San Diego Criminal Attorney Blog

Sergeant Walter McWilson, 37, quoted as a rising star within the Oceanside Police Department, was arrested on suspicion of knowingly receiving fraudulently purchased goods totaling an estimated $54,000 for home improvements which included wood flooring, flat screen TVs, and recording studio equipment. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Thursday, November 12, 2009 in Vista Superior Court to six counts of grand theft, seven counts of receiving stolen property, and one count of conspiracy. McWilson is being held on bail for $150,000 and has a calendared preliminary hearing on December 1, 2009. According to Prosecutor Anne Winn, if he is convicted, McWilson could face up to five years in prison on top of losing his badge.

The investigation began in 2008 with a Murrieta woman, Aimee Rich, who was suspected of embezzling company money from the Oceanside construction company, Royal Pacific Construction. The company's credit card statements revealed that Rich had made several unauthorized purchases at stores like Home Depot and Lowes for herself amounting to nearly $60,000. The District Attorney's Office later revealed that McWilson had had a romantic relationship with Aimee Rich during the time she was employed as the office manager for the construction company. Aimee Rich has plead guilty this past month to felony embezzlement and has been cooperating with prosecutors on McWilson's case. Rich claims that McWilson was aware of her making the illegal purchases and even requested her to buy him many expensive items. So far, McWilson has only admitted to receiving some items as gifts from Rich, but denies knowing that they were purchased illegally.

Fellow officers have expressed great shock at the latest charges and described him as "an up-and-coming sergeant who was passionate about serving the community." McWilson holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and was currently working on his master's degree. Captain Aguigui affirmed that, "There was no indication whatsoever [of this activity]. We saw him as a rising star."

Continue reading "OCEANSIDE POLICE SERGEANT PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO GRAND THEFT CHARGES" »

CARLSBAD: Two men, Alan Espiritu, 35, and Cesar Moreno, 40, were arrested on Tuesday on November 3, 2009 for alleged grand theft and securities fraud. They pleaded not guilty to charges during an arraignment held on Thursday, November 5, 2009 in San Diego Superior Court.

They are accused of operating a fraudulent investment company, called Permex with offices located in Vista and Carlsbad. Their target clients were mostly non-English speaking Hispanics, 25 of which, have come forward so far to report net losses of a whopping $1.2 million combined. According to police, one of Espiritu and Moreno's tactics would be to befriend these victims on a personal level. They would often attend family functions, even weddings to gain their trust and then aggressively persuade the victims to invest money with Permex to fund non-existent projects such as, "building development, house-flipping, and commercial investments," with the promise of returns up to 25 percent.

The investigation began with a tip given to the Carlsbad police back in May 2008. They have currently mapped out a web of victims dating back to 2001 that spans throughout southern California. Specific counties affected have been Los Angeles and Riverside counties, as well as here locally in San Diego which specifically include Fallbrook, Valley Center, and Chula Vista. Carlsbad police spokeswoman, Lynn Diamond, further elaborated that in some the cases, these undocumented immigrants were advised to stop making payments on their home mortgages and use that money to invest with Permex. Many ended up losing their homes on top of the lost investments. Evidence also estimates that these victims lost between $10,000 and $200,000 a piece. Police do believe there are still additional victims that have yet to come forward.

Continue reading "San Diego Investment Fraud Scheme Uncovered" »

Following a whopping total of 21 arrests in San Diego County from over the weekend, Border Patrol agents arrested another 20 suspected illegal immigrants at approximately 5:00 a.m. this morning from a boat attempting to dock ashore Beacon's Beach in Leucadia, according to San Diego Sheriff's Lt. Julie Sutton. There was also a report from deputies that an unidentified man was seen waiting nearby with a van. Whether this man was connected to the incident or was arrested is unknown at this time.

Source: City News Service