Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES – Investigators identified the partially-decomposed body found along Glendora Mountain Road from mid-August.

The remains belonged to 51-year-old Miguel King. He died from a gunshot wound to the head. His death is listed as a homicide, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.

King’s body was discovered along Glendora Mountain Road near mile marker 1 about 15 feet off the roadway August 14, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department radio traffic.

King was initially listed as DOE #14 until coroner investigators were able to identify the body.

The body discovered in the mountains is likely the same Miguel King, also age 51, who was listed as a missing person by Sheriff’s detectives.

Miguel Angel King was last seen by his family at his Los Angeles home in the 12300 block of Spring Street July 20. He reportedly did not have a history of going missing, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The niece of Miguel Angel King started a gofundme page to raise funeral expenses for her uncle.

The missing King’s white Toyota hatchback was found abandoned and parked at an Inglewood apartment complex in the 100 block of West Queen Street around 1 p.m. July 24, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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.