Law Enforcement

LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton today announced the seizure of 541 handguns, rifles and assault weapons during a “statewide crackdown” on 1,000 dangerous individuals barred from firearms possession because of violent felony convictions.

“During this statewide crackdown, Department of Justice agents investigated 1,000 of the most dangerous cases in the state’s firearms database,” Brown told a news conference at the attorney general’s Los Angeles headquarters. “The Department of Justice joined with local law enforcement to disarm hundreds of individuals—felons, domestic violence perpetrators, and people committed to mental health facilities—that should have relinquished their weapons.”

Department of Justice agents utilized a state database, known as the Armed and Prohibited Persons System, to identify persons who lawfully acquired firearms in the past but became barred from possession due to a subsequent felony conviction. The database, which currently has 9,000 cases, could eventually expand to include 60,000 individuals as new offender records are added to the system.

During the six-week operation, Department of Justice agents went door to door with local law enforcement to disarm the 1,000 most dangerous armed and violent felons identified in the state database. During the investigation agents seized 541 firearms, conducted 205 probation or parole searches and made 16 field arrests. During one investigation in Alameda County, agents seized over 100 rifles, handguns and assault weapons. In another case, agents confiscated three firearms and neo-Nazi propaganda including a swastika flag.

The goal of this investigation was to prevent violent crime in California by disarming individuals who were the most likely to use their unlawfully held guns to commit violent crimes. To identify the highest risk cases, analysts from the California Department of Justice created investigative case files on persons who legally acquired firearms in the past, but failed to relinquish the weapons after a violent felony conviction.

Department of Justice agents typically take action when firearm owners should have relinquished weapons after events such as:

• Felony convictions
• Violent or firearms-related misdemeanors
• Domestic violence incidents
• Protective orders, probation conditions, and other court orders
• Involuntary commitments under Welfare and Institutions Code section 5150 or 5250

The Attorney General’s Office will keep the seized guns in a state evidence vault until criminal proceedings are concluded or other arrangements are made by the owners to sell or relinquish the firearms. Eventually many of the weapons may be destroyed.

Dozens of law enforcement agencies worked with the California Department of Justice during the investigation including: Los Angeles Police Department (110 cases), Fresno Police Department (25 cases), Oakland Police Department (25 cases), Redding Police Department (15 cases), San Bernardino Police Department (10 cases), San Jose Police Department (10 cases) and Butte County Sheriff’s Office (10 cases). The California Police Chiefs Association and the California State Sheriffs’ Association also provided important assistance during the investigation.

Attorney General Brown called the investigation an important partnership with local law enforcement to disarm those who are likely to commit violent crimes. “There are thousands of people in California who acquired guns lawfully in the past, committed a crime, and should no longer have weapons,” Brown said. “The Department of Justice is committed to working with local law enforcement to confiscate these weapons and make the streets safer,” Brown added.

SB 950, which was signed into law in 2002, established the legal authority for the state to cross-reference criminal history information with firearms possession records. In July 2003, the Department of Justice received funding to build a database of this information—the Armed and Prohibited Persons System—which became operational in 2006 and made fully available to local law enforcement in 2007. In June, Attorney General Brown expanded the system so that law enforcement agencies can obtain information about offenders by jurisdiction rather than just through individual names searches.

California Department of Justice special agents have trained approximately 500 sworn local law enforcement officials in 196 police departments and 35 sheriffs departments on how to use the database during firearms investigations. The Department has also conducted 50 training sessions on how to use the vehicle-mounted California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System terminals to access the database.

The California Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms serves the people of California through regulation, enforcement and education regarding the manufacture, sales, ownership, safety training, and transfer of firearms. For more information about firearms law in California visit the California Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms Website: http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/

A photo of seized firearms from the operation is attached.

LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the arrest of four suspects involved in a $1.5 million “fake healthcare clinic” scam. The suspects created a health clinic and recruited people to undergo unnecessary medical tests, with the sole purpose of filing false claims with Medi-Cal and Medicare.

Commenting on the arrests, Attorney General Brown said, “The suspects create a fake healthcare clinic to line their own pockets rather than help the sick and elderly. These arrests send a strong message that this kind of rip-off will not be tolerated.”

The 4 defendants, arrested yesterday morning at various locations in Los Angeles County, are: Richard Melkonyan, Akop Melkonian, Lilit Baghdasaryan, and Dr. Rito Castanon-Hill. Dr. Neil Hollander has agreed to surrender next week. David James Garrison remains at large.

The suspects operated Scott Medical Center in Burbank and hired two physicians, Dr. Hollander and Dr. Castanon-Hill, to create a front for a physician assistant who falsified records and billed for procedures not actually performed. The suspects recruited patients to undergo unnecessary exams and then the clinic operators and medical supply company billed Medi-Cal and Medicare.

Baghdasaryan supplied false information to the Franchise Tax Board to conceal stolen funds in 2003 and 2004. Garrison under-reported and failed to report to the Franchise Tax Board monies he was paid by Dr. Hollander, Dr. Rito Castanon-Hill, United Management Group, Inc., and S.M.C. Group, Inc., violations of Revenue and Taxation code Section 19706, Tax Evasion.

All of the defendants are charged with Penal Code Section 550, Submission of False Insurance claims; Penal Code Section 487, Grand Theft; Welfare & Institutions Code Section 14107, submission of False Medi-Cal Claims: and Penal Code Section 186.10 (a) (1), Money Laundering.

Agencies involved in the investigation include the California Department of Justice Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse, Los Angeles Health Authority Law Enforcement Task Force, United States Office of Inspector General Health and Human Services, the Department of Health Services and Glendale Police Department. During the investigation, agents executed search warrants in Tujunga, Chatsworth, Glendale and the LAX area, seized 4 guns, and approximately $150,000 in cash.

Medi-Cal is a state managed program that pays for essential medical services, medical equipment, and medication for qualifying disabled, indigent and elderly California residents. It is funded by the state and federal governments and administered by the California Department of Health Services.

The Department of Justice Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse investigates and prosecutes those who file fraudulent claims for medical services, medical equipment and drugs.

During the 2005/2006 Fiscal Year, the Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse recovered $267,854,037 in Medi-Cal fraud and $6,525,097 in criminal prosecutions.

Suspects charged include:

• Richard Melkonyan (DOB 12/11/1970) was arrested at his home in Glendale, California.
• Akop Melkonian (DOB 10/28/1972) was arrested at his home in Chatsworth, California.
• Lilit Baghdasaryan (DOB 06/12/1980) was arrested at her home in Tujunga, California.
• David James Garrison (DOB 06/16/1961) resides in Los Angeles, California, is currently at large.
• Neil Hollander, M.D. (DOB 07/28/1940) resides in Huntington Beach, California, has agreed to surrender to authorities next week.
• Rito Castanon-Hill, M.D. (DOB 08/19/1971) arrested at his home in Los Angeles, California.

Statement From California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. Regarding Search Warrants Executed Today In Connection With The Death Of Anna Nicole Smith:

“The California Department of Justice today served search warrants at various doctors’ offices, billing locations, and residences in both Los Angeles and Orange Counties, related to the death of Anna Nicole Smith. The locations searched today are related to doctors who provided medical treatment or prescribed drugs for Anna Nicole Smith or her associates.

On March 30, 2007, the California Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement commenced an investigation into circumstances surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith, including the prescribing and dispensing practices of several California licensed doctors and pharmacies. To date, agents have reviewed over 100,000 computer images and files, analyzed patient profiles and pharmacy logs and interviewed witnesses throughout the country and abroad.

The California Department of Justice is spearheading this investigation with regulatory agencies, medical professionals and law enforcement agencies, including: The California Department of Insurance, the California Medical Board, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Seminole Tribal Police and the Royal Bahamian Police Force.

In view of the fact that the investigation is ongoing, we will not provide further details or report any findings at this time. The California Department of Justice will conduct a fair and thorough investigation and wishes to protect the identity of cooperating witnesses. When our investigation is complete, you will be provided as much information as possible about any suspects, arrests or criminal charges.

Beyond this statement, no one involved in this investigation will have further comment at this time. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Here is a YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7XIQDy0s5c

EAST PALO ALTO – California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr., community leaders and regional law enforcement officials today announced the completion of Project Safe Neighborhood, a nine-month multi-agency “crime crackdown and citizen mobilization” aimed at curbing a wave of violence plaguing the City of East Palo Alto.

“This multi-agency crime crackdown and citizen mobilization put a real dent in the wave of violent crime plaguing East Palo Alto because law enforcement agencies joined together with a large group of involved citizens,” Brown told a news conference with community leaders and officials from the East Palo Alto Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. “Nevertheless,” Brown added, “the fight against crime in East Palo Alto is far from over. Gangs in California are getting increasingly bold, spreading out from neighborhoods to terrorize whole cities and even regions. Combating this new breed of urban gangsters requires widespread citizen involvement and a coordinated attack by both uniformed and undercover officers, suppressing mid and low level drug dealers day after day.”

A wave of violence struck East Palo Alto in late 2006, resulting in six homicides and 67 shootings. In response, Brown sent undercover agents from the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement to gather intelligence and lead an anti-violence task force. Bureau agents joined with law enforcement agencies including the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, San Jose Police Department and East Palo Alto Police Department to conduct undercover investigations into upper-level drug traffickers, leading to arrests and drugs seizures including:

• 77 grams of heroin and 28 grams of black tar heroin
• 156 grams of cocaine
• 558 grams of crack-cocaine
• Two pounds of crystal methamphetamine

Together with numerous law enforcement agencies, the East Palo Alto Police Department made over 250 arrests, 400 parole and probation searches, 500 gang contacts and seized 45 firearms. Since the project was initiated, crime and violence has dropped dramatically in the city and there has been only one homicide.

The East Palo Alto Police Department also mobilized community members to participate in a 1000 person unity march and a 300 person youth summit. Community Organizations and police also engaged in crisis intervention, conflict mediation and negotiated cease-fires between rival gangs.

Other participants in today’s press conference include: City of East Palo Alto Mayor David Woods, City of East Palo Alto Vice-Mayor Patricia Foster, San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks, San Mateo County District Attorney Jim Fox, United States Attorney’s Office, California Highway Patrol Deputy Commissioner Art Anderson, San Mateo County Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Association Chief Susan Manheimer, San Mateo County Chief Probation Officer Loren Buddress, For Youth By Youth (FYBY) Douglas Fort, One East Palo Alto Executive Director Faye McNair-Knox, EPA Unity March & Rally Director Marina Latu, Pastor Paul Baines, East Palo Alto Police Chaplains, City of East Palo Alto Police Chief Ronald Davis.

California Attorney General Brown has made the fight against crime a top priority. In June, Brown’s Gang Suppression Enforcement Team took down 32 key leaders and associates of the Loc Town Crips, a Stockton-based Cambodian street gang responsible for extensive drug and gun trafficking. Agents uncovered widespread violence and drug dealing, including drive-by shootings and sales of methamphetamine, ecstasy and marijuana in California and around the United States.

In August, The Department of Justice cracked down on the A-Town Gang, a major central valley gang that terrorized the town of Atwater with robberies and murders and ran narcotics to states including Montana and Washington. Special agents joined the Atwater Police Department to serve 40 search warrants, arrest 26 suspects, and intercept a bulk delivery of marijuana, dismantling the gang’s criminal apparatus.

The California Department of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement is one of the largest state investigative law enforcement agencies in the United States. The division employs 450 sworn Special Agents, 200 forensic scientists, 600 civilian employees, and has an annual budget of $182 million. It is comprised of eight operational bureaus which include the California Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, the Bureau of Gambling Control, the Bureau of Firearms, the Bureau of Forensic Services, the Criminal Intelligence Bureau, the Mission Support Branch, and the Western States Information Network.

In August, Brown announced the appointment of George Anderson, Sacramento County Undersheriff, as the 13th Director of the Division of Law Enforcement for the California Department of Justice.

SAN FRANCISCO—California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that the Division of Gambling Control has caught, red-handed, two counterfeiters who were feeding fake $100 bills into slot machines at a Tribal Casino in Mendocino County.

Commenting on the counterfeiter’s tactics, Attorney General Brown said, “These two bandits used home printers to make fake bills that tricked casino slot machines into paying out more than $100,000. Our Division of Gambling Control demonstrated great skill and incredible ingenuity in catching and arresting these counterfeiters.

Jack Daniels Ewing, 27, and Mikael Inturbe, 27, were arrested today at the Sho-Ka-Wah Casino in Hopland on charges of conspiracy, counterfeiting and burglary after a four-month investigation revealed that the two-man team was bleaching real $1 bills and using home printers to make counterfeit $100 bills. The counterfeiters bilked at least 20 casinos in Northern California and Nevada out of more than $100,000.

While under surveillance, the suspects were observed passing off large quantities of counterfeit “old style” $100 bills through the bill validators of gaming machines at Northern California and Nevada casinos. The suspects demonstrated familiarity with the security features of the bill validators and were proficient at avoiding detection.

In most cases the suspects fed bills into the machine, cashed out, and left the casino. Occasionally, the suspects used the fake bills to play the slot machines, sometimes winning up to $4000.

The suspects leased rental cars from a variety of Bay Area rental car companies in an effort to evade authorities. They also employed the services of third party associates to rent the vehicles on their behalf. The suspects were known to wear a variety of baseball-style caps from different sports teams, a trademark disguise that used as they moved from casino to casino.

During a raid of an Extended Stay Hotel in Richmond California where one of the suspects was residing, investigators found two printers, a scanner, rubber gloves, chemical bleaching solutions, a stack of bleached bills, and a pile of baseball caps.

The California Department of Justice joined the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department in apprehending the suspects today at the Sho-Ka-Wah Casino in Hopland, Mendocino County. The suspects were caught red-handed as they were feeding fraudulent bills into machines.

Today’s Arrestees include:

• Mikael Inturbe (DOB 1/18/1980) who resides at the 100 Block of Oxford Street in Hercules, California.

• Jack Daniels Ewing (DOB 7/28/1980) who was apprehended at an Extended Stay Hotel on the 3100 Block of Garrity Way in Richmond, California. His permanent address is in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Both suspects were charged with 182 PC (Conspiracy), 475(a) PC (Counterfeiting) and 182 PC (Burglary). Bail is set at $300,000 for each defendant.

According to FBI statistics, there are approximately 100,000 forgery and counterfeiting charges filed in the United States annually. The Division of Gambling Control’s investigation into this case remains active and ongoing.

Photos of the suspects and a counterfeit bill will be uploaded to the Attorney General’s website: www.ag.ca.gov/newsalerts. Stay tuned for updates.

LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that the backlog of DNA samples collected from convicted felons—which stood at 295,000 in July 2006—has been eliminated.

At a news conference with Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, Brown said: “The state has the third largest DNA database in the world so eliminating the backlog is a major milestone in combating crime in California. The next phase—collecting DNA samples from all persons arrested for felonies in California—will begin January 1, 2009. I will use the full resources at my command to meet this challenging goal.”

Proposition 69, passed in November 2004, required all convicted felons to submit a DNA sample to the CAL-DNA Data Bank Program. In response, the Program immediately hired and trained new DNA analysts and started a statewide DNA sample collection training program. An executive order, requiring expedited DNA collection from all incarcerated felons and parolees resulted in a peak of 70,000 submissions in April of 2005—over twice the number received in the year prior to Proposition 69—for a total submission in 2005 alone of about 300,000 samples.

The Attorney General’s Office, in collaboration with the Governor, identified the critical need to eliminate the developing backlog. Utilizing existing personnel in a special overtime project, along with the validation and implementation of new methods, the Program boosted analytical capacity to over 40,000 DNA samples per month. Increased efforts to enhance recruitment and retention allowed CAL-DNA to find the trained analysts necessary to meet the next wave of Proposition 69 mandates—the implementation of the all-adult-felon-arrestee provision in January 2009—estimated at 390,000 submissions per year.

In 1990 CAL-DNA was established in the Division of Law Enforcement, Bureau of Forensic Services in DOJ; and in 1994 funding for sex offender collections was obtained. The expected number of offender DNA samples submitted at that time was 40,000 per year. After 10 years, the inclusion of violent felons and other qualified offenders in 2004 had expanded the database to about 300,000.

California Attorney General’s Office now has the third largest DNA Database in the world, just behind the United States as a whole and Great Britain. CAL-DNA has over 940,000 in the searchable database, known as the CAL-DNA Data Bank, as part of the National DNA Index System, which is operated and overseen by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) Unit.

CAL-DNA has to date reported over 5,000 offender hits, or linkages established by a common DNA profile between crime evidence and an offender in the database. These hits continue to solve crimes and improve public safety.

A press release with charts is attached.

In response to requests for reaction to yesterday's arrest of Norman Hsu, the California Department of Justice is providing the following information:

As you know, Norman Hsu was charged in an 18 count felony complaint in August 1991 with stealing $1 million from approximately 20 investors in a Ponzi-type scheme to buy and resell latex gloves that did not exist. He was held to answer after a preliminary hearing in November of 1991 and an information was filed in the superior court charging Hsu with 16 counts of grant theft and excessive taking allegations.

Mr. Hsu agreed to a negotiated disposition of the case on February 6, 1992; he entered a no contest plea to one count of grand theft and admitted an excessive taking allegation. The agreement called for a three year sentence to state prison and an order for restitution to all of the victims.

Mr. Hsu failed to appear for sentencing on June 10, 1992, and a bench warrant issued for his arrest with bail set at $2,000,000.

On August 31, 2007, Mr. Hsu surrendered at the San Mateo County Superior Court before Judge James Ellis. Judge Ellis denied a request to lower the bail and remanded Mr. Hsu pending the posting of bail or a bail hearing. He posted the $2 million bond and agreed to return to court for a hearing where he would turn in his passport on September 5, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. He did not appear at that hearing and his bail was revoked and a bench warrant for his arrested was issued by the San Mateo Superior Court.

Yesterday, a federal arrest warrant for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution was issued for his arrest. FBI agents arrested Norman Hsu yesterday evening at a hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado.

The bench warrant, issued Wednesday by the San Mateo Superior Court after Hsu failed to appear, is still in effect.

Here are the next steps: Hsu is currently still in the hospital in Colorado. After a hearing before a federal magistrate in Colorado, Hsu will be transferred to a federal district court in California for release back to San Mateo County where he will face the felony grand theft charge of which he pled no contest to in 1992. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office will lead the extradition from Colorado back to California after Hsu is released from the hospital and federal custody.

You may attribute the following quote to Deputy Attorney General Ralph Sivilla: 'We appreciate the excellent work by the FBI and the United State Attorney's Office in obtaining an arrest warrant and apprehending Mr. Hsu as quickly as possible.'

SACRAMENTO – At a meeting with the League of California Cities, California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today challenged local officials to “jump in now and lead the California campaign against oil dependency and worsening climate change.” Brown’s meeting with the League comes on the heels of a landmark agreement with San Bernardino County to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the county level.

During an address presented today at the 109th annual League meeting in Sacramento, Attorney General Brown said: “Under the Global Warming Solutions Act, AB 32, California is required to cut greenhouse gases dramatically, starting in 2012. Yet the challenge is so daunting—and growing daily—that we can’t wait five years to act. With intensifying hurricanes, heat waves and forest fires, the problem is upon us. Local governments should jump in now and lead the campaign against oil dependency and worsening climate change.”

Brown warned the officials that increasing oil dependency and global warming threaten the well-being of communities throughout the state. Potential problems, he said, include the following:

• Higher temperatures that reduce the amount of water stored in the Sierra snow pack and threaten the reliability of half the surface water in the state.
• Rising sea levels that increase coastal erosion and introduce seawater into the delta and levee systems.
• Increasing levels of smog.
• Increasing electricity demands that overburden the state’s power grid.
• Extreme heat events that increase the risk of dehydration, heatstroke and heart attack.

Under California law, the state is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and then reducing 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. To achieve the state’s 2020 target, California must reduce current emissions by at least 25%.

Local governments and agencies are responsible, under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), to address the potential impacts of global warming. To date, the Attorney General has submitted formal comments to thirteen local jurisdictions, under CEQA, encouraging them to evaluate and lessen the increases in CO2 emissions caused by land use decisions. A recent agreement with San Bernardino established a unique greenhouse gas reduction plan that identifies sources of emissions and sets reduction targets for the County.

Local government is already taking a leadership role in California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Institute for Local Government has partnered with the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties to launch a California Climate Action Network to fight global warming. The network proposes a variety of actions that can be taken by local jurisdictions to cut greenhouse gas emissions including: conserving energy, reducing travel distances, and using lower carbon fuels.

The Climate Action Network’s brief overview is attached. For more information visit: http://www.ca-ilg.org/climatechange/

To watch footage from Brown's speech please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIsOptWbPjI

EL CENTRO – California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the “total dismantlement” of a significant Mexican Mafia cell in Imperial and San Diego Counties after a twenty-month investigation led to the indictment of 31 mafia members. The attorney general will prosecute the case with the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office.

California Attorney General Brown said: “The state will prosecute, to the fullest extent, these Mexican Mafia members and associates for their heinous crimes. Today’s arrests should send a strong message--law enforcement at all levels will fight for total dismantlement of these violent criminal organizations.”

In 2005, officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, California Department of Corrections, Imperial County District Attorney’s Office and California Attorney General’s Office formed the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force to conduct an investigation into the mafia’s criminal activities. The results of the investigation led the San Diego County Grand Jury to provide an indictment of the 31 defendants on August 21, 2007.

The indictment indicates that in November 2005, Mexican Mafia member Richard Buchanan of San Diego transferred authority over criminal activities in Imperial County to Patrick Ponce. Ponce oversaw drug trafficking operations and the extortion of local criminals, such as drug dealers and alien smugglers, in Imperial County.

Under the 46-count indictment, defendants are charged with violations of the California Penal, Health and Safety Codes, including: conspiracy to commit extortion and distribution of narcotics, attempted murder, solicitation to commit murder, kidnapping, extortion, attempted extortion, torture, drug sales, firearms sales, assault with the intent to commit great bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of an assault weapon. All 46 counts are gang-related under the California’s Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act, an enhancement that ensures all mafia members will face stiff sentences, if convicted, of seven years to life imprisonment.

The Mexican Mafia was formed as prison gang in Los Angeles during the mid-1950s and today it is considered to be one of most powerful, violent, and well-organized criminal organizations in California. The mafia’s connections reach beyond California prison walls to locations throughout the United States and Mexico. The California Department of Corrections reports that there are approximately 150 validated members and associate members of the Mexican Mafia that constitute the organization’s top leadership. A typical Mexican Mafia member has authority over criminal activities in a given jurisdiction, such as a prison or an entire county. In California, the Mexican Mafia sends orders, from prison, to thousands of local Hispanic gang members who carry out commands within prisons and on the streets.

During the investigation that led up to today’s crackdown, agents arrested 12 gang members and seized firearms, heroin, and methamphetamine.

Other law enforcement agencies who assisted with the investigation were the El Centro Police Department, Imperial County Sheriff’s Office, Calexico Police Department, Brawley Police Department, Holtville Police Department, California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States Border Patrol, California Department of Corrections, Parole Division, Imperial Valley Narcotic Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The defendants will be arraigned next Tuesday, September 4, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. in San Diego Superior Court, Department 11. The indictment is attached.

LOS ANGELES-Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that special agents of the California Department of Justice and Riverside deputy sheriffs have apprehended Rolando Luda Ramos, 25, a Soboba Casino surveillance technician, believed to have master-minded last week's $1.5 million casino robbery.

Attorney General Brown, praising the officers involved, said, 'These officers demonstrated incredible ingenuity in tracking down Ramos and taking him into custody. The suspect apparently used knowledge from his work at the casino to plot the robbery. Our D.O.J. Special Investigation Unit joined with the Sheriff's Department in providing the rapid response that made the arrest possible.'

Riverside Sheriff Bob Doyle said, “Our team of investigators did a remarkable job of tracking Ramos and those who assisted him in this robbery. Ramos is in our Southwest Detention Center and we are holding him without bail. We are charging him with robbery, kidnapping, and false imprisonment. We have recovered approximately 1.3 of the 1.5 million dollars taken at gun point by Ramos and we are actively working leads to recover as much of the outstanding balance as possible.”

Ramos was caught Saturday at a hotel on El Segundo Boulevard near the Los Angeles International Airport. Recently, Ramos had applied for an emergency passport and may have been preparing to flee the country. He was found wearing a costume and in possession of cocaine.

On Friday, officials apprehended Eric Alan Aguilera, 23, the suspected getaway driver from the Casino robbery.