Courts, Rulings & Lawsuits | |
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More than two dozen cities have sued to end L.A. County’s zero-bail policy
The city of Torrance is the latest to join a rapidly expanding number of cities suing to end Los Angeles County’s controversial zero-bail policy for those arrested for non-violent crimes. The Torrance City Council voted unanimously at Tuesday’s meeting to join the lawsuit, which now involves more than two dozen cities. Under the new protocol, many people arrested for crimes including car theft, retail theft, burglary, vandalism, possession of stolen property, forgery and other “non-serious” and non-violent offenses can be cited and released, or booked and released, instead of being held on bond.
KTLA
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Federal judge blocks California law banning gun shows at county fairs
A federal judge on Monday blocked California's ban on gun shows at county fairs, ruling that the state is violating the rights of sellers and would-be buyers by prohibiting transactions for firearms that can be bought at any gun shop. The decision by U.S. District Judge Mark Holcomb halts enforcement of two state laws, both written by Democratic state Sen. Dave Min, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
CBS News Bay Area
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US appeals court keeps California assault weapons ban in force
A U.S. appeals court ruled on Saturday that California's assault weapons ban will remain in force while the state attorney general appeals a lower court decision declaring the 30-year-old measure unconstitutional. A divided three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the injunction issued last week by U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego from taking effect while the case remains under review.
Reuters
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Judge says Villanueva foe’s civil rights suit can proceed
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department secretary can move forward for now with her civil rights suit in which she alleges then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva blocked her chance for promotion because she supported a rival candidate in the June 2022 primary election. During a hearing Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Randolph M. Hammock denied a motion by lawyers for the county and Villanueva to dismiss plaintiff Cynthia Gallegos’ amended lawsuit.
MyNewsLA
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Ninth Circuit will not disturb 1990 death sentence
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday denied a petition for a writ of habeas corpus sought by a woman who hired three men to slay her house-mate in order to collect on an insurance policy on his life, rejecting the contention that then-Deputy District Attorney Katherine Mader, who was later a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, committed prejudicial error by quoting passages of the Bible in closing argument.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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13-year-old girl's mother wants felony charge reinstated in alleged attack at Harbor City McDonald’s
The mother of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly attacked by a woman inside a McDonald's restaurant in Harbor City in a crime caught on cell phone video asked the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Thursday to reinstate a felony count that had been reduced to a misdemeanor. In a statement, Angelina Gray said that she was appealing to District Attorney George Gascón, saying she remains "undeterred to get justice" for her daughter, Kassidy Jones.
ABC7
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Long Beach sexual assault victim questions why DA didn't file charges
Long Beach city prosecutors have charged a man with a misdemeanor in connection with an alleged sexual assault but they are hoping to persuade the DA to file more serious felony charges. The case stems from an incident that was caught on video on Oct. 20. A woman was walking near the corner of Broadway and Linden when she passed by a transient sitting on the sidewalk.
ABC7
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Father charged with attacking his young children in Lancaster, killing 2
A man was charged with attacking his three young children and killing two of them in Lancaster, prosecutors announced Wednesday. Prospero Guadalupe Serna was charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of assault of a child under 8 years of age causing death and one count of child abuse. His arraignment in a Lancaster courtroom was postponed until Nov. 30, but Serna was ordered to remain jailed without bail.
ABC7
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Father of accused killer Hannah Tubbs facing 3 felonies
The father of accused killer and convicted sex offender Hannah Tubbs has been charged with three felonies. Court records show an accessory charge and two counts of intimidating a witness were brought against Edward Tubbs in August. He’s being held on $500,000 bail. Both Edward Tubbs, 66, and Hannah Tubbs, 27, are scheduled for hearings next month. On Friday, defense attorneys for Hannah Tubbs said they had received more information from the prosecution and weren’t ready for trial.
KGET
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Ex-gang member turns on co-defendants, testifies against them in mass shooting trial
A man accused of participating in one of the worst mass shootings in Long Beach’s history took to the witness stand and testified against his co-defendants. In a Long Beach courtroom, Joshua Sam carefully described his version of events surrounding the shooting at a Halloween-themed party that killed three people and wounded nine others on Oct. 29, 2019.
Long Beach Post
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Catalina Island business owners charged with failing to pay overtime, filing fraudulent statements
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced on Thursday, Nov. 2, that Jack Arthur Tucey and Yueh Mei Tucey, aka Nora Tucey, had been charged with allegedly defrauding their employees of more than $500,000 in overtime wages, and allegedly filing false and fraudulent statements with the Employment Development Department beginning in 2008. As a matter of law, the accused couple are innocent until proven guilty.
The Catalina Islander
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Thoughts from an eyewitness to the vindictive & retaliatory regime of Alex Villanueva
Eight years after I retired from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Alex Villanueva invited me to rejoin the department in the role of assistant sheriff in charge of the Custody Division. His offer was unsolicited and came following his unexpected victory over then Sheriff Jim McDonnell. I had only the briefest interaction with Alex before my retirement.
Witness LA
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LA Times’ owner ‘activist’ daughter stuns with pro-Hamas statements
Uber-woke, uber-rich, uber-awful Nika Soon-Shiong - daughter of the owner of the Los Angeles Times - has called Israel an “apartheid state” that is now committing “genocide” against Palestinians in its response to Hamas’ barbaric attacks. “It’s not journalistic malpractice to describe the state of Israel as an Apartheid state. This is well-established in international law. It’s the legal term for unlawful “killing, torture, forcible transfer, and denial of basic rights,” she Tweeted (X) late yesterday.
California Globe
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Los Angeles County DA Gascón up against nine challengers amid ‘soft on crime’ accusations
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has an uphill battle to re-election as he faces nine challengers who want to take his job in March. The top prosecutor survived a recall effort last year, but his progressive criminal justice reform policies have continued to come under fire from critics who accuse him of being soft on crime. Gascón’s nine challengers are all prosecutors or former prosecutors, and most have strong words to say about how they think his policies have failed to address crime.
Daily Wire
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California adds three-strikes crime for first time in 20 years. Will lawmakers push for more?
California is preparing to add a new crime to the list of those eligible for longer prison sentences under the state’s “three strikes” law. But criminal justice reform advocates worry about expanding the 30-year-old statute, saying it has not improved crime rates and disproportionately hurts communities of color. Gov. Gavin Newsom in late September signed Senate Bill 14 from Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, which makes child sex trafficking a serious felony starting beginning Jan. 1.
Sacramento Bee
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New initiative could reverse Prop. 47, increase penalties for drugs, smash and grabs
A new initiative has entered circulation that would increase penalties for drug and theft crimes, reversing parts of Proposition 47. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced Friday that the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act can begin collecting signatures. The big picture: The initiative would walk back Proposition 47, which was passed by California voters in 2014 and reclassified certain crimes from felonies to misdemeanors if the value of the crime did not exceed $950.
San Joaquin Valley Sun
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LAPD YouTube channel suspended for posting violent content
The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that just one day after having their YouTube channel suspended, they are now allowed on the platform again. YouTube initially suspended the LAPD’s channel after the department posted a video showing a violent assault that occurred in Venice in late September. LAPD originally said that their account had been “temporarily suspended after [posting] a video of a brutal attack” in the department’s Pacific Division shortly before 11:45 a.m. Saturday morning.
KTLA
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Car break-ins could become easier to prosecute under new California bill
A San Francisco lawmaker hopes to get a handle on the rash of brazen car break-ins throughout the city by changing state law to make it easier to prosecute suspects. The new state bill introduced Thursday by state Sen. Scott Wiener would expand the legal definition of auto burglary to include the act of forcibly entering a vehicle with the intent to commit theft. That change would allow prosecutors to pursue burglary charges without the current hurdle of first having to prove that a car was locked.
KQED
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Can better software lead to better outcomes in court?
When Mohammed Al Rawi started his job as CIO of the L.A. County Public Defender’s Office more than four years ago, he devoted himself to the study of COBOL, a computer language developed in the 1950s. Such was the state of court technology that even the largest public defender’s office in the country - with about 100,000 clients annually - relied on the digital equivalent of Latin, and whose native speakers were retiring and starting to die out.
Government Technology
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Ninth Circuit revives petition to give magic mushrooms Schedule II status
A federal appeals court panel Friday revived a petition to reschedule magic mushrooms - mushrooms containing psilocybin, a hallucinogen - from Schedule I to Schedule II status, In a terse five-page ruling, the three-judge panel called the Drug Enforcement Agency's denial letter "inadequate." The ruling forces the federal agency to either "clarify" its reasons for denying the petition or to "reevaluate" the petition "on an open record."
Courthouse News Service
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US appeals court tosses lawsuit over Texas migrant transportation restrictions
A US federal appeals court on Friday sided with Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, on technical grounds over a 2021 executive order that restricted transport of migrants through the state, saying a lower court should dismiss a related legal challenge. In a 2-1 split, a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based fifth US circuit court of appeals found that immigration advocates lacked the legal authority to sue Abbott over the transportation prohibition.
The Guardian
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Supreme Court wades into social media wars over free speech
Justice Elena Kagan drew laughter in February when she remarked in court that she and her eight colleagues on the Supreme Court are not "the nine greatest experts on the internet.” But that hasn't stopped the justices from taking up a new series of high-stakes cases on the role of social media in society, all of which raise different free speech questions and could have broad repercussions.
NBC News
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An aide to an L.A. councilman traded Holocaust jokes about Amy Schumer. Now he's out
A high-level aide to Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez resigned from his post Friday after facing criticism for making Holocaust jokes about the comedian Amy Schumer on social media. Josh Androsky, senior advisor to Soto-Martínez, took part in an exchange on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier in the day that featured puns about concentration camps and what appeared to be disparaging remarks about Schumer’s weight.
Los Angeles Times
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Police in LA County seek more gun removal orders in 2023
Police in Los Angeles County sought more emergency gun removal orders between January and October than in all of 2022, court officials told the I-Team. There have been 68 requests for "Gun Violence Restraining Orders" so far this year, compared with 66 filed last year. Those numbers include requests from all LA County police agencies and the public, and the LA Superior Court did not have data on how many were approved by judges.
NBC4
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‘A full-on inferno’: The history of range trailer fires at the L.A. Sheriff’s Department
To Steven Propster, the swirling flames looked like something straight out of a Hollywood movie. They crackled and licked at his heels, and he fleetingly wondered whether he’d make it out alive. After nearly three decades at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Propster - then a deputy - knew this was one of his closest calls. It was the spring of 2019, and he and two co-workers had been testing a training device inside one of the department’s mobile shooting ranges when the trailer caught fire.
Los Angeles Times
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Mired in overdose crisis, MacArthur Park struggles to revive Neighborhood Council
The working-class neighborhood of MacArthur Park, which sits at the epicenter of Los Angeles’ overdose crisis, has a pressing need to be heard in City Hall. But the city’s traditional strategy for involving residents in governing, the neighborhood council system, is failing. The MacArthur Park Neighborhood Council stopped meeting earlier this year after only one person ran for one of its 17 empty seats.
Los Angeles Daily News
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Some local mental health crisis calls to 988 are being routed outside LA County - and that’s a problem
It’s no surprise to Angelenos that many people who move here keep their cell phone numbers with out-of-county or even out-of-state area codes. It turns out that’s causing headaches for 988, the national suicide and mental health crisis lifeline. Right now, calls to the national lifeline get routed to call centers based on area code. So if you live in L.A. but kept that New York number, you could end up talking with a counselor across the country.
LAist
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University of California agrees to drop charges against student union organizers in San Diego
The University of California on Tuesday dropped misconduct charges against 59 students involved in union protests and promised not to pursue felony charges against three students accused of writing "living wage now" on a campus building during a demonstration in May. Academic workers, graduate students, researchers, student employees who work in academic support roles like teachers’ assistants, tutors and graders at University of California campuses across the state went on the largest education strike in U.S. history late last year.
Courthouse News Service
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San Francisco set to crack down on fentanyl - with California’s help
A new law enforcement task force will focus on opioid-linked deaths and poisonings in San Francisco, state officials announced Friday. The task force - comprised of the city’s police department, District Attorney’s Office, California Highway Patrol and California National Guard - will build on the existing partnership the state has with San Francisco over the fentanyl crisis. It’s expected to become operational in the new year.
Courthouse News Service
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Real estate company executive arrested on charges alleging he bribed San Luis Obispo County supervisor then concealed crimes
An executive at a San Luis Obispo-based real estate development company was arrested today on a federal grand jury indictment alleging he paid a local politician more than $95,000 in bribes and gifts in exchange for official acts benefiting the company’s development projects and then covered up the bribery scheme by forging documents.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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In Plane Sight: Drug agents searching passengers for cash at airport gates
That passenger standing next to you at the departure gate may actually be a plain-clothes drug agent. InvestigateTV recently tailed U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) task force officers as they walked, otherwise unnoticed, from gate to gate at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Reporters watched them search passengers right after they scanned their boarding passes.
Investigate TV
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Las Vegas, Henderson join effort to overturn prohibition of homeless encampment sweeps
Local ordinances have in recent years been adopted across the state limiting where people can shelter outdoors. Bills aimed at protecting the rights of people living without stable shelter have been gutted or have died during the legislative process. And now the two largest cities in Nevada are trying to overturn court decisions that said sweeping people from an encampment when there is no room at local shelters is “cruel and unusual.”
The Nevada Independent
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Teens accused of running down retired police chief appear to smirk at his widow and daughter during court appearance for murder charges
The two teens accused of killing a retired police chief by running him down as he rode his bike appeared to smirk their way through a court appearance - and smile directly at the victim’s family members who were there. Jzamir Keys, 16, and Jesus Ayala, 18, are charged with murder in the death of Andy Probst, 64, a retired police chief from California.
Law & Crime
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Anti-Israel NYU law student president seen defacing Hamas hostage posters
The president of New York University’s Student Bar Association who said Israel “bears full responsibility” for an invasion by Hamas terrorists was caught on video defacing posters of hostages who are being held prisoner by Hamas. The incident took place shortly after Ryna Workman, who uses they/them pronouns, appeared on ABC News to defend their statements against Israel. Speaking to the publication, Workman said they were on the receiving end of a harassment campaign.
The National Desk
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Jewelry stolen from Colorado players in Rose Bowl locker room heist, police say
University of Colorado football players reported that jewelry was stolen from their dressing room during the Buffaloes' game against host UCLA, officials said Monday. Following Colorado's 28-16 loss at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night, multiple players found that personal jewelry left in their locker room had disappeared, Pasadena police spokesperson Lisa Derderian said. Several pieces of miscellaneous personal and football items were also taken, according to a report made to officers at 9:22 p.m. Saturday, Pasadena police said.
NBC News
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The Gaza crisis is stoking antisemitism in the U.S.
There have been reports of demonstrators chanting Hamas slogans, of synagogues being defaced with swastikas and anti-Jewish hatred being posted on the internet. There also has been, across the U.S., a spike in antisemitic incidents since the war in Gaza erupted on Oct. 7 after the militant Palestinian group Hamas launched a bloody surprise attack on Israel, experts said. But for a New York City professor who experienced antisemitism firsthand as a 10-year-old girl in Poland, it was reports of Jewish students being harassed on campus that chilled her to the bone.
NBC News
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Series of crimes leave a Long Beach neighborhood on high alert: Robbery, sexual assault, and indecent exposure
A Long Beach neighborhood is on high alert after a recent string of crimes, including a robbery, a sexual assault, and an indecent exposure incident in front of a popular hair salon. The incidents have left residents and business owners feeling unsafe and concerned for their wellbeing. Salon 500 owner Valeska Quinonez expressed her deep concern about the escalating situation, stating that in her nine years of working in downtown Long Beach, she has never felt so unsafe.
Time News
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Alameda County DA Pamela Price's work laptop stolen during car burglary in Oakland, sources say
Multiple sources tell ABC7 News that Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price's work laptop was stolen during a car burglary outside a family justice center in Oakland on Friday afternoon. The incident reportedly happened near 27th Street and Telegraph Avenue around 3:30 p.m. According to Google Maps, the Alameda County Family Justice facility is located at 470 27th Street.
ABC7 News
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Pregnant model was found dead inside her refrigerator
A pregnant model was found dead inside her refrigerator at her downtown L.A. apartment last month, her arms and legs bound, according to an autopsy report from the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s Department. Maleesa Mooney, 31, was found dead Sept. 12 in her apartment in the 200 block of South Figueroa Street, authorities said. The medical examiner’s department ruled that she had died by “homicidal violence” inflicted by others. Her family confirmed that she was two months pregnant at the time of her death.
Los Angeles Times
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Gap founder launches new anti-theft crackdown after Target and Nordstrom among chains forced to close stores
A key retail figure has embarked on a crime crackdown in a major city as businesses vacate the area. Gap founder Bob Fisher has joined a campaign with fellow business leaders in San Francisco to tackle the issues in the Bay Area. Advance SF, a non-profit organization behind the civic pride campaign is hoping to revitalize the city and turn it into a thriving business hub. It comes as a new study has identified the US cities where retailers are struggling most with theft.
The Sun U.S.
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Convictions/Sentences/Parole/Appeals | |
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Compton man sentenced to 166 years to life in prison for ambush-style shooting of 2 LASD deputies
A Compton man was sentenced Wednesday to 166 years and 8 months to life in prison for shooting and wounding two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who were sitting in a patrol vehicle at a Metro station more than three years ago. A jury found Deonte Lee Murray guilty of 10 counts five weeks ago, including two counts of attempted murder of a peace officer for the Sept. 12, 2020, attack on Deputies Claudia Apolinar and Emmanuel Perez-Perez, which was caught on surveillance video outside a Compton transit center.
ABC7
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Reseda man sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for selling dozens of ‘ghost guns’ and pound quantities of meth
A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced today to 144 months in federal prison for illegally selling firearms - including dozens of so-called “ghost guns” - and also selling pound quantities of methamphetamine. Julio Ernesto Lopez-Menendez, 27, of Reseda, was sentenced by United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. Lopez-Menendez pleaded guilty on February 3 to one count of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Orange County man pleads guilty to running investment scams that raised over $17 million via false promises of house flipping profits
A Costa Mesa man pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for running fraudulent investment schemes that raised more than $17 million by promising investors - several of them elderly - returns of up to 10% that would be generated through real estate deals that turned out to be bogus, and for disobeying a court order to go to jail for violating the terms of his pretrial release.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Glendale man sentenced to 6½ years in prison for laundering at least $3 million in fraudulently obtained jobless benefits
A Glendale man was sentenced today to 78 months in federal prison for laundering at least $3 million in fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance (UI) benefits that his accomplices fraudulently obtained during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arman Nikogosyan, 45, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who also ordered him to pay $3 million in restitution. Nikogosyan pleaded guilty on March 27 to one count of conspiracy to launder money.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Meet the LA Times reporter who doesn't want you to know Hamas beheads babies
Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Adam Elmahrek has never covered Israel for the paper. He covers California's pot industry. But that isn't stopping him from insisting it is "disinformation" to point out that Hamas beheaded babies in its terrorist assault against the Jewish state. After a viral report from Israeli outlet i24News indicated as much, Elmahrek argued on X, formerly Twitter, that the claim is "unverified" and “sensational."
Washington Free Beacon
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Criminal case over COVID-19 deaths at LA senior home is dismissed
Criminal charges have been dismissed against Irvine-based Silverado Senior Living Management Inc. and three of its managers in connection with the COVID-related deaths of a nurse and 13 people who lived at a residential care facility in Los Angeles. Silverado Senior Living Management, Inc. was charged in February along with Loren Bernard Shook, the company’s chief executive officer, Jason Michael Russo, a company administrator at the time, and Kimberly Cheryl Butrum, a vice president, with 13 felony counts of elder endangerment and five felony counts of violation causing death.
City News Service
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Nothing has prepared me for the antisemitism I see on college campuses now
I am a 70-year-old Jewish man, but never in my life have I seen or felt the antisemitism of the last few weeks. I have heard antisemitic things from time to time through my life. I remember as a child being called a “dirty Jew,” and my friends and I being called “Christ killers” as we walked to Hebrew school. I recall a college girlfriend’s parents telling her that she should not go out with me because “Jews are different.”
Los Angeles Times
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Report: Outside firm gave NCAA evidence of Michigan’s sign-stealing scheme to trigger investigation
The NCAA’s inquiry into a sign-stealing scheme by Michigan’s football program was triggered by an outside firm’s investigation, which turned up videos of and documented plans and budgets for impermissible scouting of the Wolverines’ opponents. The Washington Post, citing two people familiar with the matter who were not identified, reported Wednesday the firm obtained computer drives maintained and accessed by multiple Michigan coaches.
AP
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A prison guard confessed to sexual misconduct. He got a year of paid time off and no charges
Women incarcerated in California state prisons have filed hundreds of complaints of sexual abuse by staff since 2014. But in that time frame, only four officers have been terminated for sexual misconduct, according to data obtained by the Guardian. And only four guards have been confirmed to have faced criminal charges for their behavior. One of the guards who was prosecuted, Gregory Rodriguez, has been accused of assaulting and harassing at least 22 women at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF).
The Guardian
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Inmate suspected in prison attack on Kristin Smart's killer previously murdered 'I-5 Strangler’
A California inmate accused of attacking Paul Flores this summer, shortly after Flores reported to prison to serve his conviction for murdering college student Kristin Smart, strangled his serial killer cellmate two years ago, officials said. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation this week identified inmate Jason Budrow as the suspect in the Aug. 23 attack on Flores at the Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, about 185 miles (300 kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles.
AP
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