Law Enforcement

LOS ANGELES—California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the takedown of a drug-trafficking organization believed to be responsible for stealing the identities of local doctors to write false prescriptions for more than 11,000 pills of highly addictive drugs like Oxycontin and Vicodin.

“Prescription drug fraud is becoming a street crime problem and is growing more and more prevalent in California,” Attorney General Brown said. “What we’re finding now is that it’s no longer individual addicts obtaining a few prescription drugs; there are dangerous criminals running these underground organizations.”

In August 2007, special agents with the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE) teamed up with the Simi Valley Police Department to investigate Ricky Washington, known to police for his violent history, gang-affiliation, and previous-drug trafficking arrests. The 12-month investigation revealed that Ricky Washington and associates had stolen the identities of eight doctors, which they used to illegally write prescriptions. The drug-trafficking group also stole the identities of dozens of innocent citizens, designating them as “patients” in order to fill the fraudulent prescriptions. The drug ring obtained thousands of Oxycontin pills, as well as other dangerously addictive prescription drugs like Vicodin.

Agents served multiple arrest warrants and two search warrants at residences in Palmdale. Members of the drug ring arrested today included Josalyn Morales, Beverly Carter, Richard West, Danesha Bentley, Natassha Diaz, Phylicia Mitchell and the group’s leader, Ricky Washington. Law enforcement officials seized evidence that the drug ring was planning to steal the identities of even more doctors and other individuals. The charges include:
• Transportation of a controlled substance
• Possession for sale of controlled substance
• Obtaining a controlled substance by fraud
• Conspiracy on all above listed charges.

As demand increases for prescription drugs, illegal prescription-drug markets are luring violent, organized crime members. California is at the forefront of developing technology that makes it more difficult for criminals, like Washington, to operate prescription-drug rings. The California Department of Justice, in coordination with the Bob and Alana Pack Foundation, has created a new, real-time, prescription drug database. The database tracks information about all prescription drugs dispensed in California and is a powerful tool for law enforcement to combat prescription-drug trafficking.

According to the latest Department of Justice “Drug Trends” report, Valium, Vicodin, and Oxycontin are the most prevalent pharmaceutical drugs obtained fraudulently. Vicodin and Oxycontin are the two most abused pharmaceutical drugs in the United States.

SAN FRANCISCO– California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today filed a motion in federal court to oppose Federal Receiver Clark Kelso’s motion to hold California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Controller John Chiang in contempt for failing to release $8 billion in state funds for a massive prison healthcare facilities construction project.

“Last year, the Legislature approved $7.4 billion in prison construction funds. That money hasn’t even been spent yet, and the Receiver wants $8 billion more,” said Attorney General Brown. “We simply can’t afford to keep throwing billions of dollars of public money into our state correctional system under the veil of secrecy. Once we spend the billions already allocated to improving healthcare in our prisons, then we can determine if more is needed.”

In August, Federal Prison Receiver Clark Kelso filed a motion compelling Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Controller John Chiang to hand over an additional $8 billion from the California Treasury over the next 5 years, including $3 billion in this fiscal year, for prison healthcare facility construction. Attorney General Brown argues that the federal court does not have the legal power to mandate state prison construction and there is no evidence in the record justifying the massive sums sought by the Receiver.

The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), approved by Congress in 1996, makes clear that a court may not force a state to pay for prison construction without its consent. The Receiver’s $8 billion demand includes construction of new prison healthcare facilities containing 10,000 new beds for prisoners with acute and long-term health needs. While California has acknowledged the need to provide constitutionally adequate healthcare, the Receiver has not presented convincing evidence that his wide-ranging plan is “necessary and the least-intrusive” plan required by the U.S. Constitution.

The Receiver has refused to disclose his plan to the public, but according to the Receiver’s motion, “the Facility Improvement project will touch virtually every prison in the state” and “will result in the construction of 7 million square feet of new medical facilities—the equivalent of 70 Wal-Mart stores…”

The $8 billion demand is an enormous increase in state spending for prisons. California built 22 new prisons in 23 years, and prison spending topped almost $10 billion in the 2007-2008 state budget. Last year, the California Legislature authorized $7.4 billion for prison construction and has instituted numerous improvements and reforms to the prison healthcare system. The Attorney General’s motion argues that these improvements should be assessed before allocating more money.

The state has made progress on prison healthcare reform. One of the fundamental problems in fulfilling the state’s constitutional healthcare mandate was the lack of qualified medical staff to treat the inmates. The eighth quarterly report of the Receiver shows that 86% of nursing positions and 81% of physician positions have now been filled. This has significantly improved the level of care provided to prisoners. The state has also implemented upgrades and improvements to its appointment-tracking, medication delivery and laboratory services.

LOS ANGELES—California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced a crackdown on trucking companies operating at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles that abuse their workers by denying them protections under state workers’ compensation, disability and minimum wage laws. These companies engage in cost-cutting schemes that take advantage of their workers and avoid California taxes. They unlawfully classify their workers as “independent contractors,” circumventing state employment taxes and labor laws that guarantee workers compensation and disability benefit and the right to a minimum wage.

“We are cracking down on these two companies and investigating several others that are taking advantage of their workers and cheating the state out of payroll taxes,” Attorney General Brown said. “These are low-paid truck drivers working long hours under onerous conditions who are not getting the benefits they deserve.”

Beginning in February 2008, the Attorney General’s office authorized a task force to investigate trucking companies at Long Beach and Los Angeles Ports. The investigation uncovered numerous state labor law violations committed by several trucking companies operating at the ports. Two of the lawsuits were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court today and several more will be filed in the coming weeks.

The lawsuits allege that the trucking companies named in the suits have an unfair advantage over their competitors in violation of California Business and Professions Code 17200 by depriving employees of benefits and protections entitled to them under California law. These companies are also cheating the State of California out of thousands of dollars in state payroll taxes.

Jose Maria Lira, a fleet operator responsible for transporting cargo from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, controlled all aspects of his drivers’ work, yet classified his employees as independent contractors and made them sign documents stating that they were independent. Lira leased his trucks to drivers, requiring them to sign a lease agreement stating that the driver would pay Lira 50% of his gross earnings each month in return for use of the truck, plus an additional 10% for management fees.

In fact, Lira required them to claim independent contractor status contrary to their true status as employees. The drivers worked exclusively for Lira, working 60 hours or more per week, delivering cargo in Lira company trucks. Under these conditions, the drivers should have employee status with its legal protections and benefits under the law.

The second lawsuit filed today is against the Pac Anchor Transportation Inc. (“Pac Anchor”) and Alfredo Barajas. Brown asserted that Pac Anchor and Barajas engaged in a shell game in which Alfredo Barajas supplied Pac Anchor with 38 trucks and drivers. Pac Anchor directly paid Barajas’ truck drivers, providing them with 1099 tax forms at the end of the year. Barajas and Pac Anchor misclassified the drivers as independent contractors in order to keep operating costs down and to avoid paying the mandated taxes and benefits.

The investigation found that the drivers should be classified as employees because they do not own the trucks they drive, do not have a business independent of Pac Anchor or Barajas, have no real opportunity for “profit” other than compensation on a piecework basis delivering loads, and can be terminated at will.

The two complaints are attached.

LOS ANGELES--California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced his decision to seek permission from the court to file a legal brief on behalf of the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) to protect an Orange County deputy sheriffs’ pension plan currently being challenged by the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

“The deputy sheriffs put their lives on the line for us, and they deserve fair compensation for their hard work serving and protecting the people of Orange County,” Attorney General Brown said. “County Supervisors are not entitled to suddenly change their minds and decide to take away important pension benefits that the deputies bargained for in good faith. The hard-working men and women of the Orange County Deputy Sheriffs’ Department deserve far better treatment from the Board of Supervisors. Their families are counting on it.”

Brown intends to file his brief in opposition to an Orange County Board of Supervisors’ lawsuit that challenges a 2001 collective bargaining agreement between the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs and the County. The agreement provides deputies with a pension known as “3% at 50,” a plan that has been adopted by virtually every public safety department in the State of California. Attorney General Brown is filing his amicus brief on behalf of CalPERS, the state employee pension plan.

The County claims that increasing the sheriffs’ retirement pension violates the California State Constitution’s debt limit and extra-compensation provisions. The Attorney General, however, has determined that the state routinely authorizes similar retirement plans in which employees obtain benefits from prior years of service.

“The County’s lawsuit poses a significant threat to all public employees in California, including local police and other law enforcement officers,” added Brown. “This case is about protecting public safety by providing law enforcement with a decent pension plan. If the County’s lawsuit is successful, it will discourage young men and women from choosing a career in law enforcement and will hurt the families who relied on the promises the Orange County Board of Supervisors.”

The case, County of Orange v. Board of Retirement of the Orange County Employees Retirement System, is currently being litigated in Los Angeles Superior Court.

A copy of the state’s amicus brief will be released when available.

LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced a raid on an illegal marijuana operation that used a medical marijuana dispensary as a front for massive illegal drug sales. On Friday, August 22, special agents from the California’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE) arrested two men in Los Angeles for the illegal possession, transportation and sale of marijuana in connection with a marijuana dispensary, Today’s Healthcare, in Northridge.

Nathan Holtz, age 37, is the suspected middleman between northern California marijuana growers and the Today’s Healthcare marijuana dispensary in southern California. Louis Godman, owner of the dispensary, admitted he conducted a profitable business with the majority of his customers being between the ages of 18 and 29 years-old. Under the Attorney General’s medical marijuana guidelines, also released today, medical marijuana collectives or cooperatives should operate as not-for-profit only, serving qualified patients who’ve been examined by a doctor.

“This criminal enterprise bears no resemblance to the purposes of Proposition 215, which authorized the use of medical marijuana for seriously sick patients,” said Attorney General Brown. “Today’s Healthcare is a large-scale, for-profit, commercial business. This deceptively named drug ring is reaping huge profits and flaunting the state’s laws that allow qualified patients to use marijuana for medicinal purposes.”

Over the course of the past six months, the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (LA IMPACT), led by the BNE, conducted an investigation into the illegal marijuana trafficking of Holtz and Godman. Over the weekend, BNE special agents arrested both subjects, who were caught red-handed buying and selling three pounds of high-grade marijuana with a street value of $18,000.00. During the course of the arrest, it was found that Holtz had approximately three additional pounds of marijuana in his vehicle, and Godman had an additional $9,000.00 in cash.

BNE agents served six additional search warrants at residences in Los Angeles and at the marijuana dispensary, Today’s Healthcare, in Northridge. At the residences, agents uncovered sophisticated indoor growing operations, including complex marijuana growing equipment, such as lighting, timers, and a power system allowing them to divert electrical power from the Los Angeles Water and Power Department to avoid detection of their operations. In total, agents seized more than 1,100 high-grade marijuana plants with a street value of more than $6.6 million. At Today’s Healthcare, agents seized two boxes of client records showing the average age of its clients to be 18 to 29 years-old.

LA IMPACT, which is led by BNE, is a cooperative effort of federal, state and municipal law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles County targeting major narcotic trafficking organizations operating in the region.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gareth Lacy (916) 324-5500

Brown Sues To Topple Online Pyramid Scheme

LOS ANGELES--California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced a lawsuit against YourTravelBiz.com for operating a 'gigantic pyramid scheme' that recruited tens of thousands of members with deceptive claims that members could earn huge sums of money through its online travel agencies.

“YourTravelBiz.com operates a gigantic pyramid scheme that is immensely profitable to a few individuals on top and a complete rip-off for most everyone else,” Attorney General Brown said. “Today’s lawsuit seeks to shut down the company’s unlawful operation before more people are exploited by the scam.”

YourTravelBiz.com and its affiliates operate an illegal pyramid scheme that only benefits members if and when they find enough new members to join the scam. Once enrolled, members who join the pyramid scheme earn compensation for each new person they enlist, regardless of whether they sell any travel. The company lures new members by offering huge income opportunities through online travel agencies yet the typical person actually makes nothing selling travel.

According to company records there were over 200,000 members in 2007 who typically pay more than $1,000 per year--$449.95 to set up an “online travel agency” with a monthly fee of $49.95. In 2007, only 38 percent of the company’s members made any travel commissions. For the minority of members who made any travel commission in 2007, the median income was $39.00--less than one month’s cost to keep the Website. There are at least 139,000 of the company’s travel Websites, all virtually identical, on the Internet.

YourTravelBiz’s extensive marketing materials include videos of people driving Porsches and other luxury cars, holding ten-thousand dollar checks, and claiming to be raking in millions of dollars in profits. The company advertises through its Website www.ytb.com, and at conventions, workshops and nationwide sales meetings which have been held in California locations such as Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Diego.

Brown charges the company, its affiliates, and the company’s founders J. Lloyd Tomer, J. Scott Tomer, J. Kim Sorensen and Andrew Cauthen with operating an “endless chain scheme,” an unlawful pyramid in which a person pays money for the chance to receive money by recruiting new members to join the pyramid. Brown also charges the company with unfair business practices and false advertising practices including:

* Deceptive claims that members can earn millions of dollars with the company
* Operating without filing legally mandated documents with the attorney general and the Department of Corporations
* Selling an illegal travel discount program

Under California’s unfair business practices statue, the company is liable for $2,500 per violation of law. Attorney General Brown is suing YourTravelBiz.com to get a court order that:

* Bars the company from making false or misleading statements
* Assesses a civil penalty of at least $15,000,000 and at least $10,000,000 in restitution for Californians who were ripped off by the company.

From August 6 through 10, thousands of members are preparing to travel to St. Louis for a national convention to learn new techniques to recruit more victims into the illegal pyramid scheme. Last year at least 10,000 people attended a similar national conference. For more details on the company’s plan to perpetuate its scheme visit: http://www.yourtravelbiz.com/bizRep/BizReports/BIZREPORT_07-18-08.htm

For more information on pyramid schemes visit: http://ag.ca.gov/consumers/general/pyramid_schemes.php

Consumers who believe they have been bilked by YTB should send a written complaint with copies of any supporting documentation to:

Office of the Attorney General
Public Inquiry Unit, P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550

Or through an on-line complaint form: http://ag.ca.gov/contact/complaint_form.php?cmplt=CL.

Today’s lawsuit against YourTravelBiz.com, filed yesterady in Los Angeles Superior Court, also names affiliates which include YTB Travel Network, Inc., YTB Travel Network of Illinois, Inc., as well as the company’s founders J. Lloyd Tomer, J. Scott Tomer, J. Kim Sorensen and Andrew Cauthen. For a copy of the lawsuit please contact the attorney general's press office: (916) 324-5500.

Contact: Gareth Lacy, California Department of Justice, (916) 324-5500 or Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Bill Braudberger, (323) 267-4813

COMPTON--Further escalating the state’s crackdown on violent gang activity, California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department today announced that 24 Mob Piru gang members were arrested this morning in the City of Compton.

The arrests mark the conclusion of a major gang investigation, Operation Killen Court, launched by the California Attorney General and the Los Angeles County Sheriff after Kyutza Herrera, an innocent bystander, was shot and killed during a drive-by shooting involving rival gang members. Kyutza’s suspected killers and associates, Maruice Bennett, 19, Alex Graves, 23, Robert Maxwell, 19, and a fourth suspect who is a juvenile, were arrested during the course of the investigation into the Bloods-affiliated Mob Piru gang.

“The California Department of Justice launched an investigation into the Mob Pirus after four gang members gunned down an innocent woman,” Attorney General Brown told a news conference at the Compton Youth Athletic League. “State agents joined with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to crack down on this dangerous street gang that has terrorized Compton with constant violence and gang rivalry. We are proud to announce that sheriff’s deputies apprehended the killers and the state’s investigation led to dozens of additional gang arrests.”

The attorney general’s office launched its investigation after suspected Mob Piru gang members shot and killed Kyutza Herrera who was a parked in front of Ace Liquor at 12211 Long Beach Boulevard in Lynwood. Herrera, who was not affiliated in any way with either gang, was shot in her car when the suspects opened fire on rival gang members.

The attorney general’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement special agents joined the case to investigate Mob Piru gang members suspected to be connected to this shooting and other violent activity. During the investigation, state agents stopped an attempted murder outside of a nightclub and derailed a plan to rob a local post office by a gang member who was also a mail carrier. The gang was recently preparing to import at least 20 firearms from Georgia to sell to other gang members.

One of the gang members, Alex Graves, 23, a United States Post Office mail carrier, was arrested in connection with the drive-by shooting of Kyutza Herrera. Warren Phillipus, 28, also a mail carrier, was wanted in connection with the robbery of the Rancho Park Post Office and was caught by state agents as he was preparing to rob the Rimpau Post Office, both located in South Los Angeles. Phillipus has been charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon, and conspiracy to traffic marijuana.

“These gang members had regular day jobs but their gang affiliation was so strong that they continued to roam the streets, terrorizing the community,” Attorney General Brown said. “It is shocking that gang identity is so powerful that even good paying jobs are not enough to turn these suspects from their criminal activity,” Brown added.

Today’s gang crackdown, Operation Killen Court, is the culmination of a six-month investigation into the Mob Piru gang, an organization that killed, robbed and assaulted people in the City of Compton. Piru gangs first established themselves in Compton in the early 1970s to fight rival Crip gangs. The gang members named themselves after Piru Street, in Compton and called themselves “Bloods.” The Mob Piru gang, which gained national recognition in the 1990s along with the rise of gangster rap, has approximately 200 members and has connections to Oregon and New York.

During today’s crackdown, special agents identified 49 targets and made 24 arrests for offenses including murder, conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, marijuana trafficking, parole violations, and weapons violations. The Multi-Agency Response Team for Drug Endangered Children participated in today’s operation and were responsible for rescuing three children from felony child endangerment at two residences, one of which had a shotgun accessible to a child. Two of the children are 4-years-old, one is 10-months-old, and one is 1 and ½ years-old.

At approximately 6 a.m. today nearly 450 state, local and federal law enforcement personnel executed 33 search and arrest warrants and conducted 20 probation and parole searches in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. Although agents seized small quantities of marijuana and “rock” cocaine, the gang’s foothold involved rival gang violence and subsequently, law enforcement seized 7 handguns, 4 rifles, and 1 sawed-off shotgun.

The California Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement led today’s operation in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force, known as LAIMPACT, which includes Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Los Angeles County Probation, California Highway Patrol, DEA, US Customs, Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and Police Departments in Alhambra, Baldwin Park, Culver City, Downey, El Segundo, Gardena, Glendora, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, La Verne, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Monrovia, Monterey Park, Pasadena, Pomona, Redondo Beach, San Gabriel, Santa Monica, Torrance, Vernon, West Covina and Whitter, also participated in today’s operation.

According to the most recent statistics, there are more than 1,000 gangs operating in Los Angeles County. Between 2003 and 2007, there were 7,482 gang-related crimes in Compton including murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, arson and motor vehicles thefts. In 2007, the city had 37 homicides of which 18, nearly 49 percent, were gang-related. Approximately 20 percent of all homicides in California are gang-related. Between January and April of this year, Compton has had a total of 13 homicides, 14 forcible rapes, 175 robberies and 326 assaults.

The California Department of Justice assists local law enforcement when gang problems have become so severe that the crime is bleeding into neighboring jurisdictions. State agents recently shut down a Norteño street gang and a violent Cambodian street gang in Stockton, a Sureño gang in Atwater and the Varrio Central Poros, a brutal criminal street gang that had terrorized the City of Porterville. State special agents have also participated in recent crime crackdowns in Oakland and East Palo Alto.

For an information wanted bulletin detailing the facts of the Kyutza Herrera shooting and photos of guns seized during the operation, please contact the Attorney General’s Press Office at (916) 324-5500 or the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at (323) 267-4813.

SACRAMENTO--Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today called upon California’s Internet service providers to follow the lead of Verizon, Time Warner Cable and Sprint by “removing child pornography from existing servers and blocking channels” that disseminate the illegal material.

“Protecting the safety of our children must be a top priority, not just for government, but also for businesses with the direct power to reduce the ability to conduct illegal activity,” Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. said in a joint letter to the California Internet Service Provider Association, which represents more than 100 Internet service providers in California.

“We applaud three of the world’s largest Internet service providers—Verizon, Time Warner Cable, and Sprint—for taking steps to block access to child pornography. It is not enough, however, for only a few Internet service providers to join the fight against online predators. Child pornography is not protected by the First Amendment, and distributing this material is illegal.”

On June 10, 2008, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced agreements with Verizon, Time Warner Cable, and Sprint, to block access to child pornography by purging their servers of existing child pornography and eliminating access to child pornography newsgroups.

Governor Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Brown said other Internet service providers should follow these companies’ lead by ridding their own servers of child pornography and preventing access to illegal content through newsgroups.

“The California Internet Service Providers Association is the largest association of Internet providers in the country and we are asking your members to take their leadership role seriously. The association can begin by working with its more than 100 members to remove child pornography from existing servers and blocking channels, which include newsgroups, used for distributing this material,” Schwarzenegger and Brown said.

California is home to the Silicon Valley which has hundreds of Internet service providers, ranging from large companies to smaller, local providers. Some of the major providers include AT&T and AOL. According to the California ISP Association, the largest such association in the country, there are more than 100 Internet service providers in California.

The California Attorney General’s office has been working with other states to protect children from dangerous predators on the Internet. California recently joined 49 other states in reaching agreements with Myspace and Facebook so that those social networking sites take steps, including age and ID verification processes, to protect children from online sexual predators. The attorney general’s office also deploys special agents who conduct undercover investigations into online sexual predators. For more information about the apprehension teams, visit: www.ag.ca.gov/cbi

A copy of Governor Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Brown’s letter to the California Internet Service Providers Association, sent today, is attached.

PORTERVILLE--California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today joined the Porterville Police Department in announcing a major takedown of the Varrio Central Poros, a brutal criminal street gang that has “terrorized” the City of Porterville for years.

“Gang activity has infested the streets of Porterville and terrorized the city,” Attorney General Brown said. “In response to the rising threat of violence, the California Department of Justice deployed Special Agents to work alongside the police department in cracking down on the Varrio Central Poros and bringing its members to justice. We have seized dozens of dangerous weapons and drugs, effectively draining this gang of its lifeblood.”

Today, the California Department of Justice and the Porterville Police Department, with the assistance of other law enforcement agencies, served 23 search warrants and 21 arrest warrants on the criminal hierarchy of the Varrio Central Poros. They made 17 arrests. Agents seized cocaine, meth, and marijuana during today’s takedown. They also seized weapons and ammunition for an AK47.

During the investigation which led to today’s arrests, agents conducted 94 surveillances, arrested 31 suspects and conducted 266 field interviews regarding the gang’s criminal activities. Approximately 18 search warrants were issued and 16 court orders were served. Gang members were also arrested for cocaine possession, carrying loaded firearms, and false imprisonment.

Agents seized 24 grams of meth, 56 grams of marijuana, 34 grams of cocaine, and 62 grams of heroin during the course of the investigation.

The Varrio Central Poros were involved in narcotics trafficking and distribution throughout Tulare County. Investigators found that they used proceeds from drug sales to post bail for fellow gang members and purchase dangerous weapons including rifles, shotguns and several handguns.

The Varrio Central Poros investigation began in October 2007 following a spate of gang-related homicides and violent crimes in Porterville, a town with a population of 51,000. From May 2006 to October 2007, the police department reported 17 homicides in the city, 13 of them gang-related and an increase in drive-by shootings. The violence reached a peak in October 2007 when the city reported 12 shootings within a 5-week period. The gang targeted rivals in the town and often their own members for execution if they were thought to be disloyal.

At the request of Porterville Police Chief Chuck McMillan, California Attorney General Brown dispatched 75 agents of the Department of Justice’s Gang Suppression Enforcement Team to Porterville in November 2007 to crack down on the gang. The State Department of Justice joined with the Porterville Police Department, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department, the Lindsay Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies throughout the central San Joaquin Valley.

“This is the finest example of law enforcement agencies pooling their resources to combat the common problem of gang activity,” said Porterville Police Chief Chuck McMillan.

The California Department of Justice assists local law enforcement when gang problems have become so severe that the crime is bleeding into neighboring jurisdictions. State agents have recently shut down a Nortenos street gang and a violent Cambodian street gang in Stockton, and a Sureño gang in Atwater. Brown’s special agents have also participated in recent crime crackdowns in East Palo Alto and Oakland.

The Varrio Central Poros organized themselves in the early 1990’s, originally known as Porterville’s Most Dangerous. The gang is affiliated with the notorious northern California prison gang Nuestra Familia and the Northern Structure prison gang. Nuestra Familia, a rival of the Mexican Mafia, was organized in Folsom State Prison in 1968 and operates primarily in the northern parts of California. There are approximately 120 Varrio Central Poros gang members in Porterville, ranging in age from 12 to 40 years.

The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the gang members arrested today. The suspects face various felony charges including murder, narcotics trafficking, carjacking, conspiracy to commit murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

The Porterville Police Department will use every lawfully available tactic to extract information from arrestees about recent gang related homicides, shootings and other criminal activities.

SACRAMENTO--The California Department of Justice has completed its criminal investigation of former Superintendent of Glenn County Office of Education, Joni Samples, and concludes that there is insufficient evidence to prove that she committed a criminal offense beyond a reasonable doubt.

The department’s investigation focused on a number of public corruption allegations against Samples, including unauthorized use of Glenn County Office of Education’s resources for private business, unauthorized use of Glenn County Office of Education's resources for political campaigning, unauthorized use of Glenn County Office of Education's funds to pay for her personal vehicle, including repairs and equipment for the vehicle, unauthorized use of Glenn County Office of Education's funds to pay for personal travel, and unauthorized use of Glenn County Office of Education's funds to reimburse the office for money embezzled by an employee.

The investigation into this matter included reviewing more than 4,000 documents and interviewing more than 30 witnesses. Based on the documents reviewed as well as the people interviewed, the California Department of Justice has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove that Samples has committed a criminal offense beyond a reasonable doubt.

Government Code section 6254, expressly exempts investigatory and security files of the attorney general, including complaints about unlawful practices, from public disclosure. As such, additional details about the state's investigation will not be disclosed.