January 2019
Volume 4, Issue 1
Dear Friends:
As we begin the new year, I hope to build on the significant progress we made in 2018.

I remain committed to prosecuting serious and violent crimes and improving the safety of Los Angeles County and all of its residents .
Spotlight:
New Executive Management Team
With the new year, new executive managers have stepped in to work with District Attorney Jackie Lacey and guide the nation’s largest prosecutorial office.

The changes are due to the retirements of Chief Deputy District Attorney John Spillane and William Hodgman, who served as assistant district attorney for Line Operations. The appointments were effective Jan. 2.

“My newest executives will continue to provide strong leadership to safeguard the public’s trust as we prosecute violent crime and manage the nation’s largest local prosecutorial office,” District Attorney Lacey said.

“Besides their dedication to public safety and high ethical standards, these individuals also represent the rich ethnic diversity of the people who we serve,” she said.

District Attorney Lacey promoted Joseph P. Esposito to chief deputy district attorney, the second-highest ranking position in the office. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations, including supervision of the office’s nearly 1,000 attorneys, 300 peace officers and 800 support staff members.

Sergio A. Gonzalez was elevated to assistant district attorney for Line Operations. In his new position, Gonzalez manages approximately 700 prosecutors who staff the downtown criminal courts and 12 branch and eight area offices throughout Los Angeles County.

Victoria Lewis Adams was named assistant district attorney for Special Operations. She manages nearly 300 deputy district attorneys who prosecute some of the county’s most complex and notorious crimes involving fraud, corruption, gang violence, child abuse and human trafficking.

The Executive Management Team also includes Assistant District Attorney Pamela K. Booth, who oversees Administration, and Chief John J. Neu, who leads the Bureau of Investigation.

In addition, District Attorney Lacey promoted Maria Ramirez, who becomes the first Latina to serve as a director, to run the Bureau of Specialized Prosecutions and Carol Burke to serve as director of the Bureau of Branch and Area Operations, Region I.

The Legal Management Team also includes Scott Goodwin, director of the Bureau of Fraud and Corruption Prosecutions; Kellyjean Chun, director of the Bureau of Prosecution Support Operations; James Garrison, director of the Bureau of Central Operations; and Gina Satriano, director of the Bureau of Branch & Area Operations, Region II.
Fraud Alert
  Significant Cases
People with forgotten bank accounts or insurance policies should beware of fraudsters seeking to profit from their overlooked assets.

Read the Fraud Alert and watch the video here .
  • An East Los Angeles woman was ordered to spend the next nine years in county jail for defrauding more than 30 clients through a home-based immigration services business. Learn how the scam worked and how much restitution the woman must pay to her victims.

  • Instead of helping his patients, a San Fernando Valley chiropractor helped himself to their money. Read about the man’s role in a massive $150 million workers’ compensation insurance fraud scheme.

  • A man narrowly survived after being pushed in front of a truck. Find out what the suspect also is accused of doing to two women in downtown Los Angeles.
Envoys of Honor
For more than five years, the District Attorney’s Color Guard has served as office ambassadors at some of Southern California’s most solemn events.

The 13-person contingent, consisting of members of the office’s Bureau of Investigation, respectfully displays and escorts the nation’s flag at funerals and memorials for fallen law enforcement officers and others. Their duties include standing watch over the casket, serving as pallbearers, flag folding and giving a 21-gun salute. The group also presents the flag at numerous District Attorney’s Office ceremonies and other events.

It is the only such ensemble from a district attorney’s office in the nation.

In 2018, members attended nine law enforcement funerals, including November ceremonies for Ventura County Sheriff’s Sergeant Ron Helus, who died during a mass shooting at a Thousand Oaks nightclub, and Gardena Police Officer Toshio Hirai, who was killed in a motorcycle collision.

“When one of these public servants pays the ultimate sacrifice, it is only fitting to honor them with the dignity and respect they deserve,” said Lt. Robert Maus, who has been with the Color Guard since its inception in 2013.

Members have represented the office at peace officer memorials in Los Angeles County, Sacramento and Washington, D.C. They also have appeared at Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium, the Honda Center and the Baker-to-Vegas Challenge Relay Race.

The Color Guard helps foster a greater understanding of the important work performed by the office, Maus said.

“Being the only District Attorney’s Color Guard in the nation, we receive a lot of inquiries from other law enforcement agencies when we attend these events,” Maus said. “It opens up the dialogue, explaining what our office does and how big our agency is. Officers from around the world are amazed at the size of the Bureau of Investigation and the crimes we investigate.”
Holiday Giving Brings Gifts, Smiles
The staff of the District Attorney’s Office spread holiday cheer to hundreds of children, most of them victims of violent crimes, this holiday season. The Bureau of Victim Services and the Bureau of Investigation distributed toys, gift cards and essential items worth $26,000 to 446 children during the annual Holiday Giving Drive. In addition, District Attorney Jackie Lacey and Bureau of Investigation employees shopped for holiday gifts with 50 child victims of crime as part of Target’s Heroes & Helpers community-based program. Target provided $200 gift cards to each child. Prosecutors from the Hardcore Gang Division and others also donated more than 150 bicycles and 100 other gifts to the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Toy Drive.

The office accepts donations to assist crime victims year-round through the California Community Foundation.
Did You Know...?
The District Attorney’s Office was part of the investigation of President Richard M. Nixon. The “Watergate West” investigation was sparked by the 1971 burglary of a Beverly Hills psychiatrist’s office. One of the psychiatrist’s patients was Daniel Ellsberg, who Nixon associates wanted to discredit for leaking Vietnam War-related documents to the media. John D. Ehrlichman, a Nixon adviser, pictured left, and three other men were indicted in connection with the burglary. The state charges were dropped after Ehrlichman and others were charged federally. 
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office | (213) 974-3512 | info@da.lacounty.gov

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