MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – January 16, 2024

SAN DIEGO – Marquella Marshall and Marsha Delacruz were sentenced in federal court today to 180 months and 48 months in prison, respectively, for their parts in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy that operated in San Diego jails.

According to court records, Marshall, a Texas resident who previously lived in San Diego, is an Eastside San Diego street gang member and a “facilitator” and “secretary” for the Mexican Mafia. In that role she was tasked by high-ranking Mexican Mafia members to communicate on their behalf, collect and launder money, handle drug transactions, and direct street operations on the Mafia’s behalf.  

At today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Larry Alan Burns described Marshall as “a conduit” for the Mexican Mafia and further described the distribution conspiracy as “an assault on the integrity of the prison system.”

U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said: “Drug smuggling and use in prisons result in overdose, violence, and power struggles. These significant sentences are a strike against the prison drug culture which puts guards and staff at risk and exists in large part because of dangerous gangs like the Mexican Mafia.”

“Our focus is and always will be on protecting our communities from violent gang activity and the distribution of dangerous narcotics,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge John Kim.  “This was a collective effort, and we thank our partners that make up the Violent Crime Task Force – Gang Group for their coordination in disrupting the illegal activities of the Mexican Mafia and ensuring Marshall and Delacruz suffer the consequences of their actions.”

Delacruz, of Lemon Grove, who also is an Eastside San Diego street gang member, worked at the direction of Marshall. As part of the conspiracy, Marshall, Delacruz, and others mailed methamphetamine to various locations, including jails and prisons in Southern California. Marshall and Delacruz disguised some of the narcotics-laden packages as legal mail to avoid detection by law enforcement and prison/jail officials.

Marshall, Delacruz, and several other Mexican Mafia associates were apprehended after an investigation by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force – Gang Group.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 23-cr-00373-LAB                                        

Marquella Marshall                                      Age: 41                       Houston, TX

Marsha Delacruz                                            Age: 47                     Lemon Grove, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute of Methamphetamine – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 846 and 841(a)(1)

Maximum penalty: Life in prison, with a mandatory minimum of ten years (Marshall only), and $10 million fine

AGENCY

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Violent Crimes Task Force – Gang Group (VCTF-GG), which included investigators from the following agencies:

• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• San Diego Police Department
• Homeland Security Investigations
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
• California Department of Corrections
• San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
• Chula Vista Police Department
• National City Police Department
• Bureau of Prisons
• U.S. Postal Inspection Service
• San Diego District Attorney’s Office Investigations

Source: US FBI

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 14, 2023

SAN DIEGO – Ruben Ricardo Rodriguez pleaded guilty in federal court today to aiming a laser at a San Diego Sheriff’s helicopter.

According to admissions in his plea agreement, on June 12, 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) control tower at San Diego International Airport received multiple reports of a green laser striking commercial aircraft while they were landing. The FAA notified the San Diego Sheriff’s helicopter ASTREA of the laser strikes and gave the approximate location of the origin of the laser near National City, CA.

ASTREA, an acronym for Aerial Support To Regional Enforcement Agencies, the air support unit of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, responded to the area and was struck in the cockpit by a green laser. The entire helicopter illuminated green in the sky. Video captured Rodriguez walking around a house while pointing the laser at the ground and across the street. Rodriguez then looked at ASTREA and aimed the laser at it again. The pilot said the laser strike created a bright dazzling effect on the aircraft’s glass. The laser struck the other deputy onboard in the eyes.

“Laser pointers are not toys, and aiming them at aircraft is a crime, not a prank,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Pilots could be blinded or incapacitated, causing deadly accidents.”

“Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a serious criminal act and can have potentially deadly consequences,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Jamie Arnold. “The FBI and its partner agencies take allegations of interfering with the operation of an aircraft seriously and encourage anyone with information about such incidents or if they see someone pointing a laser at an aircraft to report it to the FBI.”

Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2024, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Cynthia A. Bashant.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jaclyn Stahl, Edward Chang, and Shivanjali Sewak.

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 23-CR-1467-BAS                              

Ruben Ricardo Rodriguez                                          Age: 33                                   Logan, UT

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft – 18 U.S.C. § 39A

Maximum penalty: Five years in custody and a $250,000 fine

AGENCY

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Source: US FBI

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 6, 2023

SAN DIEGO – Three indictments were unsealed in the Southern District of California today charging 29 individuals with international drug trafficking offenses.

The unsealing of the indictments comes at the same time that the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against nine of the defendants for their ties to the Beltran Leyva Organization, a violent, Mexico-based group involved in trafficking drugs to the United States for over two decades. Please see https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1952

“These indictments have neutralized dozens of alleged maritime traffickers and prevented addictive, harmful, and increasingly often deadly drugs from reaching American shores and streets,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Cases like this are critical for disrupting, disabling, and dismantling the sinister and deadly operations of foreign drug trafficking organizations in the United States.”

“Today’s announcement sends a clear message that Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners will use all available measures to investigate and dismantle transnational criminal organizations (TCO) responsible for the smuggling, transportation, and distribution of narcotics and illicit proceeds – wherever they attempt to operate” said Chad Plantz, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “HSI San Diego’s sophisticated and global investigation demonstrates law enforcement’s commitment to disrupting this TCOs criminal activities. We, along with our law enforcement partners, are committed to protecting the United States’ financial infrastructure from bad actors.”

Five related indictments were also unsealed today in the District of Columbia, Central District of California and Northern District of Illinois charging an additional 31 Mexican and foreign nationals with international heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana trafficking, bringing the total to 60 charged. Please see Office of Public Affairs | Sixty Foreign Nationals Charged with International Drug Trafficking | United States Department of Justice

“The eight indictments unsealed today charging 60 defendants are the latest installments in the Justice Department’s relentless pursuit of drug trafficking organizations that smuggle illicit narcotics into the United States,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Together with our partners — across the U.S. government and around the world — we will use every tool at our disposal and target every link in the supply chain to dismantle the organizations that flood our communities with deadly narcotics.”

In San Diego, one indictment returned in September 2019, 19CR3736-GPC, charges Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, Servando Lopez Lopez, and another individual with conspiring to distribute cocaine knowing it would be imported into the United States and a maritime drug conspiracy.

A second indictment returned in April 2023, 23CR0621-BAS, charges Juan Pablo Bastidas Erenas, Bogar Soto Rodriguez, Juvenal Leon Rodriguez, Mario German Beltran Araujo, Ulises Franco Figueroa, Oscar Aleman Meza, and 17 others with the same offenses.

The third indictment returned in April 2023, 23CR0699-GPC, charges Josue De Jesus Estrada Gutierrez, and two others with conspiring to import cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.

OFAC announced sanctions against Iribe, Lopez, Erenas, Soto Rodriguez (under the name Ricardo Estevez Colmenares), Leon Rodriguez, Araujo, Figueroa, Meza, and Gutierrez (under the name Jose De Jesus Estrada Gutierrez) on the same date the indictments were unsealed.

One defendant, Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, aka Salgado and Musico, 49, is indicted in the Southern District of California , the District of Columbia and the Northern District of Illinois. As alleged in court documents, Gastelum Iribe coordinated deliveries of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and heroin into the United States and deliveries of millions of dollars of cash narcotics proceeds from customers in the United States for the Beltran Leyva Organization.

This case is supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF).

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua C. Mellor and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison B. Murray. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 19cr3736-GPC                                       

Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe              *All Defendants are from Mexico

   aka “El Musico,”

   aka “Salgado,”

Servando Lopez Lopez

   aka “El Huevo,”

Jose Fernando Zambada Ley

   aka “El Chino”

Case Number 23cr-0621-GPC_

Juan Pablo Bastidas Erenas,

   aka “Payo,”

Ugan Lopez Beltran,

   aka “Kiwuas,”

   aka “Prada,”

Bogar Soto Rodriguez,

   aka “Loco,”

   aka “Tio,”

Juvenal Leon Rodriguez,

   aka “Gallo,”

Arnoldo Villa Sanchez,

   aka “Arnol,”

Mario German Beltran Araujo,

   aka “El Ninon,”

Jose Roberto

     Navarrete Mendoza,

   aka “Mono,”

Cesar Homero

      Magallanes Gonzalez,

   aka “Chayo,”

Ulises Franco Figueroa,

   aka “Charco,”

Elvis Villatoro De La Cruz,

   aka “Yogurt,”

Jesus Alonso Zamora Roman,

   aka “Sobrino,”

Luis Antonio Espeleta Esparza,

   aka “Negro Trailero,”

Jose Misael Macedo Alvarez,

Jose Francisco Osuna Osorio,

   aka “Gabino,”

Eduardo Adalberto Sustaita Castaneda,

   aka “Susto,”

Carlos Antonio

      Pacheco Castaneda,

Jesus Sergio

      Santiago Gonzalez,

   aka “Zucaritas,”

Oscar Aleman Meza,

Lorenzo Mendez Sanchez,

   aka “Lencho,”

Juan Manuel Hernandez Soto,

   aka “Piki,”

   aka “Guero,”

Pedro Rodriguez Moreno,

Francisco Ramon

     Pelaez Luengas,

   aka “Wawis,”

Eduardo Gabriel Ibarra Mone

Case Number 23cr-0699-GPC_

Josue De Jesus

      Estrada Gutierrez,

  aka “Barbas,”

  aka “Barbon,”

Brayan Carrizoza Arredondo,

Alejo Lopez Perez,

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

International Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 959, 960 and 963

Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel – Title 46, U.S.C., Secs. 70503 and 70506(b)

Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 952, 960 and 963

Maximum penalty: Life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum; $10 million fine

AGENCY

Homeland Security Investigations

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Drug Enforcement Administration

Coast Guard Investigative Service

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: US FBI

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Shasta Lea Schnittker, 42, of Montague, was sentenced Aug. 26 by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to eight years and one month in prison for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Feb. 22, 2022, Schnittker possessed 1,142 images and 110 videos of child sexual abuse material, or child pornography, on her computer. The child sexual abuse material included depictions of minors and toddlers involved in sexually explicit conduct and of sadistic and masochistic abuse. Law enforcement also found a video depicting Schnittker, which she had recorded, wherein she held up a flash drive and said, “This is where I keep all my CP.” In the self-recorded video, Schnittker then used the flash drive to play a video of child pornography.

This case was the product of an investigation by the FBI, with assistance from the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, and the Siskiyou County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily G. Sauvageau and Denise Yasinow prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

Source: US FBI

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 32-count indictment against Maria Dickerson, aka Dulce Pino, 47, of Sacramento, charging her with 24 counts of wire fraud, one count of securities fraud, and seven counts of money laundering, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed following her arrest.

According to the indictment, from 2020 through 2024, Dickerson created an investment scheme, selling interest in her illusory shell company, Creative Legal Fundings of California, to investors. Dickerson promised investors that their investments were safe and secure and backed by substantial starting capital. Dickerson promised approximately 140 investors a fixed percent of return per month on their principal investment with additional compounding monthly interest if they left their money invested with her. In reality, Dickerson used new investor money to pay off prior investors, to fund a lavish lifestyle, and to purchase Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a home in Sacramento. Dickerson did not register the sale of her securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Dickerson took money from investors and collected millions of dollars in investment funds solicited with her false promises and representations.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Alabama Securities Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristin F. Scott and Rosanne L. Rust are prosecuting the case.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is filing a parallel action against Dickerson. The Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency of the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation previously filed a Desist and Refrain Order against Dickerson.

If convicted, Dickerson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of wire fraud. Additionally, she faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count of money laundering. On the securities fraud charge, Dickerson faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Source: US FBI

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Brent Hooton, 51, of Marysville, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 27 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in May 2021 Hooton produced three images of a severely autistic child who was under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Hooton shared these images on Kik Messenger with an undercover FBI agent. When Hooton’s phone was searched pursuant to a warrant, agents discovered that in May 2021, Hooton distributed sexually explicit images of the child victim to at least six other users on Kik. Further, in this timeframe, Hooton distributed on Kik at least four images of other children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Audrey B. Hemesath and Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

Source: US FBI

FRESNO, Calif. — James Patrick Breedlove III, 34, formerly of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to 20 years and 10 months in prison to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release for sexual exploitation of a minor, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between January 2019 and August 2020, Breedlove knowingly coerced minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing images and videos of such conduct. In January 2020, Breedlove posed as a 16-year-old to obtain images and videos of a minor victim engaging in sexually explicit conduct. After receiving one such image, Breedlove threatened to send it to other children at the minor victim’s school if she did not send more images and videos of herself engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Court documents also indicate that Breedlove used Snapchat to contact multiple other minor victims between the ages of 13 and 17 years old. By misrepresenting his identity and threatening to distribute the images, Breedlove coerced other minor victims to send images and videos of themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

Source: US FBI

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Euan David MacGregor, formerly known as David Joseph Bean, 54, of Iowa City, Iowa, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of wire fraud for defrauding his former employer out of more than $3.2 million, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between November 2014 and January 2020, Euan MacGregor, then known as David Bean, used his position as a Chief Administrative Officer to embezzle money from his employer.

According to court documents, MacGregor defrauded his former employer in two ways. First, he diverted at least 122 checks made payable to his employer to bank accounts that he controlled. MacGregor did this by creating a shell corporation that had a business name similar to the name of his employer and depositing the checks into bank accounts that he opened in the name of the shell corporation. MacGregor then presented false financial information to the company’s president and shareholders causing them to believe they had received the monies he diverted. In addition, MacGregor falsely represented to his employer that he was outsourcing his employer’s bookkeeping work to a third party, a company named Essential Business Services, another company that MacGregor created and controlled. MacGregor’s false representations caused his employer to pay Essential Business Services thousands of dollars each month for bookkeeping services that it did not perform. MacGregor used the money he fraudulently obtained to pay for personal expenses for him and his family, including mortgage payments, the payment of credit cards, educational expenses, travel, and the purchase of vehicles.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelley D. Weger is prosecuting the case.

MacGregor is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on Jan. 28, 2025. MacGregor faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – An Illinois woman was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison for conspiring to unlawfully export to Russia defense articles – including thermal imaging riflescopes and night-vision goggles – without a license in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.

Elena Shifrin, 62, of Mundelein, Illinois, was sentenced by United States District Judge André Birotte Jr.

Shifrin pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act.

According to court documents, from 2017 to 2020, Shifrin participated in the export of more than 60 defense articles from the United States to Russia without obtaining from the State Department a valid license or other approval for such exports. 

As Shifrin admitted at her change of plea hearing, Shifrin’s co-conspirators purchased the defense articles – including thermal riflescopes, weapons sights, monoculars and night-vision googles – from online sellers in the United States and directed the sellers to mail those items to Shifrin or other co-conspirators in Illinois and California. After receiving the items, Shifrin mailed them to co-conspirators in Russia without obtaining the required licenses.

To conceal her unlawful activities, when Shifrin exported the defense articles to Russia, she listed fictitious sender names and addresses on the packages containing the defense articles, falsely identified the items in the packages as non-export-controlled items such as clothing, and concealed the defense articles in other items such as toolkits and kitchen appliances.

One of Shifrin’s co-conspirators, Igor Panchernikov, 43, a former Corona resident who once served in the United States Air Force Reserves, pleaded guilty in March 2023 to one count of conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and was sentenced in June 2023 to 27 months in federal prison.

Two other defendants charged in this case – Boris Polosin, of Russia, and Vladimir Gohman, of Israel – are fugitives. Charges against another defendant – Vladimir Pridacha, 59, of Volo, Illinois, were dismissed on January 19 at the request of prosecutors.

The FBI’s Los Angeles and Chicago field offices investigated this matter, with substantial assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant United States Attorneys David T. Ryan of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, and Wilson Park of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case. The Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division is providing substantial assistance.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – Four defendants from Los Angeles County were arrested today on a nine-count indictment charging them with committing armed robberies of several businesses – mostly 7-Eleven stores in South Los Angeles – during a nearly two-month crime spree late last year in which they allegedly posted photographs on Instagram of themselves holding stolen cash.

The indictment, returned July 10 and unsealed today, charges the following defendants with one count of conspiracy to interference with commerce by robbery and one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act):

• Charles Christopher, 24, of Compton;
• D’Angelo Spencer, 26, of South Los Angeles;
• Jordan Leonard, 25, of Torrance; and
• Tazjar Rouse, 22, of Hollywood.

The defendants also have been charged with various counts of Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Christopher and Leonard were arraigned today in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles and were ordered jailed without bond. They pleaded not guilty to the charges against them and a September 17 trial was scheduled. Rouse made his initial appearance today in federal court in Kansas City, Missouri. Spencer is expected to be arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles tomorrow.

“Violent gun crime leaves lasting emotional and psychological scars for victims,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Anyone thinking that violent robberies are a good way to make money should take note that there will be consequences for your actions.”

According to the indictment, from November 4, 2023, to December 24, 2023, the defendants committed a series of armed robberies, mostly of 7-Eleven stores in South Los Angeles. One victimized store was a CVS in Hollywood. The defendants traveled to the targeted stores in a BMW, jumped over the counters, took money from the stores’ cash registers, and placed the money into a black Nike bag. One of the defendants – usually either Christopher or Leonard – allegedly pointed a firearm at a store employee or customer and demand either their cellphone or their wallet.

On November 28, 2023, following the robbery of a 7-Eleven store in South Los Angeles earlier that day, Leonard posted a photograph on Instagram with stacks of cash, captioned his post “love my bros we go hit every time,” and tagged the Instagram accounts of Christopher and Spencer, the indictment alleges.

In total, the defendants allegedly netted approximately $7,617 in cash during the crime spree.

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

If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each Hobbs Act-related count and – for each firearm brandishing count – a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

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 and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Mirelle N. Raza of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.