Los Angeles, Ca
Encino man convicted of $27M COVID relief fraud scheme
An Encino man was convicted by a federal jury Monday in a $27 million COVID-19 reduction funds fraud scheme.
Robert Benlevi, 53, was convicted for submitting fraudulent purposes searching for cash from the Paycheck Safety Program (PPP), submitting false statements to a monetary establishment, and cash laundering, the Division of Justice mentioned in a information launch Tuesday.
Benlevi submitted 27 PPP mortgage purposes to 4 banks between April and June 2020 on behalf of eight corporations solely owned by him, in keeping with courtroom paperwork and proof offered at trial.
Within the purposes, Benlevi sought a complete of $27 million in forgivable PPP loans assured by the Small Enterprise Administration below the Coronavirus Assist, Reduction, and Financial Safety (CARES) Act, the DOJ mentioned.
In his fraudulent purposes, Benlevi represented that every of his corporations had 100 staff and common month-to-month payroll of $400,000, though he knew that the businesses didn’t have any staff or payroll bills, in keeping with the division.
He additionally submitted fabricated IRS paperwork falsely stating that every of the businesses had an annual payroll of $4,800,000, the DOJ added.
Based mostly on Benlevi’s fraudulent mortgage purposes, three of his corporations — 1Stellar Well being LLC, Bestways2 Well being LLC and Joyous-Health4U LLC — obtained $3 million in PPP funds.
Though Benlevi falsely represented that the funds can be used for payroll and different enterprise bills, he as an alternative used them for private bills, together with money withdrawals, funds on his private bank cards, transfers to different private and enterprise accounts he managed, and renting an oceanfront house in Santa Monica, the DOJ mentioned.
In a single day, Benlevi withdrew $248,000 of PPP funds in cashier’s checks from the Bestways2 Well being account, and deposited the cash into different accounts he managed.
Benlevi was convicted of financial institution fraud, false statements to a monetary establishment, and cash laundering.
He’s scheduled to be sentenced on June 27 and faces a most penalty of 30 years in jail.
Los Angeles, Ca
Hospital in L.A. County asking for public’s help in identifying patient
A hospital in Los Angeles County is asking for the public’s help in identifying a patient who has been hospitalized since late April.
Officials at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance say the man was brought to the hospital by ambulance after suffering a medical emergency at a bus stop at Torrance Boulevard and Earl Street on April 23.
The patient had no identification and has been unable to participate in his care, hospital officials said.
He is described as a Black male adult standing around 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing approximately 193 pounds with brown eyes, black hair a beard and a mustache.
The man has several tattoos, including the word “California” across his abdomen, the date “1997” above his left eyebrow and the word “Lady” over his right eyebrow.
Anyone who may recognize the patient or know any of his family members is urged to contact officials at 661-755-1322.
Los Angeles, Ca
Los Angeles police identify knife-wielding woman shot and killed by officers on Saturday
The Los Angeles Police department has identified the woman shot and killed by officers while wielding a knife and threatening family members before turning the knife onto law enforcement.
Officers responded to an apartment building on the 9400 block of Van Nuys Boulevard in Panorama City at 12:50 a.m. Saturday on reports of a woman attempting to assault family members with a knife. The person who called authorities reported that the woman was blocking the family members from leaving the apartment.
Upon arrival, officers staged on a second-floor landing of the apartment building, just outside the unit’s door. After unsuccessfully attempting to speak to the woman, officers heard a loud banging noise and the woman’s screams, police said.
Officers then forced entry into the apartment, believing that the woman was attempting to “gain access” to the victims. Once inside, they encountered the woman and again shouted orders at her to drop the knife.
She refused, police said, and charged officers while holding up the knife. Officers simultaneously tased and shot her at that moment.
The woman was transported to a local hospital, where she later died. On Sunday, police identified her as 23-year-old Joanna Lua.
No other injuries were reported. A 10-inch bread knife was recovered at the scene.
Los Angeles, Ca
Family devastated after motorcyclist killed by DUI driver in Orange County
The family of a motorcyclist remains devastated after he was killed by a drunk driver who was speeding at over 100 miles per hour in Orange County.
The victim was identified as Alexander Marce, 28, an Anaheim resident.
On June 12, Alexander was stopped at a red light on Orangethorpe Avenue in Fullerton when a driver in a BMW struck him and ejected him off his bike.
The suspect continued driving away while dragging Alexander’s motorcycle, which was still wedged underneath the car, for a “significant distance,” said the Fullerton Police Department.
Witnesses followed the suspect and were able to detain him until police arrived at the scene. The suspect was identified as Francisco Garcia-Vargas, 44.
At the time of the crash, Garcia-Vargas had a blood alcohol level of almost three times the legal limit and was driving at more than 100 mph toward a red light without slowing down, prosecutors said.
The victim’s family remains heartbroken and devastated over Alexander’s death.
“Alexander was magnetic,” said Erika Diaz, the victim’s aunt. “He was incredibly determined. He brought so much light.”
“My two sisters came into the house crying and my mom and I woke up, we were extremely scared,” recalled Carlos Marce, the victim’s brother. “We had no idea what was going on.”
Alexander was an aspiring musician who had put his dreams on hold to help earn money to support his family while his mother was battling cancer.
“He didn’t deserve to be murdered this way,” Carlos said. “In such a horrendous and tragic way.”
Video recorded following the crash showed the suspect stumbling during a field sobriety test. Police said he did not try to stop or pull over to help Alexander after hitting him.
“It hurts me and affects the whole family that a man in this state could just run over somebody and continue revving the vehicle,” Carlos said.
Garcia-Vargas was arrested and charged with three felonies including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, and driving with a blood alcohol content of .08% or higher.
If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 10 years in state prison.
Alexander’s family hopes that sharing this story will serve as a stark reminder to others that driving under the influence is never worth it.
“It’s not just risking your life, but other people’s lives, innocent lives,” Carlos said. “It’s not worth it.”
Alexander’s aunt said the family is also lobbying for stricter laws when it comes to DUI drivers.
“A vehicle is a killing machine,” said Diaz. “There’s got to be some type of severe consequences for individuals when they get involved in accidents like this. We are hoping we can set up a meeting with a state senator to discuss some type of bill [addressing these issues.]”
A GoFundMe page to help Alexander’s family with funeral expenses can be found here.
While investigating the crash, a police cruiser that was blocking traffic on Orangethorpe Avenue was struck by a motorist in a Tesla that was in self-drive mode.
The crash caused the police car to spin around, leaving the front end heavily damaged. An officer was standing near the vehicle, but jumped out of the way just in time and was not injured.
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