Law Enforcement

LOS ANGELES – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced today the takedown of a Long Beach Crip street gang that operated an identity theft scheme to perpetrate tax fraud, stealing over $3.3 million and attempting to steal over $11 million via tax fraud. The operation resulted in 22 members of the Insane Crip street gang being taken into custody on charges that include 283 counts of criminal conspiracy, 299 counts of identity theft, 226 counts of grand theft and 58 counts of attempted theft.

“This violent street gang orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to steal the identities of hardworking Californians and defraud the government of millions in taxpayer money,” Attorney General Harris said. “These victims had their identities stolen and face financial harm as a result of this theft. My office is committed to dismantling these criminal organizations and targeting their illicit income sources. I thank our law enforcement partners for their thorough investigation in this matter.”

"Our detectives did an outstanding job uncovering this crime scheme," said Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, "Our partnership with assisting law enforcement agencies was instrumental in bringing this case together. These financial crimes are funding gang activity within our city and impacting the lives of many people through monetary loss and concerns about vulnerability.”

“Today’s arrests are a victory for law enforcement in the ongoing battle against gangs who commit financial crimes through our nation’s mail system and victimize an entire nation of law abiding citizens,” said Robert Wemyss, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service.  “Postal Inspectors remain dedicated to collaborating with our law enforcement partners in the investigation of these crimes that victimize our citizens and finance criminal enterprise.”

The arrest is the culmination of a three-year investigation into the Insane Crip street gang that began after a Long Beach crime spree tied to the gang. A Long Beach Police Department detective discovered evidence containing the personal identifying information of hundreds of California residents at an address associated with the gang. The defendants had used the stolen personal identifying information to commit financial crimes, including identity theft and tax return fraud.

The defendants exchanged the stolen information via text messages to the leaders of the scheme, who would then file fraudulent tax returns, obtain the refunds and load them onto prepaid debit cards in the name of other victims. The debit cards were then used to fund the gang’s illicit activities, lavish lifestyle and to recruit members.

Tax return fraud occurs when an individual files a fraudulent tax return with someone else’s personal identifying information and collects a tax refund from the IRS. Victims are unlikely to know their identities have been stolen until they attempt to file a tax return that is rejected by the IRS because one has already been filed.

The Attorney General’s eCrime Unit (eCU) and Financial Frauds and Special Prosecutions Section (FFSPS) are jointly prosecuting the case, which resulted from an investigation by the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

In March, Attorney General Harris issued tips for Californians to avoid tax-related identity theft and on how consumers can protect themselves. These tips and additional resources can be found here. 

LOS ANGELES —Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arrest of five individuals suspected of being associated with the Sinaloa Cartel, for trafficking 55 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $2 million.

“California is the gateway for 70 percent of the methamphetamine trafficked into the United States from Mexico,” said Attorney General Harris. “This dangerous drug, and the actions of those who traffic and sell it, threatens the public health and safety of our communities. I thank our DOJ agents and local and federal partners for their commitment to dismantling transnational criminal organizations.”

Pedro Gallegos, 33, Teodoro Yau-Silva, 43, Bernardo Real-Rojo, 39, Anthony Perez, 29, and Jose Christian Rodriguez, 19, were arrested on charges of transportation of methamphetamine and possession for sales, as well as conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. They are suspected to be associated with the Sinaloa Cartel.

The arrests are a result of joint investigations between the Inland Crackdown Allied Task Force (INCA), which is led by the California Department of Justice (DOJ), the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Los Angeles Cartel Strike Force, and the Riverside Police Department.

In one investigation, an undercover California DOJ Bureau of Investigation Special Agent arranged to purchase 30 pounds of methamphetamine for $4,000 per pound and the suspects agreed to complete the transaction in two deliveries of 15 pounds each.

On July 22, 2015, suspects Pedro Gallegos and Teodoro Yau-Silva were arrested in an Ontario, California parking lot after they delivered the first installment of 15 pounds of methamphetamine to the undercover agent. The suspects were expecting payment of $60,000 for methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $750,000. In a separate investigation,  an undercover California DOJ Bureau of Investigation Special Agent negotiated the purchase of 25 pounds of methamphetamine for $3,500 per pound.  The negotiations were conducted by phone with members of the drug trafficking organization in Mexico and in-person with U.S. based representatives.

On July 16, 2015, Real-Rojo, Perez, and Rodriguez were arrested after they delivered 25 pounds of methamphetamine to the undercover agent in a public parking lot in Ontario.  The suspects were expecting a payment of $87,500 for the methamphetamine that has an estimated street value of $1,250,000.   

Gallegos, Yau-Silva, Real-Rojo, Perez, and Rodriguez are currently being held at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s West Valley Detention Center.  Bail for the each suspect has been set at $500,000.  Gallegos and Yau-Silva will be prosecuted by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and Real-Rojo, Perez, and Rodriguez will be prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Attorney General’s report, Gangs Beyond Borders: California and the Fight Against Transnational Organized Crime, called the trafficking of methamphetamine from Mexico into California a growing threat to the state and a top priority for law enforcement.  The report was the first comprehensive report analyzing the current state of transnational criminal organizations in California and the threats they pose to the state’s public safety and economy.

Following the release of this report, Attorney General Harris led a delegation of state attorneys general to Mexico to strengthen working relationships between the governments of both countries to enhance efforts to combat transnational crime.  The delegation met with Mexican state attorneys general and federal officials to discuss the issues of drug, human and firearms trafficking, money laundering, and high-tech crime.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that Jimmy Gong Lee, 55, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and must pay restitution in the amount of $33,861.26 for his role in an Emeryville, California-based sex trafficking ring. 

“The defendant sold young, vulnerable women as commodities,” said Attorney General Harris. “This sentence brings a perpetrator of this heinous crime to justice, and sends a clear message that sex traffickers will be swiftly prosecuted.  I thank our DOJ agents and our local, state and federal partners for their continued commitment to fighting trafficking in communities across California.”

On May 22, 2015, Jimmy Gong Lee and Tom Loi, 59, pled guilty to multiple felony charges.  Lee pled to conspiracy to commit pandering, two counts of bribery, and three counts of tax fraud and Loi pled to conspiracy to commit pandering and two counts of bribery.   Loi will be sentenced in October.

The defendants are two of the four suspects (Jimmy Gong Lee, 55, Tom Loi, 59, Wei Kuang, 56, and Rong Liu, 37) arrested and charged with operating a sex trafficking ring out of Lee and Liu’s business, Acucare Oriental Massage, in Emeryville, California.

Charges are still pending against Kuang and Liu. 

The arrests and sentences are the result of a joint investigation by the California Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the California Attorney General’s Tax Recovery and Criminal Enforcement Task Force (TRaCE), the Emeryville Police Department, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern and Eastern Districts of California.  

The joint investigation revealed that Acucare Oriental Massage operated as a front for a brothel where young Asian females were used for commercial sex and replaced every two weeks. Lee and Liu owned the business while Kuang operated the front desk, collecting money from “customers” and providing condoms.

When authorities became suspicious of the business, an undercover Emeryville Police Captain posing as a corrupt police officer was paid a total of $24,000 in bribes by Loi to allow for the business’s continued operation. On June 5, 2014, California Department of Justice and HSI agents issued warrants for both Acucare Oriental Massage and Lee’s residence, recovering $69,000 cash and evidence that Lee, Liu and Kuang were operating a brothel. Lee, Loi, Kuang and Liu were arrested and charged for conspiracy, pimping, pandering, bribery, and tax fraud on December 12, 2014.

In 2012, Attorney General Harris created a Human Trafficking Work Group and released a report, The State of Human Trafficking in California, outlining the growing prevalence of human trafficking crimes in the state (http://www.oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking/2012). The report analyzes the challenges California faces in addressing this increasing crime. As a populous border state with a significant immigrant population, California is one of the top destinations for human traffickers.

LOS ANGELES – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the release of four annual reports on crime and juvenile justice in California. The reports, Crime in California 2014, Hate Crime in California 2014, Homicide in California 2014 and Juvenile Justice in California 2014, show an overall drop in crime rates in the state.

The annual crime reports provide law enforcement agencies and communities with statewide data on crime levels in their communities.

Crime in California, 2014

Crime in California, 2014 reports statistics on crime that occurred in the state in 2014. The report presents statistics for reported crimes, arrests, dispositions of adult felony arrests, adults placed on probation, full-time criminal justice personnel, citizens’ complaints against peace officers, domestic violence related calls for assistance, and law enforcement officers killed or assaulted.

• The homicide rate decreased 4.3 percent in 2014; total of 1,697 homicides in the state
• The robbery rate decreased 10.0 percent in 2014; total of 48,650 robberies in the state
• The aggravated assault rate increased 2.4 percent in 2014; total of 91,681 aggravated assaults in the state
• There were a total of 1,212,845 arrests in the state in 2014; the lowest since 1969
• There were 9,397 rapes reported in 2014
  • In 2014, the California Department of Justice initiated collection of rape data utilizing the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program’s revised definition of rape. Under previous crime reports, data was only collected and reported on “forcible rape,” which did not account for all instances of rape, including those committed against male victims. In 2013, the FBI revised the definition from “forcible rape” to “rape,” defined as penetration without the consent of the victim. Since an updated definition was adopted this year, 2014 data is not comparable to data reported in previous years.

All police agencies and district attorney’s offices in California submit crime statistics to the California Department of Justice, which is then compiled into a yearly report. These rates are calculated to describe the number of crimes reported for every 100,000 persons within a population.

Hate Crime in California, 2014

Hate Crime in California, 2014 reports statistics on hate crimes that occurred in the state in 2014. These statistics include the number of hate crime events, specific hate crime offenses, victims of hate crime, and suspects of hate crimes. Key highlights include:

• Hate crime offenses decreased 8.7 percent
• Hate crime events decreased 12.2 percent
• Hate crime events involving a race/ethnicity/national origin bias decreased 15.7 percent

All police agencies and district attorney’s offices in California submit hate crime statistics to the California Department of Justice, which is then compiled into a yearly report. 

Homicide in California, 2014  

Homicide in California, 2014 contains information about the crime of homicide and its victims, including demographics data on victims, persons arrested for homicide, persons sentenced to death, peace officers killed in the line of duty, and justifiable homicides. Key highlights include:

• Homicides decreased 2.8 percent in 2014; there were 1,697 homicides reported statewide in 2014
• In cases where the murder weapon was identified, 70.4 percent involved a firearm
• Five peace officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty
• There were 152 justifiable homicides as reported by local law enforcement; 116 committed by a peace officer and 36 committed by a private citizen

All police agencies and district attorney’s offices in California submit homicide statistics to the California Department of Justice, which is then compiled into a yearly report. 

Juvenile Justice in California, 2014

Juvenile Justice in California, 2014 provides insight into the juvenile justice process by reporting the number of arrests, referrals to probation departments, cases filed with juvenile courts, and dispositions for juvenile and adult courts. Key highlights include:

• In 2014, there were 86,823 juvenile arrests in California with 80.4 percent referred to probation departments, 18.5 percent counseled and released and 1.1 percent turned over to another agency  
• Juvenile probation departments received 101,531 cases in 2014 with 88.8 percent coming from law enforcement referrals; of those 0.5 percent (474) resulted in direct file into adult court

Law enforcement agencies, probation departments and Superior Courts submit juvenile justice statistics to the California Department of Justice, which is then compiled into a yearly report.

Complete copies of all reports can be found here:

Crime in California 2014: 
http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/cjsc/publications/candd/cd1...

Hate Crime in California 2014: 
http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/cjsc/publications/hatecrime...

Homicide in California 2014: 
http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/cjsc/publications/homicide/...

Juvenile Justice in California 2014: 
http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/cjsc/publications/misc/jj14...

SAN FRANCISCO — Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that the operator of a cyber exploitation hacking scheme, who coordinated the hacking of over 300 email accounts, pled guilty to disruption of computer access in San Francisco Superior Court. Charles Evens, 26, will be sentenced on August 19, 2015.

“Evens is being held accountable for stealing victims’ most private and intimate images and profiting from this illegal activity,” said Attorney General Harris. “This case builds on our continued focus to prosecute perpetrators of cyber exploitation and to send a clear message that hiding behind a computer screen will not shield offenders from the full extent of the law.”  

An investigation conducted by Attorney General Harris’ eCrime Unit found that Evens utilized a social engineering scheme in which he tricked Gmail account holders into providing the recovery code – which is provided as an additional security measure to Gmail users – for their accounts to him by posing as a Facebook friend. Once in possession of the recovery code, Evens would then change the recovery email to one of three email accounts under his control, gaining access to the victim’s Gmail account and any other accounts associated with that Gmail account. According to public statements, Evens used this unauthorized access to steal intimate images and access other personal content, which he then sold to Hunter Moore to post on his cyber exploitation website for amounts up to $900.

Once in control of a victim’s Gmail account, he reached out to new victims through linked Facebook accounts, stating that he had lost control of his account and needed to receive a Google reset verification code to unlock it. Shortly after providing Evens with the information, each new victim found that they no longer had access to their own Google accounts. One victim found that Evens had changed her Facebook password and contacted 15 of the victim’s friends using the same scheme.

Evens is also currently pending trial on multiple federal charges of identity theft, computer fraud and abuse, and conspiracy for his role as an accomplice to Hunter Moore, the operator of the cyber exploitation website IsAnyoneUp.com. The federal case alleges that Moore instructed Evens to gain unauthorized access to victim’s email accounts in order to gain additional nude and explicit images for his site. Evens stole intimate images from those accounts and subsequently sold them to Hunter Moore to post on his cyber exploitation website for amounts up to $900.

Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to identify and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes and other crimes involving the use of technology.

In April, Attorney General Harris announced an 18-year sentence for cyber exploitation operator Kevin Bollaert. Bollaert operated ugotposted.com, which allowed the anonymous, public posting of private photographs containing nude and explicit images of individuals without their permission. This case was the first prosecution in the country of an operator of a cyber exploitation website. 

Earlier this month, Attorney General Harris announced a three-year jail sentence for Casey E. Meyering, 28, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who operated a cyber exploitation website WinByState.com and the associated website TakedownHammer. He pleaded no contest to one count of extortion, three counts of attempted extortion, and one count of conspiracy and was sentenced on June 8, 2015 to three years in jail.

Attorney General Harris also reminds users of e-mail and social networking sites to never give out account information unless you can verify the identity of the person asking for this information. Always remember that legitimate companies and government agencies will never ask you for your password or other confidential information online or over the phone. Visit a company’s website directly to access your account information, rather than trusting an email or text message claiming to provide information about the status of your account, and don’t response to messages with a link suggesting your account will be closed or suspended if you fail to respond. 

A copy of the complaint submitted to the court can be found here. Please note that a complaint contains only allegations against a person and, as with all defendants, Charles Evens must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

SAN FRANCISCO – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced today that Casey E. Meyering, the operator of a cyber exploitation website which posted intimate images of unsuspecting victims without their consent, was sentenced to three years in jail.

“Meyering humiliated and belittled victims by operating a website that posted their intimate images and personal information, then extorted them for removal,” said Attorney General Harris. “California will not tolerate the illegal actions of cyber exploitation operators who profit by degrading victims from behind a computer screen. This sentence sends a clear message that cyber exploitation will lead to jail time.”

In May, Meyering pled no contest to one count of extortion, three counts of attempted extortion, and one count of conspiracy.

An investigation by the California Department of Justice’s eCrime unit found that Meyering operated WinByState.com, a cyber exploitation website which solicited the anonymous, public posting of private photographs containing nude and explicit images of individuals without their permission.  

Described as “a user supported website where you can trade your ex-girlfriend, your current girlfriend, or any other girl that you might know,” WinByState.com solicited users to identify their “wins” by city and state, often using the victim’s complete or partial name. In the California-specific user forum for the website, there were over 400 postings.

WinbyState.com also required victims to pay $250 via a Google Wallet account to remove their posted photographs, known as “takedowns”. The account was named TakeDownHammer and it was registered to Meyering at a fictitious Beverly Hills storefront. Law enforcement agents purchased a “takedown” for one of the victims in Napa and traced the funds to Meyering’s bank account in Tulsa. Surveillance footage from the bank identified him withdrawing money from the account.

The investigation began in February 2013, stemming from a complaint by a Northern California victim to a Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety detective. The victim suspected that a college classmate had hacked the victim’s computer and retrieved nude images. Through search warrants, law enforcement discovered that the victim’s classmate had indeed hacked and stolen nude images of her. The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office convicted the classmate for identity-theft related crimes and he received an eight-month jail sentence.

Meyering’s sentence follows the sentencing of Kevin Bollaert, the operator of a similar cyber exploitation website. In April, Bollaert was sentenced to 18 years of incarceration following a verdict which found him guilty of 6 counts of extortion and 21 counts of identity theft. The Bollaert case was the first criminal prosecution of a cyber exploitation website operator in the country.

Attorney General Harris has sponsored a package of bills in the California Legislature that will increase protections for victims by providing critical tools for law enforcement to help investigate and prosecute the growing number of cyber exploitation cases in California. SB 676, authored by Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres), passed the Senate and has been sent to the Assembly. AB 1310, authored by Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), passed the Assembly and has been sent to the Senate.

In addition, Attorney General Harris has convened a working group of 50 major technology companies, victim advocates, and legislative and law enforcement leaders to fight cyber exploitation through a public-private partnership. The Attorney General’s working group on cyber exploitation is focused on four key areas: (1) developing an industry statement of principles, (2) education and prevention, (3) law enforcement training and (4) collaboration, legislation and advocacy. The working group includes four major tech companies – Facebook, Instagram, Microsoft and Twitter.

Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to investigate and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes, and other crimes involving the use of technology. 

MERCED – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the takedown of a Merced area street gang that included the arrest of 75 individuals and the seizure of $85,000 in cash, 5,000 pirated DVDs, firearms, and narcotics. The multi-agency takedown targeted gang members from the Merced County Nortenos street gang.

“This operation captured dangerous criminals that are suspected of committing homicides throughout the Central Valley,” Attorney General Harris said. “We will continue to dismantle violent street and prison gang networks by cutting off their flow of money, recruits and communications. I want to thank our DOJ agents and local law enforcement partners for their work on the front lines of this fight every day.”

The investigation, named Operation Red Right Hand, represents the culmination of a five monthlong joint investigation by the California Department of Justice and California Highway Patrol’s Special Operations Unit, Merced Police Department, Merced County Sheriff’s Department, Merced County District Attorney's Office, Merced Multi-Agency Narcotic Task Force (a Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking (HIDTA) team), Atwater Police Department, Los Banos Police Department, Merced County Probation Department, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Parole Division.

Operation Red Right Hand began after a series of gang related homicides in Merced County that started in 2013. The multi-agency investigation aimed to identify Nortenos gang members and associates most likely to participate in or carry out violent crime, dismantle the sources of income for the gang, remove known recruiters within the organization and disrupt communications.

The investigation found that the Nortenos had authorized a war against the Crip criminal street gangs in Merced. In addition, investigators learned that Nuestra Familia, a California prison gang, had instructed the local Nortenos gang to kill and assault members who decided to drop out of the organization.   

Today’s joint investigation resulted in the seizure of 5,000 pirated DVDs, 1,500 pseudoephedrine pills, $85,000 in cash, 11 firearms, four pounds of methamphetamine, three pounds of cocaine, one pound of heroin and 50 pounds of marijuana.  In addition, law enforcement arrested 75 gang members and associates over the course of the operation. The suspects are charged with homicide, attempted homicide, accessory to murder or attempted murder, conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon and assault likely to produce great bodily injury, weapons possession, and sales of narcotics or counterfeit items.

In 2014, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow worked with the Legislature and Governor Brown’s administration to secure $9.4 million for California DOJ Bureau of Investigation’s SOU teams. These unique and essential teams are a partnership between DOJ and CHP and use the latest technology and advanced investigative techniques to work alongside local law enforcement to enhance investigations into violent criminals and organized crime throughout the state.

LOS ANGELES – Today, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced steps to address the pervasive issue of sexual assault on California’s college campuses. As part of this effort, Attorney General Harris released a Model Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), comprised of a How-To Guide and Template MOU for law enforcement agencies and institutions of higher learning to improve their coordination, collaboration and transparency in response to cases of campus sexual assault.

Attorney General Harris was joined by University of California President Janet Napolitano, law enforcement leaders, and victim advocates at a press conference in Los Angeles to announce this effort.  Below are additional quotes in support of this critical effort to address campus sexual assault in California.

Speaker Toni G. Atkins (D- San Diego):

“Our college campuses must be safe places.  And if a sexual assault, a hate crime or a violent crime is committed, each campus and community has the duty to ensure it is taken seriously and resolved responsibly.  The model Memorandum of Understanding developed by Attorney General Harris provides an important, uniform tool for making sure students, faculty, staff and visitors at all California’s colleges and universities find themselves in a safe and supportive environment.”

Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside):

“Given the seriousness of the issue of sexual assault, particularly on college campuses, I am grateful to see the progress of the discussion with this Memorandum of Understanding from the Attorney General and all the continued cooperation between campuses and local law enforcement. As Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, I believe we must protect students and community members and hold perpetrators accountable.”

California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) Executive Director Sandra Henriquez:

“CALCASA applauds the efforts of the California Attorney General’s Office in creating a model Memorandum of Understanding that will assist California campuses and local law enforcement to improve responses to address sexual assault.”   

California College and University Police Chiefs Association President Chief Randy A. Burba:

“The California College and University Police Chiefs Association supports the model Memorandum of Understanding and guidance document released by the Office of the Attorney General.  We thank the Office of the Attorney General for the opportunity to participate during the review process and we trust the final product will be a tremendous advancement to aid municipal law enforcement and university law enforcement in their shared, ultimate goal of assisting survivors and victims of violent crime.  We heartily encourage all of our member agencies of the California College and University Police Chiefs Association to utilize this excellent tool. “

Oxnard Police Department Chief Jeri Williams:

“Law enforcement is committed to a working partnership between campus police and county and local departments to increase the awareness and education of students in the area of sexual assault. This MOU demonstrates our desire to work together and to share resources to best serve our victims of sexual assault.”

University of California Students Association President Jefferson Kuoch-Seng:

“I want to thank Attorney General Harris and the University for their proactive work on the implementation of student- supported legislation. On every campus, sexual violence and response to assault affects everyone and has a huge impact on our campus culture. Student activists have driven a bold agenda on this issue and it is paying off. We have much more work to accomplish: UCSA continues to urge the UC Office of the President to implement mandatory in-person peer consent and bystander intervention training for faculty, staff and students at all UCs.  These model MOUs will ensure communication and cooperation among and on our individual campuses. We are encouraged by this guide, and look forward to meaningful community and survivor-informed discussions to address the issue.”

San Francisco Police Department Chief Greg Suhr:

"Local law enforcement has a shared responsibility with campuses to respond effectively to support victims however we can.  We look forward to working with the colleges and universities within my jurisdiction to implement this Model MOU."

Association of Independent California Colleges & Universities President Kristen Soares:

“AICCU appreciates and supports the work of the California Attorney General in serving as a resource to colleges and universities to ensure compliance with increasingly complex state and and federal campus safety and sexual assault laws.  These tools provide much needed guidance to institutions on best practices in protecting the safety of our students and the entire campus community.”

LOS ANGELES – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced steps to address the pervasive issue of campus sexual assault on California’s college campuses. Joined by University of California President Janet Napolitano, law enforcement leaders and victim advocates, Attorney General Harris released a Model Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), comprised of a How-To Guide and Template MOU for law enforcement agencies and institutions of higher learning to improve their coordination, collaboration and transparency in response to cases of campus sexual assault.

“California has some of the best colleges and universities in the world,” said Attorney General Harris. “But for far too many hard-working students, the dream of an education from a top school is upended by sexual violence. We must acknowledge these students’ value to our future and give them the respect and dignity they deserve as our next leaders. This model agreement will help break down silos between campuses and law enforcement agencies to provide sexual assault victims with the help they need and hold more perpetrators accountable.”

Studies suggest that as many as one in five undergraduate students have been a victim of an attempted or completed sexual assault. In addition, this crime is severely underreported, with 80% of campus sexual assaults going unreported to law enforcement. Lack of reporting also impacts public safety, as studies suggest that repeat perpetrators account for nine out of 10 assaults on campus.

“A primary goal in our efforts at the University of California to prevent and respond to sexual violence and sexual assault has been to make sure law enforcement agencies are more fully engaged with us on this serious issue,” said University of California President Janet Napolitano. “Working closely with Attorney General Kamala Harris and law enforcement agencies will help us build trust and ensure appropriate outcomes for criminal acts of sexual violence and assault.”

California is entering a new era of accountability for campus sexual assault. For the first time under California law, campuses across the state are required to immediately alert law enforcement when a sexual assault occurs. By July 1, 2015, California campuses must have policies in place to ensure that reports of violent crime, hate crime, or sexual assault made to campus authorities are immediately disclosed to law enforcement. The Model MOU will help campuses and law enforcement agencies comply with their new obligations, increase reporting, and improve their response to campus sexual assault to seek justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators.

Specifically, the Model MOU lays out key action items that include:

• Clarifying the duties of campus authorities and law enforcement agencies following an assault, including who will act as first responder, who will collect and preserve evidence, and how to share necessary information while preserving victim privacy
• Ensuring that campuses, law enforcement, and community-based organizations work together to connect victims to services – including rape kits – as soon as possible
• Committing to regular training for both the campus and law enforcement communities

By adopting the best practices in this model agreement, school officials and law enforcement agencies can provide clear, accurate, and supportive information to students who have been assaulted, including a clear understanding of how to report an incident to authorities and where and how to seek medical assistance.  

The Model MOU is the product of a collaborative effort between the office of Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, University of California Office of the President, Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office, San Francisco Police Department and Oxnard Police Department.

“I commend Attorney General Harris for taking a proactive step to make sure that our college campuses are a safe and welcoming community for our students,” said San Bernardino District Attorney Mike Ramos. “Together we share the responsibility of promoting best practices and collaborating with our partners in law enforcement and the UC system.”

“I am very pleased to have a well-thought-out guide suggesting how we can better assist survivors of sexual assaults on our college campuses while also complying with new legal requirements,” said UCLA Police Chief James D. Herren. “This toolkit gives us steps we can take to connect important resources as we pursue justice and work to eliminate this national problem."

“The work we have undertaken will forever impact the way California’s universities and colleges address sexual assaults on campus,” said Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley. “Sexual assault survivors will be assured that their voices are heard, that the crime will be investigated, and that they will receive the medical attention vital to their physical and psychological well-being. Also of great importance, campus personnel and law enforcement will now have clear guidance as to how to proceed when a victim reports a sexual assault.”

Attorney General Harris has a decades-long commitment to reducing sexual violence, holding perpetrators accountable and seeking justice for sexual assault victims. As a line prosecutor in Alameda County and then as the District Attorney of San Francisco, the Attorney General has long focused on violence against women and children. In her first year in office, the Attorney General eliminated a longstanding backlog of untested rape kits in state-run labs – which included 1,300 DNA cases. In April 2014, the California Attorney General’s Rapid DNA Service Team received the United States Department of Justice Award for Professional Innovation in Victim Services.

In January 2015, Attorney General Harris issued an information bulletin to California law enforcement agencies, higher education administrators and campus security personnel, providing enforcement guidance on new and amended sexual assault and campus safety laws. The bulletin summarized SB 967 (Senate pro Tempore Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles) and AB 1433 (Assemblymember Mike Gatto, D-Glendale), gave enforcement guidance in the context of existing state and federal statutes, and encouraged increased collaboration between law enforcement and campus authorities. At the time she released the bulletin, Attorney General Harris promised to release further guidance in the coming months, including this model agreement.

To view the Model Memorandum of Understanding, click here: https://oag.ca.gov/campus-sexual-assault. To view the information bulletin released in January, click here: http://bit.ly/1CcwfB1.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced today that cyber-exploitation website operator, Casey E. Meyering, has pled no contest to one count of extortion, three counts of attempted extortion, and one count of conspiracy. He is expected to be sentenced on June 8, 2015. Meyering operated WinByState.com, a cyber-exploitation website on which intimate images of unsuspecting victims were posted without the victims’ consent.

Meyering, 28, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, entered his no contest plea today in Napa County Superior Court. Meyering’s no-contest plea is considered by the court the same as a plea of guilty and, following his plea today, the court found him guilty.

“Today’s plea makes it clear that there will be severe consequences for those who profit from exploiting women online,” said Attorney General Harris. “This is a turning point in the fight against cyber exploitation and a message to those who cowardly profit from victimizing, belittling, and harassing women. My office will continue to be vigilant, and we will investigate and prosecute those who commit these deplorable acts.”

Meyering was arrested in Tulsa on February 13, 2014, and extradited to California following an investigation led by the California Department of Justice’s eCrime Unit. The investigation revealed that the website Meyering owned and administered, WinByState.com, solicited the anonymous, public posting of private photographs containing nude and explicit images of individuals without their permission.  

Described as “a user supported website where you can trade your ex-girlfriend, your current girlfriend, or any other girl that you might know,” WinByState.com solicited uploaders to identify their “wins” by city and state, sometimes using the victim’s complete or partial name. In the California-specific user forum for this website, there were over 400 postings.

WinbyState.com also required victims to pay $250 via a Google Wallet account to remove posted photographs. The account was named TakeDownHammer, and it was registered to Meyering at a fictitious Beverley Hills storefront. Law enforcement agents purchased a “takedown” for one of the victims in Napa, and traced the funds to Meyering’s bank account in Tulsa. Surveillance footage from the bank identified him withdrawing money from the account.

The investigation started in February 2013 from a complaint by a Northern California victim to a Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety detective. The victim suspected that a college classmate had hacked the victim’s computer and retrieved nude images. Through search warrants, law enforcement discovered that the victim’s classmate had indeed hacked and stolen nude images of her. The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office convicted the classmate for identity-theft related crimes, and he received an eight-month jail sentence.

In September 2013, the victim sought law enforcement’s help again because her images appeared on Meyering’s website, WinByState.com. After law enforcement efforts to have Meyering take down the images failed, it paid Meyering’s $250 fee to his Google Wallet account. Following search warrants, law enforcement traced the website and Google Wallet account to Meyering and were able to identify additional California victims.

Meyering’s guilty plea follows the conviction of Kevin Bollaert, the operator of a similar cyber exploitation website. A jury found Bollaert guilty of 6 counts of extortion and 21 counts of identity theft, and a superior court judge in San Diego County sentenced him to 18 years of incarceration. The Bollaert case was the first criminal prosecution of a cyber exploitation website operator in the country.

Attorney General Harris has sponsored a package of bills in the California legislature that will increase protections for victims and provide tools for law enforcement to prosecute the growing number of cyber  exploitation cases in California.  The bills have been approved by the Senate Committee on Public Safety for SB 676, authored by Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres), and in the Assembly Committee on Public Safety for AB 1310, authored by Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Glendale).

In addition, Attorney General Harris has convened a working group of 50 major technology companies, victim advocates, and legislative and law enforcement leaders to fight cyber exploitation through a public private partnership. Specifically, the Attorney General’s working group on cyber exploitation is working on four key areas: developing an industry statement of principles, education and prevention, law enforcement training and collaboration and legislation and advocacy. The working group includes major tech companies such as, Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. AB 1310 was also approve by the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. 

Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to investigate and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes and other crimes involving the use of technology. 

Attorney General Harris also acknowledged the investigative efforts by the Department of Justice’s law enforcement partners, including the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety and the Northern California Computer Crimes Task Force.