Four former law enforcement and military officers are accused of conducting a sham raid on a California businessman’s home in 2019 and forcing him to sign away rights to his business worth tens of millions of dollars, federal prosecutors said. The defendants acted on behalf of the victim’s business partner who funded the “bogus raid,” physically assaulted the businessman, and coerced him into relinquishing his multimillion-dollar interest in a Chinese rubber chemical manufacturer. The victim’s family was present during the raid, in which he was not only physically assaulted but also threatened with deportation.
The four defendants, including a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy, a former LASD deputy, a former member of the British military, and a former member of the Australian military, are facing charges of conspiracy to commit extortion, attempted extortion, conspiracy against rights, and deprivation of rights under color of law. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in federal prison for each extortion-related count and up to 10 years for each deprivation of rights-related count.
The victim and his business partner had a long-standing dispute over their ownership in the rubber chemical manufacturer, which led to the fake raid orchestrated by the defendants. The business partner had contacted one of the defendants to find a solution to the dispute and promised them a large sum of money if they assisted her. The defendants conducted the sham raid, physically assaulting the victim, coercing him into signing over his rights, and ultimately getting paid for their involvement in the scheme.
The victim ultimately contacted the Irvine police after the defendants left, leading to the charges against them. The investigation revealed the extent of the conspiracy and the coercion used to force the victim into signing away his business rights. The defendants are set to be arraigned and could face significant prison time if convicted.
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