Federal authorities have charged two former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and two former foreign military officials in a case that involved a sham raid at the home of a Chinese national.
The four men were charged with threatening the Chinese national and his family with violence and deportation.
The backstory: Five years ago the four men conducted a sham raid at the Chinese national’s Orange County home.
- They demanded that he pay them $37 million and give them the rights to his business.
The big picture: The four men were charged with conspiracy to commit extortion, attempted extortion, conspiracy against rights and deprivation of rights under color of the law.
- They all pleaded not guilty on Monday.
Go deeper: The victim, a legal permanent resident, and his family were forced into a room for hours, had their phones taken and were threatened with deportation unless they complied with the demands.
- The victim was coerced into relinquishing his multimillion-dollar interest in a China-based company that makes rubber chemicals after being physically assaulted by the perpetrators, according to prosecutors.
- The businessman’s business partner, a Chinese woman, financed the sham raid due to legal disputes over the company in the U.S. and China, prosecutors said.
- One of the charged individuals, Steven Arthur Lankford, retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 2020 and is accused of using official resources to assist in the raid, while another charged individual, Glen Louis Cozart, also a former sheriff’s deputy, is also facing charges.
- Additionally, Max Samuel Bennett Turbett, a former member of the British military, and Matthew Phillip Hart, a former member of the Australian military, are charged in the case.
What we’re watching: The four men each face up to 20 years in prison if they are convicted.
