Two men arrested at a Clearlake residence are accused of drug crimes involving methamphetamine manufacturing. Authorities stated that a 27-year-old man from Clearlake and a 32-year-old man from Pope Valley were arrested after officers responded to a call to investigate a Kakul Street residence. The two men were at the house when police arrived and found drug paraphernalia associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine. The two men were also believed to be under the influence of the drug at the time of arrest.The suspects were booked into the Lake County Jail. The bonds were set at $2,000 for one man and $3,000 for the other. The residence was cleared of chemicals in preparation of the execution of a search warrant, and all hazardous substances were secured and transported to the California Department of Justice for analysis.
Clearlake men arrested on meth charges
Cell phone solves Chula Vista robbery case
After a home invasion in which robbery suspects threatened a man with a gun and fired the weapons into a bedroom where his wife was sleeping, police traced the suspects through a cell phone that was stolen along with other items from the home. The robbery occurred about 1:30 in the morning with the homeowner, his wife and their small child in the residence.Police said the resident was approached by two suspects as he left his garage. One of the perpetrators pointed the gun at him and told him to lay on the ground. The two ransacked the man's garage and allegedly fired a shot through the wall that entered the bedroom where the suspect's wife lay sleeping. The suspects fled with several items, including the man's cell phone.
California state workers charged with fraud
State auditors conducting nine investigations have alleged that state workers were overpaid and committed bribery, mail fraud and other financial crimes. At least nine of these investigations have resulted in convictions for the state workers involved.In one case, employees of the Franchise Tax Board and the Office of the Secretary of State collaborated with a courier service owner in issuing "official" letters to business owners stating that in order to find out if they were in good standing with the state, they had to pay a $20 processing fee. One employee issued letters of good standing to businesses through the courier, who paid $300 to $400 a week for these services. The two employees involved in the scheme, as well as the courier, were convicted on bribery charges and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $227,000 to the state.
Man faces drug charges, extradition to California
A South Carolina businessman faces extradition to Butte County, California, on drug charges including cultivation and possession of marijuana and possession of an assault weapon. The suspect was arrested and detained at the Moss Justice Center while he awaited a hearing on extradition. The suspect's attorney declined to waive extradition proceedings and asked that his client be released on bond.Police in Butte County intercepted 92 pounds of marijuana that had been mailed to the suspect's South Carolina address, and further investigation revealed that six prior shipments of the same size had been sent to the address in the past. Upon executing a search warrant for his home, officials found a small quantity of marijuana.
4 convicted in multimillion-dollar medical fraud
The Orange County District Attorney secured convictions for four individuals for federal crimes involving medical fraud in what is turning out to be the largest single prosecution of its type in the country. The defendants are alleged to have recruited healthy patients to undergo unnecessary surgeries in order to bill insurance companies fraudulently. The prosecution has split the case into parts based on the sheer volume of counts and indictments involved, including income tax evasion.The Unity Outpatient Surgery Center in Buena Park is said to have recruited more than 2,800 people to undergo unnecessary surgery in exchange for low-cost cosmetic procedures or monetary payments. Insurance companies were billed a total of $20 million in less than a year. Before returning a 70-page indictment against 13 defendants, a grand jury heard testimony from 56 witnesses and examined 1,054 exhibits or pieces of evidence.
