Bank of America Corporation

Newport Coast Chinese Furniture Importer Gets Prison For Bilking Banks

A Newport Coast importer of Chinese furniture for stores like Home Depot, Lowe's, Costco and TJMaxx has been punished by a federal judge for cheating in a scheme to defraud banks involving a $130 million loan deal.This week inside Orange County's Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse, U.S. District Court ... More >>

Armenian Hoodlum Involved In Massive LA-OC Identity Theft Ring Gets Prison

A 26-year-old Armenian man living in Southern California and deemed an "illegal alien" by federal officials participated in a massive, Burbank-based, $7 million identity theft ring operating for six years in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. But Hovhannes Dilboyan hoped that his role ... More >>

Garman's Irish Pub Coming to Mission Viejo

We don't wander south of the El Toro Y often, but we were looking for one thing and found Garman's instead. Not to be confused with a GPS brand, this future watering hole is located behind a Bank of America and across from the Shops at Mission Viejo. Serving traditional fare in addition to lots o' G ... More >>

Main Place Mall Bank Robber Foiled By Tracking Device

If FBI agents are right, Fernando Vera Santamaria didn't know that a Bank of America teller gave him a tracking device as well as $2,369 after he handed her a demand note and then fled on July 24, 2012.Santa Ana Police Department officers quickly tracked Santamaria to a white Toyota Corolla driving ... More >>

Meet Today's Stupid Bank Robber: Kenneth Lyle Spangle

Poor, dumb Kenneth Lyle Spangle.Spangle dreamed of being a successful bank robber.But he's terrible at the crime and should have found another line of work to screw up.Nabbed within minutes of his August 12, BB-gun robbery by on-the-ball Placentia cop Jason Reger, Spangle planned the Bank of America ... More >>

An Anaheim of the Mind: Dorothy Bryant and the CR Novel, Pussy Riot, Chris Marker & Gore Vidal

Just returned from a weekend reunion of lifelong friends, political comrades and good eggs. We were young together once, and lived in tents on the lawn at UCLA, doing everybody's best to politicize other students and faculty, and talk the UC Regents into divesting from racist, apartheid So ... More >>

Huntington Beach Occupiers Linked to Bank Vandalism

​The Huntington Beach Independent is reporting that police there are investigating an act of vandalism that allegedly occured at a Surf City Chase bank on Tuesday. Though police have declined to say whether the suspects are members of the Occupy Orange County movement, which is protesting in ... More >>

Katherine Porter, UCI Professor, Oversees $18 Billion Mortgage Settlement by Banks

​UC Irvine professor Katherine Porter, who specializes in commercial and consumer law and recently wrote a book on how debt is killing the middle class, was appointed today to oversee the nation's five largest banks providing up to $18 billion in California borrower and homeowner benefits. Attorne ... More >>

3 of 10 Most Wanted Robbers Hit OC Banks

​In announcing that the 287 Southern California bank robberies in 2011 maintained a downward trend in such crimes--there were 2,600 reported in the same region in 1992--the FBI also listed its 10 most wanted serial robbers of SoCal banks.Three of the 10 who have struck multiple times included Oran ... More >>

"Dying Son Bandit" Spins Sad Tale to Bank Tellers He Robs

​I hope the man dubbed by the FBI the "Dying Son Bandit" really does have a son who is dying.Wait, that didn't come out right. I don't hope anyone is dying. Actually, that applies to most people. But I hope the bank robber who tells tellers he is only taking cash from them because of his son's med ... More >>

Douglas Nissan Part Owner Frank Ignacio Urbano and 2 Desk Managers Get Jail and Probation in Huge Loan Fraud Case

​Marwan Abdellatif, a former Douglas Nissan desk manager accused of stealing the identities of unsuspecting customers and defrauding banks in the sale of used cars, remains a fugitive from justice. But his whereabouts being unknown did not stop the Orange dealership's part owner and two other de ... More >>

Ready for Bank Transfer Day, Fellow 99 Percenters?

​Do y'all hate banks? I mean, do y'all REALLY hate banks?The Occupy movement sure does, which is why they've declared tomorrow, Nov. 5, to be Bank Transfer Day. It's already Guy Fawkes Day in the U.K., cementing the movement's fetishization of V for Vendetta. (Turns out David Lloyd, who drew the A ... More >>

Seal Beach Hair Salon Shooting: 5 Ways to Help

​Much attention has been focused on why the gunman killed eight people and wounded another in the worst mass shooting in Orange County history. Much less attention has been focused on the victims who were left behind. These are the hair stylists, other staffers and clients inside Salon Meritage in ... More >>

Scam Artists Try to Profit Off Seal Beach Hair Salon Tragedy

​Earlier today we blogged about ways you can help survivors and the families of victims of last week's mass killing in a Seal Beach hair salon:Seal Beach Hair Salon Shooting: 5 Ways to HelpRelated to one option are scam artists and the special place in hell reserved for them.

Occupy Orange County's Irvine Protest Inspires Lefty Slogans

Huge lefty crowd in Irvine chanted their belief that they "will win"​Though today's energetic, historic Occupy Orange County protest in Irvine generally tilted liberal, participants didn't all agree on the message they meant to deliver.That's not surprising given that the diverse crowd of perhaps ... More >>

[UPDATE: New Details for Irvine Protest] Occupy Orange County to Descend on Irvine's Financial District on October 15

​UPDATE, OCT. 12, 12:35 P.M.: Occupy Orange County announced further details for this Saturday's Irvine protest in a press release sent out yesterday afternoon. The action is set to kick off at 9 a.m. at 1 Civic Center Plaza, followed by a march to the city's financial district and an overnight oc ... More >>

[UPDATED with Arrest of Joseph William Kipp:] Who Would Win in a Staring Contest: the "Stare Down Bandit" or the "No Band Bandit"?

​UPDATE, OCT. 7, 11:50 A.M.: The FBI has arrested the man they believe to be the "No Band Bandit" shown at right.He is Joseph William Kipp, 52, of Anaheim.Kipp is accused of robbing US Bank branches in Hacienda Heights and Santa Ana, showing a teller a gun in the latter job, according to FBI spoke ... More >>

[UPDATED with Cops Pitch In For Ramos' Bail:] Officer Manuel Ramos Released From Orange County Jail On $1M Bail Early This Morning

​UPDATED, SEPT. 29 12:31 P.M: It looks like at least some of the money used to bail Officer Manuel Ramos out of jail came from fellow police officers. On the "Big City Cops" Facebook page, a man who identifies himself as Fullerton policeman Benjamin Lira asks fellow law-enforcement offic ... More >>

Pyramid Scheme

Men boasting CIA and FBI ties met in Newport Beach to convince a mysterious billionaire to buy into a secret economy, and nothing was what it seemed

[UPDATE] Law Enforcement Descends on 'OC Weekly' Building!

Brandon Ferguson​UPDATE, 2:30 P.M., SEPTEMBER 6, 2011: It's been eerily quiet in the hallways surrounding Weekly world headquarters since our neighbors at the Law Offices of Anthony Kassas were escorted off the premises nearly three weeks ago by officials from the California Department of Justice. ... More >>

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax at Big 4

Christopher Victorio/OC WeeklyMetallica!​Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, and Metallica April 23, 2011Empire Polo Field, Indio Check out our slideshow here! What happens when more than 50,000 metal fans descend on a city? Church burnings, goat slaughter, egregious depletion of the Pabst Blue Ribbon rese ... More >>

Noel Perez Aguilar, OC Homicide No. 11: Gang Beating Victim Left to Die in Truck Bed

Montes​Well, this is embarrassing: in the never-ending quest to track all Orange County homicides, the March 11 slaying of Noel Perez Aguilar somehow slipped by.This came to light while scanning the Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) statement on today's arraignment of Adsalon Isai Mo ... More >>

MoveOn.org Comes to the Rescue of Taxes Today

​Taxes must be suffering from battered women's syndrome about now. We're all like, "Aw come on, baby. You know I loves ya," Then--BAM!--corporations and rich people rap taxes upside the head, saying they ain't returning to Clinton-era levels. Then we get all lovey-dovey again and--WHAM!--House Rep ... More >>

Beaver Hide Trading Company 'Fesses Up to Graffiti Urging "Revolution!" at Santa Ana Chase Bank, Vow More

​Remember that mysterious graffiti earlier this month outside a SanTana Chase branch urging "Revolution!" (as seen in the photo to the right)? I openly wondered who might've done it, given political protest in the county usually doesn't take anarchistic tones, and cholos (who do most of SanTana's ... More >>

Marwan Abdellatif, Douglas Nissan Manager, is Fugitive in Elaborate Customer Fraud Case

​The Orange County District Attorney's Office is reaching out to the public in its search for the former Douglas Nissan desk manager, who is accused of stealing the identities of unsuspecting customers and defrauding banks in the sale of used cars at the Orange dealership.A $2 million arrest warr ... More >>

Pop and Lock Bandits Frontin' It OC-Style

​The FBI and the Orange County Sheriff's Department have issued a special bulletin and $10,000 reward for information leading to a live look at that breakin' and frontin' act taking center stage at local banks, the Pop and Lock Crew.B-boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyz!Check that: being sought for capture ... More >>

Miradas: Mexican Art from the Bank of America Collection

Muzeo

Miradas: Mexican Art

Muzeo

[UPDATED:] Bessie Whyman, OC Homicide No. 3: 84-Year-Old Robbed, Tortured and Murdered

UPDATE: The Orange County District Attorney announces indictment of Anthony Darnell Wade in the murder of Bessie Mae Whyman (details at end of post) . . .Courtesy of Anaheim Police DepartmentAnthony Wade is eligible for the death penalty.​Friends and former co-workers remember 84-year-old Bessie M ... More >>

Cynthia Ongamsing-Jenkins, Ex-Rite Aid Supervisor Staged Fake Robberies

​Cynthia Ongamsing-Jenkins, 43, of Tustin, was sentenced Wednesday to two years and eight months in state prison for falsely claiming to be the victim of armed robberies of Rite Aid stores in Costa Mesa and Dana Point she supervised.Ongamsing-Jenkins had pleaded guilty Feb. 24 to two felony coun ... More >>

Labor Rally Chastises Greed of Chase and Bank of America

The reckless greed of Wall Street banks such as Chase and Bank of America has wrecked the American economy and kill American jobs, claims the Orange County Labor Federation, which leads noontime rallies today in front of branches of both banks in Santa Ana.

Snott's to Get New Owner?

​NEWS ITEM: The parent company of Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park announced it has agreed to a buyout. Ohio-based Cedar Fair Entertainment--which, besides Snott's, owns 10 other amusement parks, seven water parks and five hotels across the U.S. and Canada--says the $2.4 billion transaction with a ... More >>

$3.6 Million Fraud Plot Used Several Mortgages on Same House

Not the home in question but an amazing facsimile.​A married couple from Fountain Valley and a Newport Coast mortgage broker are scheduled to be arraigned in a Santa Ana courthouse this morning for their alleged roles in a $3.6 million fraud scheme that involved several mortgages being taken out o ... More >>

[UPDATED WITH LA TIMES RESPONSE] For Times Reporter, It's Dancing With the Company You Cover

Adam Larkey/ABCDancing With the Stars host Tom Bergeron, Times reporter Dawn C. Chmielewski and her partner Jonathan Roberts soak in applause. ​UPDATED WITH RESPONSE FROM LA TIMES VP . . . Perhaps it does not fully descend into the unethical bog like the revenue-sharing arrangement with the Stapl ... More >>

Crime Time: Creepy Toys, Slick Bank Robbers, Egged On Victims, Dog-Beating Dipshits and At Least [Alleged] Criminals Still Read Newspapers

It's the Weekly's weekly roundup of local police calls and assorted mayhem.MONDAY, NOV. 2". . . and I don't like you!" ​"I'm Talking Tina . . . and Things Are Going to Be Different Around Here" A woman called 9-1-1 around 3:45 in the morning to say she heard a baby toy go off downstairs in her hom ... More >>

Crime Time: An Especially San Clemente/ Huntington Beach Edition

It's the Weekly's weekly round-up of local police calls--with an especially heavy emphasis on San Clemente and Huntington Beach. MONDAY, OCT. 5 He died for your remote. Who's the Patron Saint of Stupidity Again? A 50-inch Viso plasma TV was stolen out of the beer tent erected for the weekend F ... More >>

[Hole In the Wall] In Praise of Hot Taco's Goat On Wheels

Crime Time: Brawling Girls! Duct-Taped to Pole! Brawling Golfers! Tots on Train Tracks!

Not funny!​ It's the Weekly's weekly round-up of local police calls--with a Monday dedicated to the ladies . . . awwwww yeah! MONDAY, AUG. 17Pub Brawl Two women fought as men prodded them on around closing time (2 a.m.) at Auld Dubliner restaurant and pub, 2497 Park Ave., Tustin. The big loser was ... More >>

Crime Time: Small Fries, Bad Tenants and the Church Lady

It's the Weekly's weekly round-up of local police calls--small fry edition . . . MONDAY, JULY 20Artist's rendering of Bank of America robber. He may belong to that notorious street gang, the Lollipop Kids.​Watch Those Kids at the Playground A 3-year-old boy was at the playground in Ponderosa Park ... More >>

Crime Time: Methed Mom, Nitrous Oxide, a Full Moon, a Gutted Black Cat and a Skateboarding Giant Ax Carrier

It's our weekly Weekly roundup of Orange County police calls--with suspect mugs!TUESDAY, JULY 7Courtesy of Cypress Police DepartmentAlison Le Anne EbertAt Least She Left the TV On Officers responding to an anonymous, 4:45 a.m. report of child abuse in a home in the 8500 block of La Homa Street in Cy ... More >>

Crime Time: Hey, Mister in the Miniskirt Looking at Porn!

Very early Tuesday in Tustin. Not the real crime but an amazing facsimile. Once again, it's the Weekly's weekly round-up of Orange County police calls...MONDAY, JUNE 22Breaking Up the Boredom of a Bank Line: Shortly after noon, a man clutching a backpack threatened to blow up the Bank of America bra ... More >>

Crime Time: Move Over, Trendzilla!

The must-have fashion accessory of the season for robbers in Irvine and San Juan Capistrano.It's the Weekly's weekly round-up of Orange County police calls . . . TUESDAY, JUNE 16Forest Firebug is a Pot Farm Exposer to Boot: Seven fires were ignited within a short distance of each other in Trabuco Ca ... More >>

Anaheim PD Says It Has "Clean-Cut/Clean-Freak Bandit"

For Navel Gazing's inaugural Crime Time collection of weekly police calls (don't miss the thrilling follow-up and more in weeks to come), we gave prominent placement to the photo you see here. It's a man robbing a Chase Bank branch in Fullerton on June 4 and, according to Johnny Law, the "Clean-cut ... More >>

Crime Time: A Weekly Round-Up of OC Police Calls

The "Clean-Cut Bandit": Coming to a bank near you?MONDAY, JUNE 1Shroomin' in Lagoonan: Laguna Beach Police arrested three people at a La Mirada Street property for alleged possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms, heroin, Xanax, Levitra, Alprazolam and "numerous other unknown pills." Steven Christophe ... More >>

Scared Stupid

Local filmmakers shoot retro horror in a very modern way

Un-safe slumber party

Ever wonder what would happen if you locked an old woman in a bank safe? You have? Well then you're a sick individual. But lucky for you, Bank of America in Laguna Woods did lock a diabetic 73-year-old woman in a privacy room while she was checking her safe deposit box just yesterday. And what happe ... More >>

!Ask a Mexican!

'Real-life Mexicans not only dont care about those stereotypes, they embrace them'

Clear-Cutting Sherwood Forest

Angry hippies haunt our past

Trash Talking

OC janitors say theyll walk over lack of medical care

Eat Cheap

Part Two