LOS ANGELES — Federal agents raided a Philippines-based church in Los Angeles Wednesday in a human trafficking investigation that led to arrests of three church leaders in what prosecutors said was a decades-long scheme to trick followers into becoming fundraisers and arrange sham marriages to keep them in the U.S....
Iran Announces Arrests Over Downing of Plane That Killed 176
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Tuesday that authorities have made arrests for the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane, which killed all 176 people on board and set off protests in the country demanding accountability after officials initially concealed the cause of the crash. Iran's Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili...
Death Penalty Possible for Six Arrested in Hmong Murders
UPDATE After 44 days, and 5,000 hours of investigative work, Fresno Police say they have solved a quadruple homicide that gripped the city and the nation. At a New Year's Eve news conference, Fresno Police Chief Andrew Hall announced the arrest of six suspects in the Nov. 17 homicides. The...
Joint Task Force Arrests 35 Country Boys Crips Gang Members
A three-month investigation into the criminal activities of Bakersfield's Country Boys Crips street gang has resulted in 35 arrests. The arrests, along with the seizure of 15 firearms, illegal narcotics, and stolen items, were announced Tuesday by state Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Bakersfield Police Chief Kyle Martin, and Kern County...
Dolores Huerta Arrested in Labor Protest for Higher Wages
Dolores Huerta emerged from the tunnel beneath the Fresno County Courthouse to the thunderous cheers of the purple-clad SEIU 2015 members. The labor icon thusly fulfilled a prophecy she made earlier Tuesday morning about being arrested. She had no trepidation when she was handcuffed by Fresno County deputies. "I believe...
Iran Says It Arrested 17 Iranians Allegedly Recruited by CIA
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran said Monday it has arrested 17 Iranian nationals allegedly recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency to spy on the country's nuclear and military sites, and that some of them have already been sentenced to death. The arrests took place over the past months, and...
Task Force Hits Heart of Nuestra Familia Prison Gang in Coalinga
When Salvador Castro Jr. and Raymond Lopez were sent to Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, they continued to be large-scale drug dealers. But thanks to the work of local, state and federal law enforcement officers, the Nuestra Familia prison gang's dirty dealings have been disrupted. Authorities announced Wednesday the...
My Turn: We Need a Bold Vision for Juvenile Justice. Newsom’s Plan Falls Short
Over the past two decades, California’s Division of Juvenile Justice’s inmate population has fallen from 10,000 to around 660. Its annual budget is down 70 percent. Eight of its 11 detention facilities have closed. The division now spends $300,000 per year per inmate, yet three-fourths of those who are released recidivate within three years....
Ex-Judges to ICE: End Immigration Arrests at Courthouses
BOSTON — Dozens of retired state and federal judges called Wednesday on U.S. immigration officials to stop making arrests at courthouses of people suspected of being in the country illegally, saying immigrants should be free to visit halls of justice without fearing they will be detained. Nearly 70 former judges...
Mexican Mafia Busted for Running Crime in LA County Jails
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County jails are run by the sheriff, but the Mexican Mafia wielded the power in the underworld behind bars. The organization made up of leaders from various Latino gangs operated like an illegal government, collecting "taxes" on smuggled drugs, ordering hits on people who...