Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - Two suspects were recently jailed in connection with the death of a man washed up and stuffed in a barrel in Malibu and the larger of the two has a local crime connection.
Dennis Eugene Vance, 41, and Joshua Lee Simmons, 37, were arrested October 3 and charged in the death of Javonnta Marshann Murphy. Murphy’s body was found stuffed in a metal barrel that washed up at Malibu Lagoon State Beach. Murphy died of a gunshot wound to his head. Simmons was infamously caught on cellphone video after being beat back by employees of a jewelry store during an attempted robbery September 2 in El Monte. Simmons was charged with murder, personal use of a firearm and criminal threats. For the El Monte incident, he was also charged with attempted robbery, criminal threats and personal use of bear spray. Vance was charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact in Murphy’s death. Simmons is being held in lieu of nearly $3.3 million bail ahead of a scheduled appearance in Los Angeles Municipal Court November 3. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A pedestrian was struck and killed by a Metrolink train Monday morning.
Authorities were alerted to the collision just before 11 a.m. Monday, May 1. The train struck the pedestrian between the Almonte and Baldwin Park stations, according to Jeanette Flores, assistant director of public affairs for Metrolink. The train, which was headed to Union Station in Los Angeles, struck the pedestrian in City of Industry, Flores told SGV CityWatch. Lines 321, 312 and 331 have been canceled, Flores told SGV CityWatch. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES – Four men are slated to appear in court this month on a one-count indictment in which they are accused of conspiring to launder proceeds of wire fraud that were stored on Target gift cards.
Chinese nationals Bowen Hu, a 26-year-old Hacienda Heights man, and Tairan Shi, a 27-year-old Diamond Bar man, were arrested September 28, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. U.S. citizen and 33-year-old El Monte man Blade Bai and Chinese national Yan Fu, a 58-year-old Chino Hills man, were previously issued a summons to appear in federal court after having been arrested November 17, 2020. Bai pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering having been named in a criminal information filing. All four men are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. “The indictment alleges that Bai, Hu and Shi obtained more than 5,000 gift cards from a group that called itself the “Magic Lamp” and sold gift card information via an online messenger application,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a written statement. Investigators estimate the four men laundered more than $2.5 million in gift cards from June 2019 to November 2020. The four men often targeted, no pun intended, older adults across the U.S. and induced them to purchase the gift cards based on various fraud schemes, including posing as government officials demanding the purchase of gift cards to resolve an issue; and tech support scams, in which victims pay a substantial amount through gift cards to fix a computer issue, or be granted account access, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Bai, Hu and Shi oversaw the distribution of the gift cards to “runners,” whom included Fu. The cards were used primarily on Los Angeles and Orange counties to buy electronics, more gift cards and other items, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Bai, Hu and Shi obtained gift card numbers from the Magic Lamp, often the same day the victims purchased the cards, and Fu travelled to up to 17 Target stores in a single day to buy the merchandise. Bai resold the merchandise and used some of the cash to pay the Magic Lamp, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “This case offers an important reminder to consumers that gift cards are for presents to friends and loved ones – they should never be used for payments to any government or corporate entity,” said Acting United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison in a written statement. “Don’t be fooled by callers claiming to be with a government agency, a bank or any other institution demanding that you purchase gift cards. There is no reason to purchase a gift card to resolve a problem with an account, your Social Security number or a supposed criminal case,” Wilkison added. All four men face a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted as charged. This case was investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. Countless other local agencies across the U.S. assisted with the investigation, including the Brea Police Department, Fontana Police Department and Gardena Police Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A man accused of stabbing to death his victim more than 40 times 43 years ago was charged Thursday.
Anthony Davis, 61, was charged with one count of murder in the death of a man at the Spic and Span Motel on or about January 7, 1978. The victim, 42-year-old Rudolfo Chavez was found by a motel employee, according to Greg Risling, assistant media chief with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. DNA evidence collected at the crime scene led back to Davis, Risling said in a written statement. Davis is ex pected to be arraigned in department and other Pomona superior court today, February 19. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office failed to state the possible sentence Davis could face in this crime if he is convicted. This case is being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - Two 500 kilovolt transmission lines in the Walnut area malfunctioned, causing 159,239 customers to lose power in the San Gabriel Valley early Sunday, a Southern California Edison spokesman said.
Some customers in Walnut, Covina, West Covina, La Puente, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, El Monte, the Whittier Narows area, Irwindale and Baldwin Park were affected by the outage that began at 6:47 a.m., according to Reggie Kumar, Southern California Edison spokesman. Customers in Carson were affected as well. Power was fully restored with the help of generators at 7:36 a.m., Kumar told SGV CityWatch. “Those transmission lines actually feed all the way to Bakersfield, so it was a very large loss,” Kumar told SGV CityWatch. The transmission lines are located in the City of Walnut. The cause is under investigation and repair work continues, Kumar told SGV CityWatch. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - More than 100 pounds of methamphetamine, 15 pounds of heroin and eight unregistered firearms were seized during a search warrant operation at two El Monte locations December 1. Two men were taken into custody during the operation and both were booked on suspicion of being felons in possession of loaded firearms and possessing narcotics for the purposes of sales, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The suspects are described as current gang members and ex-felons, according to Lt. David Auner of the Operation Safe Streets Bureau. Three of the eight weapons seized are described as assault rifles, Auner said in a December 3 news conference. Initially, the OSS investigation dealt with weapons offenses, but good timing allowed for the discovery of the narcotics. OSS detectives are in contact with the weapons manufacturers to trace where they were distributed to, Auner said. OSS credits the work of Sheriff’s gang detectives and community members for making the arrests and seizure of contraband possible. More arrests are anticipated.
“It was information provided by community members who have contact with our detectives. Many of those community members are crime victim families ... through those contacts, developed information about trying to reduce violent crime activity,” Auner said. Weapons include a 12-gauge shotgun, two M4 assault rifles, AK47, MAC-12, a .45-caliber 1911 semi-automatic pistol, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a 9mm assault pistol, Auner said. Auner declined to provide the names of both suspects, citing the ongoing investigation. The Operation Safe Streets Bureau works to investigate crimes committed by gangs in Los Angeles County, assists in gang suppression operations and works to discourage youth from engaging in gang activity. In 2020, OSS teams have arrested 461 suspects in violent crimes, have seized 305 firearms and have conducted 471 search warrant operations. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The suspect who hid away in Mexico until federal and Mexican authorities took him into custody faced arraignment on multiple murder charges Tuesday. Octavio Curiel Martinez, 38, was charged with one count each of murder, murder of a human fetus, attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited structure, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, three misdemeanor counts each of cruelty to a child by endangering health, two counts each of assault with a firearm, injuring a spouse and child abuse, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Martinez also faced the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders and allegations of using a handgun, Santiago said. Martinez is accused of shooting and killing estranged wife Ana Nuñez, 37, and their unborn child August 29, 2018 in their El Monte home. Martinez was extradited from Mexico to the U.S. January 3 and arrested by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies. Martinez, a Mexican national, was originally arrested by Mexican police on unrelated charges May 17, 2019 in Bolanos, Jalisco, Mexico -- right where investigators believed he fled. Nuñez’s family went to her El Monte home to check on her hours after Martinez allegedly fired upon, but failed to injure a family member. She was found with multiple gunshot wounds, investigators said. Nunez and her unborn child later died at a hospital. The coroner listed her cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds of the torso. The estranged couple share additional children who were not home when the shooting took place, investigators said. A state warrant was issued for Curiel-Martinez’s arrest September 5, 2018. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a federal arrest warrant March 15, 2019 and he was federally charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, the FBI said.
The arrest and extradition was the work of the Policía Federal Ministerial, Fiscalia General de la Republica, Instituto Nacional de Migracion, the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Mexico City, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives, the El Monte Police Department and the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. The extradition was handled by prosecutors with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs. “Curiel-Martinez’s extradition was sponsored by the U.S. government’s “Project Welcome Home,” which provides funding for the transportation of FBI fugitives to the United States, where the repatriation by the host country occurs through deportation or extradition,” the FBI said. A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of Curiel-Martinez, but it is unclear if anyone will claim the reward. If convicted as charged, Martinez faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The manner of death for a man found inside a vehicle in El Monte last week was revealed recently. Michael Meza, 27, died from a gunshot wound to the head. His death was ruled a homicide, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Meza was found dead inside a parked vehicle in the 11000 block of E. Lower Azusa Road just after 7:30 a.m. Friday, March 6. He was found in the driver seat. He was likely killed the same morning he was found, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3 Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The suspect who pleaded guilty to his part in a drug trafficking conspiracy and to money laundering was sentenced to a mere 63 months in prison. Mexican national Edgar Limon, 39, was also ordered to pay a $17,500 fine for his involvement in an international narcotics network that transported 21 pounds of pure methamphetamine across the border with Mexico on behalf of a group linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Limon, the last of 22 suspects named in a 19-count indictment, pleaded guilty July 17, 2019. He is one of nine that were taken into custody pursuant to the unsealed 2017 indictment and the last of those to be sentenced. The other eight received 135-month sentences. Five other suspects, including Limon’s brother and lead suspect Jeuri Limon Elenes, remain fugitives and may be hiding in Mexico, the DOJ said. The case was the result of a two-year wiretap investigation by the Los Angeles Strike Force, comprised of members from the FBI, DEA, IRS Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshal Service and the Azusa Police Department.
The scheme involved the import of hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin into the U.S. The drugs were distributed through a network of Sinaloa Cartel associates. The domestic revenue was funneled back to Mexico, the DOJ said. The drugs were stored in stash houses across the San Gabriel Valley. Limon was in charge of one of those locations. From June 2014 to April 2016, Limon and his fellow traffickers had an agreement to distribute and process with intent to distribute, methamphetamine in the LA area. Two of these stash houses where Limon hid drugs were in El Monte and Azusa. The latter served as a distribution point for methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, the DOJ said. The Los Angeles Strike Force seized 290 pounds of methamphetamine, 280 pounds of cocaine, 30 pounds of heroin, and 81 pounds of marijuana — a $6 million street value, the DOJ said. Limon and his fellow traffickers also conducted financial transactions in ways that concealed their illegal origins in drug trafficking, the DOJ said. Limon’s mother and cousin were charged and sentenced to 87 months in federal prison. The Los Angeles Strike Force was formed in 2014 to combat the use of the Los Angeles metro area as a hub for drug distribution across the US by Mexican cartels. The Strike Force seeks to target high-level traffickers, disrupt and dismantle drug distribution networks and money laundering activities and arrest and prosecute cartel leaders and operatives, the DOJ said. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The man found shot dead inside a vehicle in El Monte March 6. Michael Meza, 27, was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Meza was discovered dead inside a vehicle parked in the 11000 block of East Lower Azusa Road just after 7:30 a.m. Friday. Meza reportedly suffered from at least one gunshot wound, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
Investigators haven’t stated publicly if Meza died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, or if someone else pulled the trigger. A coroner exam has yet to be scheduled, according to public coroner records. Investigators believe the shooting occurred in the early morning hours March 6. Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Provide information anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3 Tips mobile app, or at lacrimestoppers.org. |
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