Four former Los Angeles County deputies and military officers are accused of conducting a bogus raid to extort a Chinese national to turn over his business to them.
NBC News reports the four allegedly entered the man’s home in Irvine and used physical force to get him to sign papers relinquishing his multimillion-dollar Chinese business.
The victim’s business partner is said to be the unindicted co-conspirator in the case. She has not been identified but has been described as a Chinese national. Investigators say the two partners are involved in an ongoing dispute over the business that began several years ago.
The company is valued at $37 million.
“It is critical that we hold public officials, including law enforcement officers, to the same standards as the rest of us,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in a statement. “It is unacceptable and a serious civil rights violation for a sworn police officer to take the law into his own hands and abuse the authority of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”
Courthouse News reports the indictment accuses the men of using physical force and intimidation, including slamming the victim against the wall and choking him. They also allegedly threatened the victim and his wife with deportation and permanently separating them from their four-year-old son.
Indicted are Steven Lankford, 68, a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy and Glenn Cozart, 63, a former LA County sheriff’s deputy. They face charges including conspiracy to commit extortion and attempted extortion.
In addition, Max Turbett, 39, a United Kingdom citizen and former member of the U.K’s military, and Matthew Hart, 41, an Australian citizen who is a former member of Australia’s armed forces face identical charges.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Lankford retired from the force in 2017, but occasionally worked as a reserve deputy. In 1992, Cozart was arrested on suspicion of planting false evidence.
They could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
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