Law Enforcement

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, Tech Leaders and Advocates Launch Offensive in Fight Against Cyber Exploitation

October 14, 2015
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the launch of a new, first-of-its-kind online resource hub with helpful tools for victims, the technology industry and law enforcement agencies to combat cyber exploitation, the criminal act of posting intimate photos or videos online without the consent of the individual.  Today’s announcement is a culmination of nine months of work by the Attorney General’s Cyber Exploitation Task Force, a collaboration between the Department of Justice, major technology companies, law enforcement, and victims’ advocates.   

“Posting intimate images online without consent is a cowardly crime that humiliates and belittles victims,” said Attorney General Harris. “These new tools will assist law enforcement in combating cyber exploitation and support victims in seeking justice. I would like to thank our partners from our task force, whose work will have a global impact in combatting this heinous crime.”

Attorney General Harris’s effort is centered on a newly created online resource hub that will work to empower victims with information on how to have images posted without permission removed from popular websites and search engines, and provide clear guidance to local law enforcement about new and existing laws to investigate and prosecute cyber exploitation cases. The resource hub will include a Best Practice Guide for technology companies to help them develop policies that prevent the posting and sharing of cyber exploitation images. 

Designed to be a one-stop-shop for law enforcement, victims and technology companies, the site will include information graphics with steps individuals can take after being a victim of cyber exploitation, and the first-ever comprehensive collection of major technology platforms’ privacy policies and links to report improper use of intimate images and how to have them removed from social media sites and online search engines.

“Attorney General Kamala Harris's Working Group has set a major milestone in the fight against cyber exploitation today.  In my research of hate crimes in cyberspace, I’ve interviewed more than 50 exploitation victims.  Victims had a hard time finding employment because their nude images and contact information appeared prominently in online searches. They were terrified that strangers would confront them in person. They moved; some changed their names; all were distraught. The fallout was devastating,” said Danielle Keats Citron, Lois K. Macht Research Professor & Professor of Law at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. “AG Harris's work is groundbreaking, educating victims about their rights, providing training to law enforcement, securing essential legislation, and working with companies on best practices. The Working Group's efforts in California are a model for the rest of the country.”

“TechNet applauds Attorney General Kamala Harris' efforts to crack down on cyber exploitation, which violates a victim on a deeply personal and private level.  We’re proud that the technology industry has come together in support of this important issue to provide victims an avenue of protection,” said John Doherty, Vice President of State Policy & Politics and General Counsel at TechNet. “Over the past 50 years, the Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate, engage in commerce, and collaborate with friends and colleagues around the world.  Overwhelmingly, these changes have been a force for good.  But, clearly there is a dark side, and we must remain vigilant in the effort to protect Internet users from this type of terrible and troubling cyber exploitation.”

In tandem with the launch of the anti-cyber exploitation initiative, Attorney General Harris issued a Law Enforcement Bulletin, with instructions for all California law enforcement agencies on how to use and enforce new and existing laws related to cyber exploitation crimes. This past legislative session, Attorney General Harris sponsored two bills to enable more effective prosecution of cyber exploitation crimes: AB 1310 and SB 676. Both laws were signed by Governor Jerry Brown and become effective January 1, 2016. 

AB 1310, sponsored by Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), expands the jurisdictional options for prosecuting cyber exploitation cases and allows law enforcement to use a search warrant to investigate cyber exploitation cases. SB 676, sponsored by Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres), adds cyber exploitation to the list of computer crimes eligible for forfeiture and destruction of property as part of a judgment and provides law enforcement with a process for seizing and destroying cyber exploitation images.

The initiative will also include a digital campaign, lead by the Attorney General’s Cyber Exploitation Task Force, using the hashtag #EndCyberExploitation, to raise awareness of the crime and connect victims with resources.   

The Attorney General’s cyber exploitation website was launched in October to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Cyber Security Awareness Month. According to the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), a partner in the working group, more than 90% of victims of cyber exploitation are women and girls. In CCRI’s survey of cyber exploitation victims, 51% reported having suicidal thoughts.

In January 2015, Attorney General Harris convened a task force of 50 major technology companies (including Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and Twitter), victims’ advocates, and legislative and law enforcement leaders to fight cyber exploitation. The Attorney General’s working group on cyber exploitation is focused on four key areas: (1) education and prevention, (2) law enforcement education and training , (3) technology leadership and (4) legislation. This initiative is the culmination of this group’s work over the last nine months. 

Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to identify and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes, and other crimes involving the use of technology. The California Department of Justice is leading the nation in prosecuting these crimes, having garnered the first successful prosecution of a cyber exploitation operator in the country.  Earlier this year, Kevin Bollaert was sentenced to eight years imprisonment followed by ten years of supervised release for his operation of a cyber exploitation website that allowed the anonymous, public posting of intimate photos accompanied by personal identifying information of individuals without their consent.

The new resource hub can be found at http://oag.ca.gov/cyberexploitation.   

Governor Signs Second Bill in Attorney General Kamala D. Harris’s Cyber Exploitation Legislative Package

October 8, 2015
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today issued a statement in response to Governor Jerry Brown’s signature of Assembly Bill 1310 (Gatto, D-Glendale), one of two cyber exploitation bills sponsored by Attorney General Harris.

“This new law gives law enforcement important tools necessary to hold cyber exploitation perpetrators accountable and bring justice to victims,” said Attorney General Harris. “AB 1310 furthers the ability of law enforcement to gather evidence and prosecute these heinous cases. I thank Assemblymember Gatto for authoring this critical measure.”

AB 1310 amends current law by allowing search warrants to be issued for cyber exploitation crimes, giving law enforcement the ability to search electronic databases and retrieve the victims’ images.  AB 1310 also allows for the prosecution of cyber exploitation cases in the county where the victim resides or in the county where the images were posted.  Since posters and website operators commonly reside outside of the victim’s jurisdiction, this change in the law will relieve some of the burden placed on the victim during the prosecution of the case. 

“With this legislation, law enforcement will be able to more effectively investigate and prosecute cyber exploitation criminals across multiple jurisdictions,” said Assemblymember Gatto.  “I applaud the Attorney General for championing this measure and thank Governor Brown for signing it into law.”

This year, Attorney General Harris sponsored two bills to enhance the prosecution of cyber exploitation in the state.  Senate Bill 676 (Cannella, R-Ceres), signed by the governor last month, enables law enforcement to seek the forfeiture and destruction of cyber exploitation images. 

On October 14, the Attorney General’s Cyber Exploitation Working Group will announce its findings and unveil new resources for victims, law enforcement, and tech companies in the fight against cyber exploitation.  This new initiative represents the culmination of a 9 month-long collaboration on four key areas: developing industry best practices, education and prevention, law enforcement training and collaboration, as well as legislation and advocacy.  The working group includes major technology companies such as Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo!, Google, and Instagram.

Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to identify and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes, and other crimes involving the use of technology. The California Department of Justice is leading the nation in prosecuting these crimes, having garnered the first successful prosecution of a cyber exploitation operator in the country. In 2015, Kevin Bollaert was sentenced to eight years imprisonment followed by ten years of supervised release for his operation of a cyber exploitation website that allowed the anonymous, public posting of intimate photos accompanied by personal identifying information of individuals without their consent.

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces Bust of Violent Norteño Gang in Tulare County

October 1, 2015
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

TULARE – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced the arrest of 52 individuals as part of an ongoing investigation into violent Norteño gang activity in Tulare County, following a rash of homicides in the region. 

“This operation captured dangerous criminals accused of terrorizing Central Valley communities through murder and violence,” said Attorney General Harris.  “We will continue to target violent street gangs by dismantling their networks and taking these dangerous criminals off our streets. I thank our DOJ Special Agents and local law enforcement partners for their dedicated work to keeping our communities safe.”

The TARGET Task Force, the Tulare County Sheriff's Department, the Visalia Police Department, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, and the California Department of Justice and California Highway Patrol’s Fresno-based Special Operations Unit (SOU) jointly conducted the multi-month investigation and today’s takedown.  

The TARGET Task Force was created by Attorney General Harris in 2011 and includes the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Investigation, Visalia Police Department, Tulare County Sheriff's Department, Tulare Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol.

"The collaboration demonstrated by multiple law enforcement agencies, including our partners at the Department of Justice, have proved very successful today,” said California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Keeping the communities safe that we have been entrusted with protecting is of utmost importance to the CHP. I very much appreciate the professionalism of all of those who carried out this dangerous operation."

Today’s Operation Red Sol, a multi-agency gang takedown, led to the arrest of 52 individuals, including Pedro “Pistol Pete” Sanchez, a Norteño leader in charge of running the gang’s illicit day-to-day operations.  Those arrested face felony charges ranging from conspiracy to commit homicide, attempted homicide, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, extortion, home invasion, weapons possession and sales of narcotics. 

This is the most violent group of Norteño gang members investigated by the Department of Justices’s Special Operations Unit to date. Over the course of the investigation, an additional 38 individuals have been arrested.

The operation also resulted in the seizure of $34,000 in cash, six firearms and small amounts of narcotics.

The case will be prosecuted by the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.

In 2014, Attorney General Harris and California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow secured $9.4 million in funding for California Department of Justice Bureau of Investigation’s SOU teams. These unique and essential teams are a partnership between DOJ and CHP, using the latest technology and advanced investigative techniques to work alongside local law enforcement to enhance investigations into violent criminals and organized crime throughout the state.

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces Over $2 Million in Grants to Fight Methamphetamine and Gang Activity in California

September 29, 2015
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that the California Department of Justice has been awarded over two million dollars in federal grants to fight gang activity and the manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamine throughout the state. The grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office.

California DOJ received $1,499,814 from the COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program and $747,629 from the COPS Anti-Gang Initiative. 

“Methamphetamine is a dangerous drug that threatens the health and safety of our communities,” said Attorney General Harris. “These federal dollars will support our statewide work to aid in the dismantling of criminal organizations and combat the deadly and violent impacts of this drug on our streets.”

The Attorney General’s 2014 report, Gangs Beyond Borders: California and the Fight Against Transnational Organized Crime, found that California is the primary entry point for methamphetamine smuggled into the United States, with as much of 70 percent of it entering through San Diego alone. From 2012 – 2013, California DOJ-led task forces confiscated 3,146 pounds of the drug.    

The COPS Office is awarding more than $6.1 million under the COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program to seven state-level law enforcement agencies dealing with high seizures of precursor chemicals, finished methamphetamine, and laboratories. The award will fund DOJ efforts to investigate illicit activities related to the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine in California.

Under the COPS Anti-Gang Initiative, the COPS Office is awarding close to $5.8 million to nine multijurisdictional task forces to address gang activity. The initiative focuses on combating gang activity through enforcement, prevention, education, and intervention. This award aims to support multijurisdictional partnerships between federal, state, and local law enforcement to address all forms of gang activity.

The COPS Office is a federal agency within the United States Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide.

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Honors Exemplary California Department of Justice Employees with 2015 AG Awards

September 29, 2015
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris concluded the 24th annual Attorney General’s Awards at a ceremony Friday in San Francisco. The honorees represented California Department of Justice employees who have demonstrated the highest professional work standards.  This year, 102 employees were honored throughout the Department for their accomplishments in 2014, as well as for attaining 25 years of distinguished state service. The other award winners from across the state were honored at similar ceremonies in San Diego, Sacramento, and Los Angeles earlier in the month.

“The people who work in the Department of Justice are the story behind the headlines. Many of you  toil behind the scenes, working long nights and sometimes weekends, to enforce the laws of our state. And most of the people whom your work benefits will never know your names. But you do it because you care. Thank you all for everything you do for this department and for the people of California,” said Attorney General Harris.

The awardees were as follows:

Sustained Superior Accomplishment Award

  • Corinna Dunkle, Civil Law – Sacramento
  • Carmen Keeler, DLE – Broadway
  • Lynne McGinnis, Criminal Law – San Diego
  • Sherrie Nagafuchi, DAS – Sacramento
  • Sandy Shum, DAS – San Francisco
  • Laura Stalford, DLE – San Diego

Award for Excellence

  • Stephanie Buck, DLE – Sacramento
  • Xiomara Costello, Criminal Law – Los Angeles
  • Stephanie Fong, CJIS – Broadway
  • Terri Hairston, DLE – Broadway
  • Danielle Newman, DAS – Sacramento
  • Zola Salena-Hawkins, DAS – Los Angeles
  • Richard Wolfe, Civil Law – San Diego
  • Karen Wong, CJIS – Broadway
  • David Zonana, Public Rights – Oakland

Award for Excellence in Supervision

  • Maggie Jackson, DAS – Sacramento
  • Michael Mattson, DLE – San Francisco
  • Thomas Patterson, Civil Law – San Francisco

Award for Excellence in Management

  • Sally Magnani, Public Rights – Sacramento
  • John Yoshida, DLE – Sacramento

Award for Client Representation or Prosecution

  • Jonathan Cooper, Civil Law – San Francisco
  • Mark Cumba, Criminal Law – San Diego
  • Joel Jacobs, Public Rights – Oakland

Peace Officer Award

  • Eric Froeschner, Criminal Law – Laguna Woods

Citizenship Award

  • Stacie Bolden, DAS – Los Angeles
  • Leda Hayes, DAS – Sacramento
  • Loren Ishii, DLE – Broadway

In addition to individual awardees, groups of employees were honored for Excellence as a Team. Encompassing employees from the regions of Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, the Bollaert UGOTPOSTED Criminal Law team was also honored for Excellence as a Team.  This team’s members included Renee Adame, Brian Caldwell, Erica Goerzen, Jason Nichols, Victoria (Sam) Terry, Johnete Jauron, Garett Gorlitsky, Jim Hirt, Tuan Phung, Paul Ramirez, Daniel Torres, Tawnya Austin, Cynthia Bentley, Angel Breault, Dolly Daswani, Patricia Fusco, Andrea Mintz, Michelle Moreno, Steve Oetting, Sonia Ramos, Natalie Rodriguez, and Nona Seaman.

In San Diego, recipients of the Award for Excellence as a Team included members of the Armed Prohibited Persons Systems (APPS), Department of Labor Standards Enforcement.

In San Diego and San Francisco, the Award for Excellence as a Team was awarded to contributed to the High Speed Rail Extraordinary Writ, Civil Law team, including Ross Moody, Sharon O’Grady, Tamar Pachter, Paul Stein, Catherine Brown, Constance LeLouis, Stephanie Zook.

In Sacramento and San Francisco, the PALCO Trial, Public Rights team also received an Award for Excellence as a Team, including members Denise Hoffman, Oda Killian, Megan Sato, Regina Tochterman, Lucinda Witte, Rick Acker, Cory Alcantara, Clarence Binninger, Matthew Bullock, Robert Byrne, Michael Edson, Nicole Gordon,  Daniel Harris, Esther La, William Moser, Michael Neville, Myung (Mo) Park, Barbara Spiegel, Julian Standen, and Rebecca Torres.

In San Francisco, the Award for Excellence as a Team was given to the DNA Innovation Team-Richmond Lab, DLE, members Margaret Aceves, Martin Buoncristiani, Mavis Date-Chong, Bill Hudlow, Sonja Klein, Steven Myers, Matt Piucci, Josh Sehhat, Gary Sims, Mark Timken, James Weigand, and Korie Faber.

Photos of the AG Awards recipients are available at http://oag.ca.gov/news/photo-gallery.

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Launches First-of-its-Kind Criminal Justice Open Data Initiative

OpenJustice (https://openjustice.doj.ca.gov)
September 2, 2015
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

LOS ANGELES -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the launch of OpenJustice, a first-of-its-kind criminal justice open data initiative that will release unprecedented data while being interactive and easy to use. The tool consists of two components: a Dashboard that spotlights key criminal justice indicators with user-friendly visualization tools and an Open Data Portal that publishes raw data from the California Department of Justice’s statewide repository of criminal justice datasets.

The Attorney General was joined at the announcement by Congresswoman Karen Bass, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, and University of California Berkeley Professor Steven Raphael.

“Being “Smart on Crime” means measuring our effectiveness in the criminal justice system with data and metrics,” said Attorney General Harris. “This initiative puts forward a common set of facts, data and goals so that we can hold ourselves accountable and improve public safety. The California Department of Justice is proud to join with many in the law enforcement community to make our work more transparent.”

OpenJustice embraces transparency in the criminal justice system to strengthen trust, enhance government accountability, and inform public policy. Recent events in California and across the nation have highlighted the need for an important conversation to take place between law enforcement & the communities we are sworn to protect.

The Dashboard includes three important data sets that tell part of the story of the relationship between law enforcement and communities: (1) Law Enforcement Officers Killed or Assaulted in the Line of Duty; (2) Deaths in Custody, including arrest-related deaths; and (3) Arrests & Bookings.  For each metric, the Dashboard features interactive web tools that allow the public to explore these key criminal justice indicators over time and across jurisdictions. 

The Open Data Portal is an online repository of downloadable criminal justice data in raw form available to the public. This tool will enable researchers, civic coders, and journalists to help tackle seemingly intractable problems in the criminal justice system.  As part of the initiative, Attorney General Harris is expanding her work with law enforcement to improve reporting by eliminating unnecessary requirements and modernizing data reporting processes.

OpenJustice builds on Attorney General Kamala D. Harris’s leadership deploying 21st century “smart on crime” approaches to improve public safety.  As California’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, Attorney General Harris has worked to embed new technology into the DNA of the Department of Justice and law enforcement agencies across the state.  This has involved cutting-edge SmartJustice tools including a web platform for law enforcement that integrates multiple state and local databases to provide aggregated criminal justice information, as well as a mobile portal so officers have access in the field at their fingertips. She has also championed using data to measure outcomes in public education and understand their connections to the criminal justice system.

Attorney General Harris has also taken several steps to strengthen the trust between law enforcement and California communities. She directed a 90-day Review of her Division of Law Enforcement’s policies on use of force and implicit bias, convened the state’s law enforcement leaders to share best practices through her 21st Century Policing Working Group, created the first POST-certified course on Procedural Justice and Implicit Bias in the U.S., and developed a pilot body-worn camera policy within the Department of Justice.

In the coming months, the Dashboard will expand to spotlight more metrics from across the justice system and a broad array of datasets will be released to foster accountability and trust.

Below are key finding from the Justice Dashboard:

Law Enforcement Officers Killed or Assaulted

  • Since 1980, there has been an average of approximately 10 law enforcement officer deaths reported per year; 180 deaths resulted from unlawful incidents and 150 were accidental.
  • In 2014, there were 14 deaths of law enforcement officers, which is an uptick from the previous 5-year average of approximately 8 deaths per year.
  • Since 1980, 1 in 10 officers on the street were assaulted yearly. In that period, there have been over 280,000 assaults against law enforcement officers reported, or about 8,000 per year.  There are approximately 77,000 sworn officers in California in recent years, which has grown from 40,000 in 1980.

Death in Custody

  • There were 6,837 deaths in custody reported between 2005 and 2014; an average of approximately 685 per year.
  • Approximately 61 percent of deaths resulted from natural causes. The next leading cause of death is homicides by law enforcement at 14 percent, followed by suicide at 10 percent
  • Over half of deaths in custody (~55%) were reported by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (“CDCR”) followed by county sheriffs (~23%) and local police (~15%).
  • Manner of death differed considerably across agency type:  Deaths reported by police were primarily homicides (nearly 70 percent), while sheriffs and CDCR reported a large proportion of deaths due to natural causes and suicide; 17% of deaths in jails were suicides.

Arrests & Bookings

  • Over the past 30 years reported property and violent crimes have dropped by half.
  • The arrest rate peaked in 1989; since then misdemeanor arrests rates have been falling steadily and felony arrests rates have dropped slightly.
  • Men are roughly 3.5 times more likely to be arrested than women.
  • There are large racial/ethnic disparities in arrest rates that hold across men and women. African Americans are the most likely to be arrested at any age, most notably between 18 and 40. Asians have the lowest arrest rates. 

To view all of the data released today, visit OpenJustice (http://openjustice.doj.ca.gov).

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris to Announce First-of-its-Kind Criminal Justice Open Data Initiative

September 1, 2015
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris will hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m. to unveil a first-of-its-kind criminal justice open data initiative that will release unprecedented data while being interactive and easy to use. The new data-driven initiative embraces transparency in the criminal justice system to strengthen trust, enhance government accountability, and inform public policy.  

A livestream of the press conference will be available at https://oag.ca.gov. 

WHO:

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris
Congresswoman Karen Bass
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck
Steven Raphael, Professor of Public Policy at University of California, Berkeley 

WHEN:

Wednesday, September 2 at 11:30 a.m. 

WHERE:

California Attorney General’s Office
Ronald Reagan Building
300 S. Spring Street (between 3rd and 4th Streets)
Los Angeles, CA 90013 

NOTE:

This event is open to credentialed media only. 

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Files Involuntary Manslaughter Charges Against Skilled Nursing Facility Verdugo Valley, LLC

August 28, 2015
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced today that her office has filed involuntary manslaughter charges against Montrose, California-based Verdugo Valley Skilled Nursing & Wellness Centre, LLC for failing to provide requisite nursing care to a burn victim resident, leading to his death.

“Families who entrust loved ones to the care of a nursing home rightfully expect residents will receive the care and attention they need and that nursing homes have a legal duty to provide,”  said Attorney General Harris.  “We have filed criminal charges because we allege Verdugo Valley and its employees violated that trust and their legal duties in a way that resulted in a senseless, tragic and unnecessary death.  I thank the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse attorneys and agents working tirelessly to ensure these individuals are held accountable.”

The complaint filed by Attorney General Harris alleges that Verdugo Valley, LLC was grossly negligent in its care of James Populus, a resident with burns on 90 percent of his body from an arson fire two decades earlier.  In the 14 months that Populus was in the care of Verdugo Valley, he was examined by a doctor far fewer times than required by law, despite the respiratory and other health needs of burn victims.   

His declining health led to severe weight loss, sepsis, and pneumonia and on August 30, 2014, Populus died of multiple system failure due to sepsis. At the time of his death, Populus had infections throughout his body.

Charges of dependent adult abuse causing death have been filed against the facility’s director of nursing, Alexiuse San Mateo, who was responsible for Populus’s care at the facility and willfully permitted the patient’s death. Consuelo Policarpio, the supervising nurse, is charged with dependent adult abuse causing great bodily injury due to a delay in calling 911. 

Verdugo Valley Skilled Nursing & Wellness Centre, LLC, San Mateo and Policarpio were arraigned yesterday.

San Mateo faces 9 years in state prison and a $10,000 fine and Policarpio faces a maximum of 7 years in state prison and a $10,000 fine. Verdugo Valley, LLC faces a $10,000 fine and exclusion from any state or federally funded health care program.

The Declaration in Support of Arrest Warrant alleges that staff at Verdugo Valley delayed calling 911 and failed to document critical changes in their patient’s condition, in addition to making false entries in medical records.

In the 14 months that Populus was a patient at Verdugo Valley, 80 change of condition forms required signature by a treating physician, but all 80 forms were void of a doctor’s signature. The facility named the patient’s primary care doctor as his treating doctor from the hospital; however, this doctor did not have a relationship with Populus and never visited him at Verdugo Valley.

The case stems from an investigation conducted by the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse. Since taking office in 2011, Attorney General Harris has created specialized BMFEA teams in Sacramento and Los Angeles composed of legal and nursing professionals to combat abuse, neglect and poor quality of care in California’s nursing homes.

A copy of the complaint and declaration in support of arrest warrant submitted to the court is attached to the online version of this release at www.oag.ca.gov/news

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Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces Indictment of 32 Members and Associates of Long Beach Crip Street Gang Tied to $14.3 Million Identity Theft and Tax Fraud Scheme

August 10, 2015
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

LOS ANGELES – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced today the takedown of a Long Beach Crip street gang that operated an identity theft scheme to perpetrate tax fraud, stealing over $3.3 million and attempting to steal over $11 million via tax fraud. The operation resulted in 22 members of the Insane Crip street gang being taken into custody on charges that include 283 counts of criminal conspiracy, 299 counts of identity theft, 226 counts of grand theft and 58 counts of attempted theft.

“This violent street gang orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to steal the identities of hardworking Californians and defraud the government of millions in taxpayer money,” Attorney General Harris said. “These victims had their identities stolen and face financial harm as a result of this theft. My office is committed to dismantling these criminal organizations and targeting their illicit income sources. I thank our law enforcement partners for their thorough investigation in this matter.”

"Our detectives did an outstanding job uncovering this crime scheme," said Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, "Our partnership with assisting law enforcement agencies was instrumental in bringing this case together. These financial crimes are funding gang activity within our city and impacting the lives of many people through monetary loss and concerns about vulnerability.”

“Today’s arrests are a victory for law enforcement in the ongoing battle against gangs who commit financial crimes through our nation’s mail system and victimize an entire nation of law abiding citizens,” said Robert Wemyss, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service.  “Postal Inspectors remain dedicated to collaborating with our law enforcement partners in the investigation of these crimes that victimize our citizens and finance criminal enterprise.”

The arrest is the culmination of a three-year investigation into the Insane Crip street gang that began after a Long Beach crime spree tied to the gang. A Long Beach Police Department detective discovered evidence containing the personal identifying information of hundreds of California residents at an address associated with the gang. The defendants had used the stolen personal identifying information to commit financial crimes, including identity theft and tax return fraud.

The defendants exchanged the stolen information via text messages to the leaders of the scheme, who would then file fraudulent tax returns, obtain the refunds and load them onto prepaid debit cards in the name of other victims. The debit cards were then used to fund the gang’s illicit activities, lavish lifestyle and to recruit members.

Tax return fraud occurs when an individual files a fraudulent tax return with someone else’s personal identifying information and collects a tax refund from the IRS. Victims are unlikely to know their identities have been stolen until they attempt to file a tax return that is rejected by the IRS because one has already been filed.

The Attorney General’s eCrime Unit (eCU) and Financial Frauds and Special Prosecutions Section (FFSPS) are jointly prosecuting the case, which resulted from an investigation by the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

In March, Attorney General Harris issued tips for Californians to avoid tax-related identity theft and on how consumers can protect themselves. These tips and additional resources can be found here

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces Arrests and Seizure of Meth Valued at $2 Million in Drug Trafficking Case Linked to Sinaloa Cartel

July 30, 2015
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

LOS ANGELES —Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arrest of five individuals suspected of being associated with the Sinaloa Cartel, for trafficking 55 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $2 million.

“California is the gateway for 70 percent of the methamphetamine trafficked into the United States from Mexico,” said Attorney General Harris. “This dangerous drug, and the actions of those who traffic and sell it, threatens the public health and safety of our communities. I thank our DOJ agents and local and federal partners for their commitment to dismantling transnational criminal organizations.”

Pedro Gallegos, 33, Teodoro Yau-Silva, 43, Bernardo Real-Rojo, 39, Anthony Perez, 29, and Jose Christian Rodriguez, 19, were arrested on charges of transportation of methamphetamine and possession for sales, as well as conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. They are suspected to be associated with the Sinaloa Cartel.

The arrests are a result of joint investigations between the Inland Crackdown Allied Task Force (INCA), which is led by the California Department of Justice (DOJ), the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Los Angeles Cartel Strike Force, and the Riverside Police Department.

In one investigation, an undercover California DOJ Bureau of Investigation Special Agent arranged to purchase 30 pounds of methamphetamine for $4,000 per pound and the suspects agreed to complete the transaction in two deliveries of 15 pounds each.

On July 22, 2015, suspects Pedro Gallegos and Teodoro Yau-Silva were arrested in an Ontario, California parking lot after they delivered the first installment of 15 pounds of methamphetamine to the undercover agent. The suspects were expecting payment of $60,000 for methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $750,000. In a separate investigation,  an undercover California DOJ Bureau of Investigation Special Agent negotiated the purchase of 25 pounds of methamphetamine for $3,500 per pound.  The negotiations were conducted by phone with members of the drug trafficking organization in Mexico and in-person with U.S. based representatives.

On July 16, 2015, Real-Rojo, Perez, and Rodriguez were arrested after they delivered 25 pounds of methamphetamine to the undercover agent in a public parking lot in Ontario.  The suspects were expecting a payment of $87,500 for the methamphetamine that has an estimated street value of $1,250,000.   

Gallegos, Yau-Silva, Real-Rojo, Perez, and Rodriguez are currently being held at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s West Valley Detention Center.  Bail for the each suspect has been set at $500,000.  Gallegos and Yau-Silva will be prosecuted by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and Real-Rojo, Perez, and Rodriguez will be prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Attorney General’s report, Gangs Beyond Borders: California and the Fight Against Transnational Organized Crime, called the trafficking of methamphetamine from Mexico into California a growing threat to the state and a top priority for law enforcement.  The report was the first comprehensive report analyzing the current state of transnational criminal organizations in California and the threats they pose to the state’s public safety and economy.

Following the release of this report, Attorney General Harris led a delegation of state attorneys general to Mexico to strengthen working relationships between the governments of both countries to enhance efforts to combat transnational crime.  The delegation met with Mexican state attorneys general and federal officials to discuss the issues of drug, human and firearms trafficking, money laundering, and high-tech crime.