Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles say that two former military officers and another two former police officers may have physically assaulted a victim and threatened to deport him if he didn’t comply during a raid that took place in June, 2019. The four former military and police officials were arraigned in federal court on Monday after prosecutors alleged that they attempted to shake down the business partner of a Chinese conspirator. The former officials posted as current law enforcement officials as part of the alleged $37 million shakedown attempt.
Federal prosecutors say that the men served as soldiers in the British and Australian military or as officers for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The defendants, who range between the ages of 39 and 68, now face charges of conspiracy and deprivation of rights and extortion. If found guilty, the men could serve as long as 30 years in prison.
Here’s What Happened
According to court documents, the victim was a Chinese national who lived in Irvine, California. The victim was embroiled in a legal battle that had been going on since 2013. The dispute centered around a disagreement over who owned Jiangsu Sinorgchem Technology CO. Ltd., a company which the victim claimed the Chinese government had a claim. According to the woman, the Chinese government had issued a global “red notice” against her, which would constitute a form of global arrest warrant, over the ongoing dispute.
Prosecutors said in 2018 that a Chinese conspirator had contacted one of the men involved in the assault, 39-year-old British citizen Max Turbett, claiming that she had not handled the matter “the smart way.” The woman allegedly asked Turbett to “find a solution to finish the problem” so that the pair could retire. According to court documents, Turbett hired a former Los Angeles police deputy to put together a team that could convince, or force, the victim to sign documents that would make the lawsuit go away. According to prosecutors, the four men launched a raid on June 17, 2019, after driving to the victim’s home in an unmarked police vehicle. One man flashed a Los Angeles police department badge, while another false identified himself as an immigration office.
After entering the home under false pretenses, the men then allegedly threw the victim against a wall and proceeded to choke him. The victim eventually signed the documents, forfeiting millions of dollars to the Chinese conspirator.
