Four former law enforcement and military officers appeared in court today to face charges of impersonating a law enforcement team, entering an Irvine man’s home, and threatening him and his family with violence and deportation.
The men allegedly demanded nearly $37 million and ownership rights in a business from the man, in exchange for not harming his family.
The charges include conspiracy to commit extortion, attempted extortion, conspiracy against rights, and deprivation of rights under color of law. The defendants include a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy and a former LASD deputy, along with two former members of the British and Australian military.
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The alleged incident stems from a business dispute between the Irvine businessman and a wealthy Chinese national. The Chinese national reportedly hired one of the defendants to help recover assets from the businessman. The defendants then allegedly staged a fake raid on the businessman’s home, using official police powers to intimidate and threaten him and his family.
The businessman ultimately signed over his multimillion-dollar interest in the business to the Chinese national. He immediately reported the incident to the Irvine Police Department, but one of the defendants allegedly lied to the police about the nature of their visit to the businessman’s home.
The defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each extortion-related count and up to 10 years for each deprivation of rights-related count. The FBI is investigating the matter, with assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Irvine Police Department.
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It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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