 Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor REGION - Three San Gabriel Valley residents and a resident of Nevada were arrested Wednesday, accused of organizing what is described as a massive, complex fraud and money laundering scheme targeting seniors. In all, five people are facing charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and criminal forfeiture, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. More than 2,000 seniors across the country were conned out of more than $27 million from 2021 through June of 2024, according to the DOJ. Arrested are:
Gong was the first to be arrested, taken into custody April 9 on state charges. “The indictment said conspirators contacted victims through unsolicited pop-up ads, emails and phone calls designed to get victims to contact scam call centers in India. The conspirators used social engineering techniques to build trust with victims. “In many cases, the conspirators had victims install remote desktop software that the conspirators used to gain remote access to victims’ computers. After building trust with a victim based on fraudulent pretenses, the conspirators used technical support, government impersonation, bank impersonation and/or refund scams to induce victims to send money to other members of the conspiracy, including the five defendants charged in the indictment,” according to the DOJ. The victims sent wire transfers or mailed cash in express packages to specific locations in Southern California, Nevada and elsewhere. Fake names were provided, along with addresses to retail locations, including CVS pharmacies, where the packages were then picked up using fake identification, according to the DOJ. The cash was then laundered through cryptocurrency transactions to co-conspirators based in India. Investigating agencies include the FBI, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, US Attorney’s Office, San Diego Police Department, San Diego Elder Justice Task Force, Chino Police Department, Coronado Police Department, Carlsbad Police Department, Escondido Police Department, Glendora Police Department, Long Beach Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor SANTA ANA - A certified nursing assistant was sentenced to life in prison January 13 for committing sex acts on several severely disabled children while filming them.
Steve Jackson Rodriguez, 38, a Pomona resident, previously pleaded guilty September 2022 to two counts of obtaining custody of a minor for purposes of producing child pornography, five counts of production of child pornography and one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to the Justice Department. Rodriguez was arrested August 21, 2021. Rodriguez committed what US District Judge John Holcomb called “unspeakable acts” from January 2016 to May 2020, producing images and videos with four children at an Inland Empire group home where he was employed at the time. Three of the children are severely disabled, according to the Justice Department. One of his victims was just 6 years old when he started the abuse. He began recording the acts two years later. A restitution hearing is scheduled for March 10. Rodriguez sent the explicit images and video to two of his co-workers. In a separate trial, Azusa man Cyr Dino Banguguilan, 36, and 23-year-old Baldwin Park man Miguel Bocardo were found guilty of one count each of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, according to the Justice Departmentl Both co-workers are scheduled for a February 24 sentencing and face anywhere from five to 20 years in federal prison, according to the Justice Department. The investigation was spearheaded by the Homeland Security Investigations as part of the Los Angeles Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assisting were the United States Postal Inspection Service, FBI, Baldwin Park Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Pomona Police Department and Burbank Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Scott M. Lara and Catharine A. Richmond of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A 21-year-old Glendora man arrested during the U.S. Capitol Breach more than one year ago and accused of destroying windowpanes was sentenced May 13.
Hunter Allen Ehmke was sentenced to four months in prison and 36 months of supervised release. He is also expected to pay $2,821 for destroying five window panes during the breach by protestors at the U.S. Capitol January 6, 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Ehmke was arrested January 13, 2021. He initially pleaded not guilty last year, but changes his plea to guilty January 4, 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Ehmke was part of a large crowd of fringe protestors who breached the Capitol during a joint session of Congress, which was ascertaining and counting electoral votes for the presidential election. Ehmke jumped onto a ledge outside of an office featuring multiple window panes. Ehmke used his right foot to shatter three lower window panes and smashed two more window panes with his right fist, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Investigating the case was the FBI Los Angeles Field Office and U.S. Capitol Police with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office and Glendora Police Department.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A federal grand jury indicted a 56-year-old Diamond Bar man who faces two counts of bias-motivated interference with federal protected activities.
Steve Lee Dominguez is accused of shouting racial epithets, driving through a crosswalk against a red light as protesters were crossing and allegedly performed an illegal U-turn to cut off the route of several protesters lawfully crossing the street, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The incident unfolded March 2021 at a Stop Asian Hate rally at Diamond Bar Boulevard and Grand Avenue. The demonstrators were carrying American flags and large signs in support of their cause and were crossing legally in a marked crosswalk, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Dominguez allegedly yelled, “Go back to China!” and other racial slurs at the demonstrators,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a written statement. “One of the victims was an Asian woman carrying a sign that read, “Stop Asian Hate.” Another victim was a minor Black female rally participant who carried a sign that read, “End the Violence Against Asians.” Another person who was cut off in the crosswalk was a 9-year-old child, and Dominguez’s car narrowly missed coming into contact with her and other victims, according to the indictment. No injuries were reported,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. After the confrontation, Dominguez allegedly stopped his vehicle down the road, exited and continue yelling racial epithets and called law enforcement on the protestors. He identified himself as “John Doe” and claimed protestors were blocking the street and he needed to run a red light because protestors were going to trample his car, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Dominguez was scheduled for arraignment May 12 at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. Dominguez faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted on the two counts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a written statement.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES – More than $1.3 million was bilked from Amazon by a third-party seller who will plead guilty to wire fraud charges.
During a filing Monday in U.S. District Court, Ting Hong Yeung, a 41-year-old Hacienda Heights man, was charged with wire fraud, accused of defrauding Amazon of $1.3 million. A plea agreement was also filed Monday in which Yeung will pay restitution, some of which will be paid in gold and silver bars seized from a search of his home, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Operating under the Amazon third-party names of “Speedy Checkout,” Special SaleS” and “California Red Trading Inc.,” Yeung advertised expensive merchandise, such as furniture and home décor at rock bottom prices to drive up sales. He then provided bogus tracking numbers to customers, continually delaying refunds to complaining customers long enough for Amazon to disburse funds into his business bank accounts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Yeung collected payment for items that were never shipped and relied on Amazon to issue refunds to his disgruntled customers under its “A-to-Z guarantee”,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a written statement. Occasionally, Yeung would ship customers cheap crystal ornaments to generate tracking numbers for customers while stalling customer complaints and demands for refunds. He also used Amazon’s messaging service to lie to customers that their products were being shipped, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Amazon disburses funds from purchases into a seller’s bank account every two weeks after the seller has provided proof of shipment, which is why Yeung continually delayed refunds. Occasionally, Yeung would also defraud Amazon by purchasing items on credit cards in the name of other people and false identities. Yeung would initiate returns after the goods were delivered to his customers, falsely claiming the items were “different from what was ordered.” He would then return lower-value items than what was ordered so he collected both the refund and proceeds of the original sale, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Yeung is expected to make an initial court appearance April 12. This case was investigated by the FBI.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - The FBI announced the arrest of a Russian man who, along with co-conspirators, sought to release malware at a Las Vegas company in an effort to extract sensitive data and extort ransom money.
Egor Igorevich Kruichkov, 27, was charged in a complaint with one count of conspiracy to intentionally cause damage to a protected computer. He was arrested August 22 at a Monrovia residence after FBI agents in Vegas learned of the suspect’s travel plans to Los Angeles, according to Laura Eimiller of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. He made an initial appearance in federal court August 24. U.S. Magistrate Judge Alexander F. MacKinnon ordered Kriuchkov detained pending trial. The criminal complaint alleges from July 15, 2020, to August 22 Kruichkov and his co-conspirators sought to hire an employee of the unnamed company to infect the company’s network to steal the data. “After the malware was introduced, Kriuchkov and his co-conspirators would extract data from the network and then threaten to make the information public, unless the company paid their ransom demand,” according to the Department of Justice in a written statement. After entering the US with his passport and tourist visa, Kruichkov spoke with the employee multiple times to discuss the conspiracy and promised the employee $1 million upon successful deployment of the malware, the Department of Justice said. Kruichkov drove from Reno Nevada to Los Angeles after being contacted by the FBI. He then asked an acquaintance to purchase an airline ticket for him to flee the country. “Agents located his vehicle at a residence in the city of Monrovia and he was taken into custody by agents with the assistance of officers with the Monrovia Police Department. Kriuchkov made an initial appearance in federal court on Monday and was remanded to federal custody pending trial,” Eimiller said.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A man was rescued in April, but two others weren’t so lucky in a kidnapping and ransom plot involving a former Colton resident and her boyfriend. Leslie Briana Matla, 20, and Juan Carlos Montoya Sanchez, 25, were arrested last week on a federal criminal complaint alleging the couple collected ransom money in a kidnapping conspiracy where US citizens were held captive in Mexico, according to the Justice Department. The criminal complaint charges Matla and Sanchez with one count of money laundering and conspiracy. On March 28, April 13 and April 22, three men – residents of San Diego, Norwalk and Pasadena – were kidnapped in Tijuana while on business or visiting family. A suspect using a Mexican telephone number called the victims’ families and were told to deposit ransom money at a specific location, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Matla, a current Mexican resident, Would venture into the US to pick up ransom payments placed by the kidnapped victims’ family members at locations chosen by her co-conspirators, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Mexican authorities found the San Diego victim’s body March 29 after the victim’s adult son placed a bag containing $25,000 inside the women’s restroom of a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro, The U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The Norwalk victim’s body was found in Mexico April 14 after the victim’s family tried, but failed to pay a $25,000 ransom to a woman whom law enforcement believes was Matla, at a Lowe’s parking lot in Norwalk, according to court documents. A Pasadena woman alerted authorities April 22 that her family member was being held captive in Mexico and that a suspect demanded a ransom of $20,000 be left in a Food 4 Less parking lot in Lynnwood. A pregnant woman was to pick up the cash.
The relative of the Pasadena woman was rescued that day from a Tijuana hotel - the same hotel where the two other victims met their fate, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Cell phone records helped authorities to discover that all three victims have been held at the same motel. Nine suspects were arrested at the hotel. US border crossing records, surveillance footage from the ransom drop off points and social media messages helped identify Matla. Sanchez also received Wire transfers from two of the kidnapping victims, according US Attorney’s Office said. Both suspects face a possible maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted as charged.  From left to Right: A Forensic sketch of the suspect identified as David, victim "Tony" Rouchen Liao and the minivan used in the kidnapping. PHOTOS/Courtesy of the FBI. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOJAVE - The remains of a man kidnapped by two Chinese nationals in San Gabriel were identified recently. Rouchen “Tony” Liao, 29, was identified by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office - Coroner Section. Liao’s remains were discovered by a hiker near Mojave in the area of Cache Creek Road and Highway 58 June 12. The manner of death is undetermined. Liao, a Santa Ana resident, was kidnapped July 16, 2018 in San Gabriel by three men and forced into a dark-colored Toyota Sienna minivan, which was followed by two suspects in a Range Rover SUV. The kidnapping occurred around 7:30 p.m. at San Gabriel Square, 140 W. Valley Blvd. Liao was possibly coaxed to the area on the premise of conducted a business deal, the FBI said. One of the three suspects was seen by witnesses to the kidnapping and was referred to as “David,” the FBI said. The U.S. Department of Justice announced in February 2019 that two Chinese nationals were indicted in Liao’s kidnapping.  From left to right: Peicheng Shen, 33, and Guangyao Yang, 25. PHOTOS/Courtesy of the FBI. Guangyao Yang, 25, and Peicheng Shen, 33, were charged with kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnap, attempted extortion in violation of the Hobbs Act and threat by foreign communication, the DOJ said. After Liao was kidnapped and taken to a Corona home, demands were made to deposit $2 million within three hours to several Chinese accounts. Lio’s father also received photos of his son physically retained in a closet: his arms bound behind him, his legs bound together and his eyes taped shut, investigators said. No more demands were made and nothing was ever heard from the captors again. Investigators learned Yang and Shen drove to the Mojave Desert to possibly dispose of Liao’s body two days after the kidnapping. An internet search connected to Yang revealed efforts to learn how fast a body decomposes in soil. Shen apparently had the closet where Liao was held re-carpeted, investigators said. Yang and Shen possibly fled to China. Anyone with information leading to the suspects is urged to call the FBI Los Angeles Field Office at 310-477-6565. |
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