and one count of brandishing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Paul has been in custody since November 2023.

“This defendant’s recklessness led to a victim’s violent death and the prospect of a life sentence in federal prison,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “When local and federal law enforcement work together – as we did in this case – we can bring severe punishment for perpetrators of violent gun crime.”

According to his plea agreement, in March 2021, Paul and co-defendants Leandrew Raglin, 22, of Lancaster, and Iysis Elanore Smith, 22, of Inglewood, agreed to rob a marijuana dealer at gunpoint. They devised a plan to lure the dealer via a social media application to a meeting location, where they would ambush him at gunpoint and steal his marijuana.

On March 15, 2021, Smith approached the vehicle occupied by the victim. While Smith distracted the victim, Paul and Raglin parked behind the victim’s vehicle. Raglin then exited the vehicle Paul was driving, approached the passenger side of the victim’s car and opened fire, repeatedly wounding the victim in the passenger seat. Raglin then walked around to the driver’s side of the vehicle and opened fire, fatally wounding the victim in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, according to court documents.

Raglin’s brandishing and discharge of the firearm fell within the scope of Paul’s criminal agreement and could reasonably have been foreseen to be a necessary or natural consequence of the unlawful agreement, the plea agreement states.

United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled a June 27 sentencing hearing, at which time Paul will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

Raglin has pleaded not guilty to the charges in the indictment against him in this case and is scheduled to go to trial on May 19. The criminal charges against Smith are still pending. Both defendants face potential life sentences.

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

The FBI and the Inglewood Police Department investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Chelsea Norell of the Violent and Organized Crimes Section and Gregg E. Marmaro of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section are prosecuting this case.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy was found guilty by a jury today of using excessive force when he assaulted and pepper-sprayed a woman outside a supermarket in Lancaster in June 2023.

Trevor James Kirk, 32, of Santa Clarita, was found guilty of one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law. 

According to evidence presented at a three-day trial, on June 24, 2023, Kirk and another deputy were responding to a possible robbery at a WinCo Foods supermarket by a man and a woman. Kirk and the other deputy arrived on scene and handcuffed and detained a man matching the description of the male suspect, while the victim, identified in court documents as “J.H.” – who matched the description of the female suspect – recorded the deputies on her cellphone. While recording, J.H. told Kirk that he had a legal obligation to inform the man of the basis for his detention and that she was broadcasting his actions on social media.

Kirk then approached J.H. and, without giving any commands, attempted to grab her phone. J.H. turned away, at which point Kirk grabbed J.H. by her arm, hooked his left hand behind her neck, and violently threw her face first to the ground. While on the ground, Kirk yelled at J.H. to “get on the ground,” and she told him that “It’s already on YouTube Live,” implying her video of Kirk and the other deputy handcuffing D.B. had already been shared on social media.

Kirk then placed his knee on J.H.’s shoulder and, when J.H. yelled for Kirk to “stop,” Kirk cocked his right arm back with a clenched fist and said, “Stop or you’re gonna get punched in the face.” Kirk then pressed his knee into J.H.’s neck, and she said, “Get your neck [sic] off my… off my… I can’t breathe.” While on top of J.H., Kirk used his LASD radio to give a misleading report that he was in a “fight.”

Without giving any additional commands to J.H., Kirk pepper-sprayed her twice in the face. While Kirk pepper sprayed J.H., her hands were holding only prescription sunglasses and a cloth surgical mask. J.H. received medical attention for her injuries sustained from the pepper spray and from being thrown to the ground. J.H. was treated for blunt-force head trauma and injuries to her head, arms, and wrist. 

United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson scheduled an April 21, sentencing hearing, at which point Kirk will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

The FBI investigated this matter. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the investigation.

Assistant United States Attorneys Eli A. Alcaraz, Brian R. Faerstein and Michael J. Morse of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section prosecuted this case.

Source: US FBI

Romanian law enforcement officials conducted dozens of warrants this week in the Romanian counties of Brasov and Mures, following a parallel investigation with the FBI.

The search warrants targeted locations suspected to have ties to an organized crime group engaged in ATM skimming in the United States and money laundering.

During the operation, Romanian officials also detained several individuals for questioning and seized large amounts of cash, several vehicles, as well as skimming devices and associated instruments.

“This group profited handsomely by targeting vulnerable EBT recipients who rely on funds to support their families and callously deprived victims of their basic needs,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “This investigation is yet another example of FBI Agents working closely with our foreign partners to identify, disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal enterprises who enter the United States illegally for the sole purpose of conducting criminal activity.”

Today’s operation is the culmination of a two-year investigation conducted by the FBI and Romanian authorities to dismantle the command and control of the Dorneanu Organized Crime Group: a transnational criminal organization whose members conduct ATM skimming operations in the United States and then launder the profits back to Romania.

“These individuals targeted and stole from our community’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “Working together with our local, federal, and international partners, we can and will continue to root out and punish transnational criminal organizations and protect the less fortunate and American taxpayers.”

The subjects targeted in this investigation worked directly for, or were associated with, Mihai Dorneanu—the alleged leader of the Dorneanu Organized Crime Group. Five members of this organization were arrested by the FBI and convicted in the Central District of California with violations including conspiracy, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and visa fraud. Four others were arrested for state violations by local authorities in Ventura and San Bernardino Counties. As a result of ongoing efforts in this case to disrupt ATM skimmers in Southern California, law enforcement recovered over 8,500 stolen credit card numbers belonging to victims in the United States.

The five federal defendants include the following:

• Marius Oprea was sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Press Release
• Dan Eugen Boar was sentenced to four years in federal prison.
• Radu-Marian Moldovan was sentenced to time served in federal prison.
• Attila Ravasz was sentenced to one year and three months in federal prison.
• Andrei-Raul Cirilescu was sentenced to two years and four months in federal prison.

A statement announcing the operation was also issued by Romanian authorities (translation available upon visiting page).

The domestic investigation was conducted jointly by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office; the San Bernardino County Human Services Fraud Investigation Unit; the Diplomatic Security Service; the Los Angeles Police Department; and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. The federal defendants were prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.

The FBI’s foreign partners include the Brașov Brigade for Combatting Organized Crime; prosecutors with the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism—Brașov Territorial Service; and Europol.