New York Crime

[UPDATED with 3rd Arrest:] Andrew Pacheco, 19, Fatally Stabbed as Attackers Yell Gang Name

See Update Nos. 3-4 on page 2 with the charges prosecutors have filed against three men in this case.See Update Nos. 1-2 on the next page identifying the dead man and the two men arrested for his murder.ORIGINAL POST, MARCH 11, 2:10 P.M.: A 19-year-old man was fatally stabbed Saturday night in an at ... More >>

Christopher Jordan Dorner Nightmare Fallout: $40,000 to Ladies Whose Truck Cops Shot Up

Remember those two ladies whose truck and, in the case of one, selves were shot up by Los Angeles Police Department officers freaked out during the manhunt for presumed cop killer-turned-charcoal briquette Christopher Jordan Dorner? The City of LA has agreed to cut Emma Hernandez and Maggie Carranza ... More >>

[UPDATED with Hot Gassing Defended:] Christopher Jordan Dorner War Is Over!

See the update at the end of page 5 on the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department defending the use of "hot gas," which could have sparked the cabin fire, on the suspect.ORIGINAL POST, FEB. 7, 9:48 A.M.: The word coming out of the Los Angeles Police Department this morning is meant to apply to t ... More >>

Black Family's Plight Prompts Church and OC Human Relations to Host "Listening Session"

Had an interesting email exchange this morning with Rusty Kennedy, executive director of OC Human Relations. He'd shared an email about a "Listening Session" being held at an African American church in Yorba Linda Sunday in light of November's revelation about racism a black family says drove them o ... More >>

Surprise, Surprise, Part 2: OC DA Rules Another Anaheim Police Shooting Death Justified

The Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) has concluded there is to be no "criminal culpability" in the fatal officer-involved shooting of 21-year-old Martin Angel Hernandez on March 6, 2012 in Anaheim, and that "there is substantial evidence" that the officer involved "acted reasonably under the ... More >>

[UPDATED with BET Analyst Weighs In:] Were Rossmoor Bottle Bombs a Prank or Hate Crime?

See the update at the end of this post where a BET commentator wonders about links between the Roosmoor incident, a black family leaving Yorba Linda and OC skinheads.ORIGINAL POST, DEC. 5, 6:06 A.M.: Are the bombs of Rossmoor pranks, racist messages or prank racist messages?Inquiring minds want to k ... More >>

United Survivors of Anaheim March on Anna Drive

With storm clouds looming overhead, about fifty people gathered at the corner of Anna Drive and La Palma Avenue in Anaheim for a rally and march in memory of Manuel Diaz on Sunday. It was the latest action marking a shift in strategy for family members and activists organizing in the wake of the cit ... More >>

Why Do Mexicans Rape So Much?

[¡Ask a Mexican!] And why do they always yell, 'Cu-le-ro' at bands they love?

Rodney Alcala Hits the Big Apple

Rodney Alcala, of serial killer and The Dating Game fame, is no longer Orange County's or California's problem.At least not temporarily, as U.S. Marshals today plucked him from the corner of the state's Death Row he darkens to board a plane for New York, where the now-68-year-old is to make a comman ... More >>

Rodney Alcala Can't Block New York Extradition

The California Supreme Court Wednesday denied serial killer Rodney Alcala's request to block his extradition to New York, where he is accused of murdering two young women in the 1970s.Prosecutors in New York City filed extradition papers after Alcala, who is sitting on California's death row, was co ... More >>

New Account Emerges of How Martin Angel Hernandez Died at the Hands of Anaheim Cops

​Less than a mile away from the Anaheim GardenWalk, hundreds of community residents gathered at Ponderosa Park for a march and protest Saturday night. Their concerns were not that of a hotly contested tax giveaway for a future hotel development project in the city, but an Anaheim police officer-in ... More >>

Edelmira Corona, Final Player in Bizarre Family Murder Plot, Lucky to Get 14 Years in Prison

​Edelmira Corona was sentenced Tuesday to 14 years in state prison, closing the book on the murder-for-hire case reportedly born from co-worker Deborah Ann Perna's jealousy and hatred toward her brother, who was taking the reins of the family trucking business. The only one of six defendants who d ... More >>

The Boy Scouts' Police Problem

Dozens of teenage Explorers have been sexually abused by cops. Should the Scouts share the blame?

Rodney Alcala Wants to Stay on Death Row

​Serial killer Rodney Alcala has been behind bars since his arrest in 1979 for the murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe of Huntington Beach. Through his original convictions, overturned convictions and re-affirmed convictions, the 68-year-old has remained incarcerated in California. Against characte ... More >>

[UPDATED with Sentence:] Constantino Monterrosas Gamez Guilty of Setting Girlfriend on Fire While Zipping Along I-15

​UPDATE, OCT. 27, 1:07 P.M.: 39-year-old Santa Anan Constantino Monterrosas Gamez, who pleaded guilty last week to setting his girlfriend on fire as he drove his pickup on I-15 near Corona in July, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years and four months in state prison. One stipulation of the plea de ... More >>

Euirang "Chris" Hwang, Phony Billionaire Who Preyed on Koreans, Gets 6.5 Years for Ponzi Scam

Dammit, again, it's Ponzi not Fonzie.​38-year-old Euirang "Chris" Hwang was sentenced this week in federal court to 6 1/2 years in prison for operating an Irvine investment business that was actually a front for a Ponzi scheme targeting Korean Americans.After Hwang pleaded guilty to federal wire f ... More >>

[UPDATED with Judge's Affirmation:] Armando Macias: DEATH!

Courtesy of OCDAArmando Macias​UPDATE, SEPT. 1, 1:26 P.M.: Superior Court Judge Francisco Briseno today affirmed the death sentence for gang member Armando Macias, the triggerman in a bizarre family murder plot in 2002.A jury that convicted Macias in April for his role in the slaying followed up ... More >>

Kenneth Joseph Lucas II Gets 13 Years for Running International Phishing Scam and Indoor Pot Farm

​UPDATE, JUNE 28, 2 P.M.: Sentences totaling 13 years for convictions in two cases have been given to Kenneth Joseph Lucas II, the "kingpin" of an international "phishing" operation that used spam e-mails and bogus websites to collect personal information used to defraud American banks. The 27- ... More >>

[UPDATED with Sentence:] Armando Macias: DEATH!

Courtesy of OCDAArmando Macias​UPDATE, MAY 19, 6:08 P.M.: A jury today recommended that gang member Armando Macias, 35, of Lancaster, receive the death penalty for his role in a bizarre family murder plot in 2002.It was Macias who "executed" 44-year-old David Montemayor, who was fleeing after bri ... More >>

[UPDATED with Conviction:] Armando Macias Faces Death Penalty for Bizarre Family Murder Plot

Courtesy of OCDAArmando Macias​UPDATE, APRIL 21, 5:56 P.M.: A jury in Santa Ana today found Armando Macias guilty of murder--a conviction that could bring the 35-year-old Lancaster gang banger the death penalty.Macias was part of the family murder plot of businessman David Montemayor, 44, of Buena ... More >>

Belinda Exon, Surf City Escrow Chief, Gets 3 Years for Stealing $4 Mil in Poor-Housing Funds

​Why is your kid still huffing lead and other nasty toxins in your low-income housing unit despite the federal government having already sent your Orange County city funds to remedy the hazard?Blame Belinda Exon. The president of Rehab Financial Services, Inc., a now-defunct Huntington Beach comp ... More >>

[UPDATED] Armando Macias Faces Death Penalty for Bizarre Family Murder Plot

David Montemayor​UPDATE, MARCH 28, 9:34 A.M.: The Orange County District Attorney's Office (OCDA) today goes for a third death penalty conviction and sixth and final conviction overall in the 2002 murder of a Buena Park man that was set in motion by his sister, who was jealous he was being handed ... More >>

[BREAKING] 'Radio' Raheem Abdul Edwards Gets Life Without Parole for Liquor-Store Owner's Murder

​BREAKING, MARCH 11, 12:41 P.M.: "Radio" Raheem Abdul Edwards, who managed to elude capture for the 2000 shooting and murder of Anaheim liquor-store owner Haeng Shin Kim by frequently moving, changing names and gnawing on his fingertips to remove his prints, was sentenced today to life in prison w ... More >>

[UPDATED] Gilberto Cruz Silva Gets 39 Years to Life for Raping One Prostitute and Trying to Rape a Second

​UPDATE, FEB. 18, 5:15 P.M.: 31-year-old Corona resident Gilberto Cruz Silva was sentenced to 39 years to life in state prison and required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life for raping one prostitute at knifepoint and trying to rape a second in 2009.

Hunt Heats Up for the Cooler Bandit

​Recognize the guy on the right? The FBI and several Southern California law-enforcement agencies would love ever so much to know who he is, as he has been linked to seven bank robberies in the region since August 2009.His last hit was the Jan. 15 robbery of a U.S. Bank branch in Long Beach. He's ... More >>

[UPDATED WITH CONVICTION] Raheem Abdul Edwards Changed Names, Frequently Moved and Gnawed Off Fingerprints, But Still Could Not Escape Anaheim Murder Rap

​UPDATE, FEB. 10, 11:30 A.M.: It took a long time to bring "Radio" Raheem Abdul Edwards to justice for his role in the shooting-murder of liquor-store owner Haeng Shin Kim in Anaheim back in 2000.It took two days for a jury to convict the 30-year-old.

[UPDATED:] Philong Huynh, Accused Murderer of Hurley Intern, Will Not Face Possibility Of Death Penalty; Trial Rescheduled

Philong Huynh will face life in prison, beginning May 23.​Update, Jan. 12, 12:45 p.m.: The trial for Philong Huynh--who is accused of raping and killing Huntington Beach resident Dane Williams in January 2008--was originally scheduled to begin yesterday (Tuesday, Jan. 11), but has been pushed back ... More >>

Racist OC Register Reader Fustercluck of the Day

​Headline: Pedestrian Robbed at Knifepoint in Santa Ana Comment by SUPPERROOSTER: CultureComment by VASQUEZ1: What the headline should read is: Pedestrian robbed at knifepoint in Santa Ana and wasn't stabbed. Robbers failed to ask victim where he was from.News at 11!

'Law and Order: Los Angeles' Already Ripping Off Orange County Crime Stories

​I'm a huge fan of the Law and Order franchise--Special Victims Unit is my favorite because of hot-ass Mariska Hargitay, Criminal Intent remains a weird-ass show, the original will always live on TNT, and I even saw a couple of episodes of the UK version and liked them. The newest member of the fa ... More >>

Gilberto Cruz Silva Guilty of Raping Prostitute, Trying to Rape Another at Knife Point

​A 30-year-old Corona man was found guilty by a jury today of forcibly raping one prostitute and attempting to rape another at knife point. Gilberto Cruz Silva faces a maximum sentence of 36 years to life in state prison at his Jan. 21 sentencing in Westminster.

He Shall Be Set Free

Phil Aguilar’s brand of outlaw Christianity made him an evangelical powerhouse—and has law enforcement calling the pastor a criminal

Pinalcchio

Renowned forensics experts say a Pinal County, Arizona, deputy's high-profile tale about getting shot after encountering drug smugglers doesn't add up

Asylum Denied

Only a fraction of Mexicans get U.S. asylum.

Seized

Inside the brutal world of America's kidnapping capital

Alberto Martinez Gets Death Penalty for Bizarre Family Murder Plot

​Deborah Perna, who was the office manager at her family's trucking business, was jealous that her father intended to pass control to her brother, who she was also convinced was stealing from the company. So, the 53-year-old Anaheim resident arranged to have her brother whacked. Today, a second ga ... More >>

Cowboy Down

Rob Krentz's Family Talks About the Life and Death of the Murdered Arizona Rancher

Are You With Me, Dr. Fu? Not So Much

​Xinming Fu, a 48-year-old Irvine physician, has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for his role in a $15 million health care fraud scheme that plied the elderly and mentally ill with candy, doughnuts and cigarettes to get them to undergo unnecessary respiratory treatments that were b ... More >>

Pursuing the American Dream ... of Ponzi Schemes and Real Estate Fraud!?!

​A Newport Beach woman from India and her daughter were in court today to face charges that they and the woman's other daughter and son-in-law conspired to commit more than $16 million in real estate fraud.Meanwhile, the Korean-American chairman of an Irvine investment firm and his South Korean gi ... More >>

Rodney Alcala's Murderous Romp Through Polite Society Brings Him to an Orange County Courtroom Again

Man Accused of Getting Teen and Woman Drunk and Then Raping Them--9 Years Apart

Courtesy of Orange County District Attorney's officeMax Danilo Martinez is accused of rapes nine years apart.​In announcing the charges against a Corona man who is being arraigned in Santa Ana this morning for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl and 24-year-old woman, the Orange County District At ... 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 >>

Crime Time: Double the Fun Starring [Alleged] Skeevy Teachers, Fake Cop Robbers and Ryan Seacrest's Strange Stalker

It's the Weekly's weekly round-up of local police calls--actually the Weekly's TWO weekly round-up as an attempt is made to make up for lost vacation time.Left courtesy of E! Entertainment, right courtesy of Orange Police DepartmentRyan Seacrest (left) gets paid another visit from his No. 1 Army spe ... More >>

La Voz de Aztlan Defends Local Muslims--By Demonizing Jews

Carreon, at right: Who knew such a venomous man was an beer-bellied, middle-aged pendejo?​If I were a member of UC Irvine's Muslim Student Union, I'd be scared: Hector Carreon is taking up your cause! The sole writer of the notoriously gay-bashing, Jew-trashing La Voz de Aztlán--who has taken to ... More >>

[BEST OF OC] El Activista (the Activist): Brian Levin

Crime Time: Ho' Attacker, Hammer Head, Bushman Packing Heat, Monkey Off the Market and Ryan Seacrest

It's the Weekly's weekly round-up of local police calls--now with more ho' attackers, hammer heads, short robbers, skateboarding nazis, bloody bandagers, bushmen packing heat, baseball bat-wielding robbers, monkeys that are not for sale and Ryan Seacrest.Center photo by Melinda Nagy/Dreamstime.comBE ... More >>

Cirilo Flores Rarely Pursued Discipline of Molesting Priests While Serving on Important Church Board

MADD's Not Buying Study That Shows Lower Drinking Age Saves Lives

Many of you reading this were not even born yet, but way, way, back in the 1990s, the early days when this was your daddy's OC Weekly, Mike Males was moonlighting stories for us while attaining a PhD in social ecology from UC Irvine. For instance, in February of 1999, Males wrote "Here Come the New ... More >>

Wake Up And Suck The Orange 1.22.08

What you get to read this morning: SOBER-LIVING HOME DEBATE: LA Times - Balboa Peninsula's plethora of sober-living homes faces the wrath of the Newport Beach City Council as well as the Concerned Citizens of Newport Beach. One wonders whether these Citizens are related to the Cannery Village Conce ... More >>

!Ask a Mexican!

'Theyre always little bit more rambunctious'

17th Time ain't a charm

This morning, we noted that the man known as the "Irreconcilable Differences" bandit robbed his 16th bank out in Newport Beach. Now, CBS reports that a guy who matched his description was arrested in Glendale shortly after robbing a Wells Fargo. They got him in the parking lot of the local McDonald ... More >>