Officials deport wine con man Rudy Kurniawan, who bilked collectors out of millions of dollars. He is back in Indonesia. He was putting less expensive Napa and Burgundy wines into counterfeit bottles at his home in Arcadia.
Arcadia wine seller Rudy Kurniawan, 35, was arrested on suspicion of trying to sell $1.3 million worth of counterfeit wine and fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in loans.
Rudy Franta, building inspector with the city of Arcadia for 15 years, has been promoted to chief building official. Article outlines the office's activities and includes biographical notes on Franta.
Jackie Weisheng Chen, 48, of Arcadia, was sentenced to 1 year in federal prison for the counterfeit DVD trafficking of more than 30,000 DVDs with fake Dolby Laboratory Licensing Corporation trademarks.
25-year-old Arcadia man Matthew Fay Echauri sentenced to 10 years and life in state prison with the possibility of parole for attempted murder, mayhem and domestic violence for stabbing his 18 year-old girlfriend in Temple City two years ago.
A 19-year-old man Matthew Zamora, could face a 25 year prison sentence for shooting and killing 24-year-old Joseph Romero of Arcadia, on June 16, 2012, on the 5200 block of Tyler Avenue in unincorporated county area near Arcadia and El Monte.
Man gets 64 years for sexually assaulting three workers at Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia. Diego Cervantes, 37, of San Gabriel is a former maintenance supervisor at the mall. He was found guilty of rape and other sexual offenses.
Arcadia woman Ruixue "Serena" Shi, 37, pleaded guilty to soliciting $22.8 million in funds for a condominium and hotel project scheme. The crime is one federal count of wire fraud, which has a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 3, 7, October 28, 2021.
Man, 52, gets two life sentences for killing his nephews in Arcadia. Deyun Shi will spend the rest of his life in prison without a chance for parole for killing 15-year-old Anthony Lin and 16-year-old William Lin in their Arcadia home on the 400 block of Fairview Avenue, and for attacking his now-former wife Amy Lin, at the couple's La Canada Flintridge residence.
Peter Phoenix, 27, of Rosemead, was found guilty of four of seven counts of "distraction burglaries" targeting seniors in the San Gabriel Valley. His sentence is 144 years in prison.
Deqiang Song, 26, of Monterey Park, gets life in prison without possibility of parole, for the crime of kidnapping for ransom, and a second sentence of life in prison plus four years, for the attempted murder of his then 21-year-old victim. Song met his victim through a mutual friend and took her to Westfield Santa Anita mall in Arcadia on September 8, 2010. Then he took her to a remote area of desert in San Bernardino County. He strangled the woman and slit her throat. He called her father for ransom. She survived.
Convicted rapist Steven Wu, the Arcadia deacon who drugged his two sisters-in-law and videotaped himself sexually assaulting them, was sentenced to 79 years in prison Friday.
Pasadena parents speak on tirade of San Rafael Elementary School (in Pasadena) Principal Rudy Ramirez, an Arcadia resident. Pasadena Unified School District trustees meet in closed session but take no action; rant over janitor's arrest by Pasadena police videotaped. See also "Mayor Gordo defends critical letter," Pasadena Star News, p. A1, A6, August 20, 2022.
Portion of wine cellar at Anoakia showing two very large casks (almost room height) with printing on each: E. J. Baldwin's Pure Old wines and brandies-Santa Anita Vineyards-1876. Two small barrels also in photo.
Family of murder victim Chyong Jen Tsai, left appalled by District Attorney George Gascon's reforms. Man accused in slaying facing a shorter sentence of 32 years and 4 months-to-life in prison if convicted, instead of life in prison without parole if prosecuted with "special circumstances." Gascon wants judge to dismiss two special circumstance allegations against the accused. Tsai was killed April 9, 2019 at her Arcadia home.
Monrovia man Yi Chen gets 4 years in prison for fraud in a student visa scheme to get Chinese immigrants into the U.S. unlawfully. From June 2015-February 2021, Chen was the CEO and owner of two so-called educational consulting companies in Alhambra and Arcadia that charged foreign students thousands of dollars for "guaranteed" admission to a college that would lead to the issuance of an F-1 student visa. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 2, October 6, 2022.