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 LOS ANGELES – A San Marino man who was recorded while accelerating towards a crowd of protestors in Old Town Pasadena May 31 last year pleaded guilty to 11 felony weapons charges, prosecutors said Thursday.
Benjamin Jong Ren Hung, 28, entered into a plea agreement filed April 29 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy, transporting and receiving firearms across state lines, making false statements during purchases of firearms, possession of unregistered firearms and illegally transporting firearms across state lines to California, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Hung admitted to making false statements to gun dealers in the state of Washington when purchasing four rifles and a shotgun in March 2020, falsely claiming he was a Washington resident. “The firearms dealers were not legally permitted to sell firearms to California residents,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Hung also admitted to taking part in a multi-year conspiracy in making false statements to arms dealers in Oregon to illegally transport weapons to California. He paid a co-conspirator to purchase handguns for him and had the co-conspirator claim he was Hung. The weapons were then delivered by the co-conspirator to Hung. This elaborate scheme was concocted to elude California’s strict gun laws, Hung stated in the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Hung also admitted to illegally possessing three unregistered short-barreled semiautomatic rifles, which were seized from his Lodi home in September 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. In his plea agreement, Hung admitted to taking a Glock 26 9mm handgun to a George Floyd protest May 31, 2020, where he used his customized Dodge pickup truck to antagonize protesters. Hung accelerated towards the intersection, sounded the truck’s train horn he had installed, briefly stopped, then continued through the intersection, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. As Hung fled, his truck left a large cloud of exhaust, an act sometimes referred to as “coal rolling,” Hung was found and arrested by Pasadena Police. A date for Hung to appear in court to formally enter the guilty pleas has not yet been set. This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force, FBI civil rights squads and the Pasadena Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor VERNON - Investigators helped recover a stolen military Humvee that was taken from a National Guard Armory in Bell.
A community tip overnight, in addition to information developed by the FBI, helped lead to the abandoned $120,000 Humvee found under a freeway overpass near South Downey Road and Bandini Boulevard in Vernon January 20, according to Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “The vehicle was processed for evidence by our Evidence Response Team and returned to the custody of the military,” Eimiller told SGV CityWatch. The FBI, Los Angeles Police Major Crimea Task Force and military police arrived to the scene around 6 a.m., according to Vernon Police radio traffic. The Humvee was reported stolen January 15 from the armory around 8:15 a.m. The vehicle was upgraded to combat-ready and had received upgrades, the FBI said. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person, or group responsible for the theft. Anyone who can help identify the suspect is urged to call 310-477-6565. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A military Humvee considered upgraded to combat-ready was reported stolen Friday, the FBI said.
The $120,000 vehicle was stolen around 8:15 a.m. from the National Guard Armory in Bell January 15. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the Humvee’s recovery, according to the FBI. “The vehicle has four doors and is green camouflage in color. The bumper number is #40BSBHQ6; the Administrative # is WV57TO-HQ06/M1165A1; and the registration number is NZ311R. The Battalion number, 40TH BSB, can also be seen on the vehicle,” according to the FBI in a written statement. A theft from a military facility - government property - violates federal law and carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, according to the FBI. Anyone with information leading to the Humvee’s recovery is urged to call the FBI Los Angeles Field Office at 323-477-6565. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Investigators believe the man who robbed a Glendora Chase Bank January 8 is the same man who robbed a bank in Victorville November 24.
Investigators have dubbed the suspect as the “Cartel Bandit.” In one or both bank robberies, the suspect passed a note to a bank teller. In the note, the suspect demanded cash and detailed how the Mexican cartel would exact revenge if police are called. The Glendora robbery occurred at the Chase Bank, 1905 E. Route 66. Police responded to the bank at 4:30 p.m., according to Lt. Marty Barrett of the Glendora Police Department. In the Glendora robbery a gun was threatened, according to Laura Eimiller from FBI Media Relations. She noted that no weapon was actually seen. It was not specified if the suspect fled with any money. The suspect is still at-large. Anyone with information on the robbery suspect is urged to call the FBI at 310-477-6565. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - One of the suspects accused of helping to kidnap a Santa Ana business owner who wound up dead after his father was extorted of $2 million pleaded guilty today.
28-year-old Anthony Valladares pleaded to a single-count of conspiracy to kidnap. In his plea deal, he admitted to conspiring with Chinese nationals and an Azusa man to violently abduct Ruochen “Tony” Liao from a San Gabriel parking lot July 16, 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Valladares admitted to obtaining a gun, ammunition and a stun gun used in the kidnapping and beating. Valladares previously admitted to being paid $1,000 for the job. Liao’s skeletized remains were eventually discovered by a hiker June 12, 2019 near Mojave in the area of Cache Creek Road and Highway 58. The manner of death is undetermined, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office - Coroner Section. Liao met with 34-year-old suspect Peicheng Shen, who used an alias at the time of the meeting. The latter lured Liao into a trap, promising him to help collect a debt from another person, according to Valladares’ plea agreement. Liao was kidnapped in San Gabriel during a third meeting with Shen. He was lured to a minivan where Valladares was hiding. Valladares was the hired muscle used to intimidate, subdue and beat Liao who was driven away by Azusa man Alexis Ivan Romero Velez, 24. “Liao entered the minivan and spoke in Chinese with Shen, who used a specific word to signal Valladares to begin attacking the victim. Once Shen uttered the word, Valladares and Shen violently assaulted Liao, used a taser to subdue him, and ultimately bound and restrained him with a black hood and ties,” according to the plea agreement. Velez was recruited by Valladares, court papers stated. Once taken to Rosemead, Liao was then transported in another vehicle by Shen and Guangyao Yang, 27, to a home in Corona where Liao was stuffed in a closet. His legs were bound, his eyes taped shut and his arms restrained behind him, court papers stated. Liao’s father received a ransom demand for $2 million one day after the kidnapping. The father received “proof of life” images of his son bound and restrained in the closet, court papers stated. Liao died while restrained in Corona by Shen and Yang. Valladares was apparently not present, court papers stated. Investigators believe Liao died July 17, 2018. The Following day, his body was likely disposed of. Investigators found their way to the Corona home. The closet where Liao was held captive received new carpeting. Internet searches conducted by Yang sought information on how long a human body decomposes in soil, court papers stated. Shen and Yang fled to China, but were eventually captured and are still being held by Chinese authorities on charges related to the case. Shen and Yang were charged with kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnap, attempted extortion in violation of the Hobbs Act and threat by foreign communication, investigators said. Romero Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to kidnapping. He is scheduled to be sentenced February 4, 2021. Valladares is scheduled for a February 18, 2021 hearing and may face a maximum statutory sentence of life in federal prison. The prosecution and defense agreed that a sentence of 12 years, but no more than 25 is an appropriate sentence. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A man accused of driving a truck through a protest in Pasadena May 31 was found with an illegally-obtained weapon, part of a cache of weapons believed to be amassed for acts of civil disorder.
Benjamin Jong Ren Hung, 28, was charged with one count of conspiracy to transport firearms across state lines and to make a false statement in acquisition of firearms. Prosecutors allege Hung, a San Marino resident, acquired a cache of four weapons purchased in Oregon and then transported across the state line into California, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint against Hung. A friend of Hung purchased one handgun in Oregon and allegedly falsely stated that he was the transferee of the weapon, rather than Hung. The weapon was transported to California and kept in Hung’s home prior to the May 31 protest, the affidavit stated. In March, Hung allegedly purchased three additional handguns himself in Oregon and transported them to California. “[Hung] also allegedly amassed other firearms and tactical equipment from suppliers throughout the United States and used his family’s vineyard in Lodi, California as a training camp to prepare to engage in civil disorders,” the affidavit stated. Hung was arrested after attempting to drive through protestors on a street in Old Town Pasadena May 31. Protesters scattered as a truck approached. No one was injured. Pasadena Police searched Hung’s truck and found a loaded semiautomatic handgun, multiple high-capacity magazines loaded with ammunition, an 18-inch machete, $3,200 in cash, a long metal pipe and a megaphone,” the affidavit stated. If convicted as charged, Hung could face a statutory maximum of five years in federal prison, authorities said. This incident was investigated by the FBI’s Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force and Civil Rights squads and the Pasadena Police Department. Hung was ordered detained at an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Wednesday. He is scheduled for bail status hearing September 28. He is scheduled to be arraigned October 15. 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 – Federal investigators announced the arrest of a Pasadena man and a recent Azusa resident for their alleged involvement in a ransom plot that ended with the victim being buried in the desert after being beaten to death.
Pasadena man Anthony Valladares, 28, and Alexis Ivan Romero Velez, 24, a recent Azusa resident, were arrested July 14 with the execution of search warrants by the FBI and the San Gabriel Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the US Attorney’s Office said. Prosecutors allege Valladares was the hired muscle used to subdue, intimidate and beat Rouchen “Tony” Liao, 29. Velez was the driver, according to an affidavit. “According to the affidavit, Valladares admitted that he was hired to assist in the kidnapping, agreed to accept $1,000 for the job, and restrained Liao during the kidnapping. Romero admitted, according to the affidavit, that he was recruited by Valladares and was the driver during the kidnapping,” according to the Department of Justice in a written statement. Valladares and Velez allegedly worked with two Chinese nationals who fled the country after the killing. Guangyao Yang, 26, and Peicheng Shen, 34, were charged with kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnap, attempted extortion in violation of the Hobbs Act and threat by foreign communication, investigators said. Yang and Shen, who last lived in West Covina before they fled, were captured and are being held by Chinese authorities. 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. After Liao was kidnapped and taken to a Corona home, demands were made to deposit $2 million within three hours to several Chinese accounts. Liao’s father also received “proof-of-life” 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 believe Liao died July 17, 2018. The Following day, Yang and Shen allegedly drove to the Mojave Desert to dispose of Liao’s body. 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. Liao’s remains were discovered by a hiker June 12, 2019 near Mojave in the area of Cache Creek Road and Highway 58. The manner of death is undetermined. Liao’s remains were identified by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office - Coroner Section. The kidnapping charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of life in federal prison. 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. |
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