District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Los Angeles County residents Patrick Abrahamian (DOB 1/6/70), Michelle Abrahamian (DOB 5/27/71), and Taline Indra (DOB 2/29/80) were each sentenced to prison for their theft of a Bell Canyon home. Patrick Abrahamian was sentenced to 11 years 4 months in prison. Michelle Abrahamian and Taline Indra were each sentenced to 7 years 8 months in prison. In February, the defendants were convicted following a one-month jury trial. The case is the result of an investigation conducted by the District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit.

In 2012, Patrick Abrahamian approached the 65-year-old victim with an offer to help him negotiate a modification of his mortgage. In return, the victim agreed to move out and lease his home to the Abrahamians while Patrick Abrahamian supposedly negotiated a new mortgage for the victim. At the end of the lease term, the Abrahamians refused to vacate the home. After consulting with an attorney, the victim learned that a notarized grant deed had been recorded conveying his home, as a gift, to Abrahamian’s wife, Michelle Abrahamian. At the time of the offenses, Michelle Abrahamian was a licensed real estate agent.

The deed gifting away the victim’s home was fraudulently notarized by defendant Taline Indra, who is Michelle Abrahamian’s sister. Patrick Abrahamian subsequently impersonated the victim in a lawsuit filed by Abrahamian against the victim’s mortgage lender. This impersonation caused additional false documents to be filed in both the Ventura Superior Court and the County Recorder’s Office. Michelle Abrahamian was found in possession of notary acknowledgments that falsely claimed the victim had appeared before defendant Indra to have his signature notarized.

Judge Michael Lief noted that the sophistication and brazenness of the defendants’ fraudulent scheme “shocked the conscience of the court.” In addition to the prison sentence, each defendant was also fined $500,000 and ordered to pay $189,382 in victim restitution.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.

Bob Crum

Faithful readers know that I planned to attend the L.A. air show the past weekend at Fox Airfield in Lancaster. I went but the weather was awful... extremely windy and very cold.

The show began with skydivers bringing forth the U.S. Flag followed by the National Anthem. Next, aerobatics. With pedal-to-the-metal they provided amazing demonstrations in aircraft that seemed to defy gravity. Also, following a speedy aerobatic plane is not only daunting, it often results in neck whiplash. Exactly why I prefer mermaid boudoir photography!

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor was a show stopper. The U.S. Air Force single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft is a mean, awesome weapon. The combination of vectored thrust, range, and stealth capability makes it the world’s most feared combat aircraft. More later.

Now some provocative photography data: On SD card #1, 1,572 RAW photos. SD card #2, 1,147 RAW photos. Total photos made: 2,572 comprising 48.5GBs of digital data! Whew! That's just for one day! I didn't go on Sunday because of weather & my tush hadn't yet thawed. Of course most photos will be deleted. Then why shoot so many? The answer another day.

If you're thinking that 2,572 photos is excessive, whoa, no doubt you're overlooking the fact that aircraft-especially jets–move faster than a garden slug. Bidda-bing: See it! Bidda-bam: Gone! Only mere seconds for focus lock and compose... two essential ingredients for a successful photo. Also, leading a fast moving airplane to nail the composition is extremely vexing. Don't ask how many aircraft rear-end photos I captured!

I resisted using burst mode for fear that the capture count would triple. Mercy, imagine that! Instead, I fire off a batch of photos in single-shot mode. From the batch, I'll usually end up with 2 or 3 successful captures. More on a warmer day!

In the past, I rented a very heavy Canon 100-300mm “L” lens. Getting older, this time I rented a Tamron 18-400mm lens. Much lighter & longer reach. Speaking of 'reach', many times more is better. On one fly over, the pilot of the F-22 Raptor opened the armament bay doors. I was zoomed out to 120mm as the plane approached. Right as it was overhead I quickly zoomed in to 400mm and BINGO!... captured the interior of the open armament bay. Sweet! It'll be in the photo/video at a later date.

There's a huge difference between photoing propeller and jet aircraft. Because jets fly so fast, I increase the shutter speed to 1/800th of a second to frame-freeze while panning quickly. But shoot a prop plane at that fast shutter speed, and the propellers are frozen making the plane look like it's suspended in the sky on a string! A shutter speed of about 1/120th of a second shows propellers spinning.

The final performance of the show included fly-overs with a Lockheed P-38J Lightning paired with the F-22 Raptor. Awesome! I had just photoed the F-22 Raptor solo thus camera shutter speed was 1/800th of a second. I was so intrigued watching the pair I goofed. I forgot to reset the shutter speed to 1/120th for the P-38J. Yep, unusable photos because the props of the P-38J photos are frozen. So depressing but also so human. Maybe I should consider an assistant like pro golfers have caddies. Anyone interested?

Photo of the week is the F-22 Raptor approaching. See it one second... whoosh... next second gone! That's very fast! Because it was far off, I zoomed to 400mm to get the photo. Happy photoing.

Send your comments, suggestions or questions to: bob@fillmoregazette.com

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Franky Magana (DOB 11/12/85), of Santa Paula, was sentenced by Judge Ryan Wright to 47 years to life for gang-related murder. Magana’s co-defendant, Omar Ruiz (DOB 07/27/87), also of Santa Paula, was sentenced to 158 years to life in prison for the same gang-related murder and for assault on a police officer with an assault weapon.

On May 27, 2013, victim Ulises Virto was standing on a street corner in the city of Santa Paula when Magana, Ruiz, and a third unidentified assailant drove up next to Mr. Virto, parked, exited their vehicle and opened fire with three handguns in a gang-motivated attack. Mr. Virto was shot seven times and died at the scene. A Santa Paula Police Department officer intercepted the gunmen as they fled the scene. During the subsequent high-speed chase all three guns and other evidence were tossed from the vehicle. Soon thereafter, the car stopped, and Magana exited, fleeing on foot. The lone police officer pursued Magana on foot and quickly arrested him. Ruiz and the unidentified gunman continued to flee in the vehicle, eventually abandoning it two blocks away and escaping on foot. All three guns and other evidence thrown from the vehicle were forensically matched to Ruiz and Magana as well as to evidence collected at the scene.

On November 7, 2013, Ruiz was tracked by Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies to an address in the city of Camarillo. From within the home, Ruiz watched on a closed-circuit surveillance system as a team of deputies approached the residence. Ruiz fired on the deputies with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle until the gun jammed. After a brief stand-off, Ruiz was taken into custody. No deputies were injured during the assault.

Magana and Ruiz were convicted by a jury of murder and other charges on January 3, 2018.

Fillmore Mayor Manuel Minjares.

Third District Ventura County Supervisor Kelly Long is pleased to announce that Manuel “Manny” Minjares has joined her staff as a Field Representative effective March 5th, 2018. Within this role, he will cover the Santa Paula, Fillmore, Piru and Lockwood Valley areas of the district.

Minjares and his wife Susan are long-time residents of Fillmore where they are raising their four children. He is serving his second term on the Fillmore City Council where he is currently the Mayor and sits as Vice Chair of the Ventura County Transportation Commission. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Urban Studies & Planning from California State University Northridge and brings with him a thorough knowledge of local, county, state and federal governmental systems from the perspective of both staff and an elected official. Working most recently as Housing Director for the Turning Point Foundation, Minjares also brings valuable experience in the non-profit sector creating and managing affordable housing projects throughout Ventura County.

“Manny’s experience, education, skills and abilities will be an asset to my office as we continue to serve the constituents of the Third District”, said Supervisor Kelly Long. “I have a great team and Manny will be an incredible addition to my staff.”

The former City of Fillmore Planner and Property Supervisor for the Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation also helps coach and officiate youth basketball in Fillmore and believes supporting local youth sports is a great way to give back to the community he loves to serve.

“I am honored to join Supervisor Long’s staff and lend my knowledge and experience to policy issues and to serving the constituents of the third district”, said Minjares. “Public service is a passion of mine and I look forward to making a positive impact for Ventura County.”

Supervisor Long’s staff also consists of Martin Hernandez, who replaces recently retired Paul Grossgold as Chief of Staff, Senior Executive Aide Nancy Phillips and Field Representative Matt Guthrie and who represents the Camarillo, Southeast Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Naval Base Ventura County portions of the district.

Minjares will also be holding satellite office hours for Supervisor Long on alternating Fridays at both the Santa Paula and Fillmore City Halls from 9 am to Noon and Matt Guthrie will hold satellite office hours at Port Hueneme City Hall every other Friday from 10 am to 1 pm. For more information on satellite office hours or to schedule a meeting, please contact Nancy Phillips in Supervisor Long’s District Office at Nancy.Phillips@ventura.org or (805) 654-2276.

Enlarge Photo

On March 14, 2018, at approximately 10:00 p.m., deputies from the Fillmore Police Department responded to the 900 block of 4th Street in Fillmore for the report of a possible gunshot victim. Upon arrival, deputies discovered a male victim who had been shot multiple times. Deputies provided first aid measures until medical personnel arrived on scene. The victim was subsequently transported to the Ventura County Medical Center where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Detectives from the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit, Sheriff’s Gang Unit and Fillmore Police Station responded to the scene to investigate the crime. In a coordinated effort, numerous interviews were conducted and no arrests have been made at this time. This is an ongoing investigation and the Sheriff’s Office is requesting that anyone with information about this crime contact detectives at the numbers listed below.

Prepared by: Detective Sergeant Carlos Macias
News Release Date:
March 16, 2018
Approved by: Captain Jeff Miller

Resolution 17-18-4 Commending 2017-2018 Girls’ Soccer Team
Trustees recognized the CIF SS Division 7 Champions and approved Resolution 17-18-4 to commemorate their achievement.

Indemnification Agreement between County of Ventura and Fillmore Unified School District
Board approved the indemnification agreement associated with the performance and certain services and function of School Resource Officer.

Memorandum of Agreement between City of Fillmore and Fillmore Unified School District for School Resource Officer
Board approved the Memorandum of Agreement to continue operation of the School Resource Officer Program in the Fillmore Unified School District.

Personnel Recommendations
The Board approved all personnel recommendations including new hires, promotions, resignations, retirements, and leaves.

American Red Cross of Ventura County

Though spring has officially arrived, the American Red Cross blood supply is still recovering from severe winter storms in March. Donors of all blood types are urged to roll up a sleeve and help save lives.

Winter weather in parts of the country forced more than 270 blood drives to cancel, resulting in over 9,500 uncollected blood and platelet donations in the first two weeks of March. No matter the weather, the need for blood to help cancer patients, those undergoing surgeries, trauma patients and others remains.

Volunteer blood donors from across the country are needed to help ensure lifesaving blood products are available for patients this spring. Make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming blood donation opportunities March 20 to April 15

Ventura

Camarillo
4/3/2018: 2 p.m. - 8 p.m., Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4345 Las Posas Road

Moorpark
4/2/2018: 12 p.m. - 6 p.m., Moorpark Chamber of Commerce, 18 E. High St
4/5/2018: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Kahn Media, Inc., 11988 Challenger Ct.

Oxnard
3/22/2018: 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Oxnard High School, 3400 W Gonzales Rd

Simi Valley
3/23/2018: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m., Rancho Santa Suzanna Community Center, 5005-C Los Angeles Ave
3/28/2018: 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Simi Valley High School, 5400 Cochran Street
3/30/2018: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m., Rancho Santa Suzanna Community Center, 5005-C Los Angeles Ave
4/13/2018: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m., Rancho Santa Suzanna Community Center, 5005-C Los Angeles Ave

Thousand Oaks
3/21/2018: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd
3/26/2018: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m., Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd
3/28/2018: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd
4/2/2018: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd
4/11/2018: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd
4/11/2018: 7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Thousand Oaks High School, 2323 N Moorpark Rd

Ventura
3/20/2018: 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Knights of Columbus, 36 S. Figueroa St.
3/20/2018: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., Ventura College, 4667 Telegraph Road

Westlake Village
3/21/2018: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Guitar Center Corporate Center, 5795 Lindero Canyon Rd.
4/3/2018: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Farmers Insurance, 31051 Agoura Rd

How to donate blood
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.

Volunteers needed
Another way to support the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross is to become a volunteer transportation specialist and deliver lifesaving blood products to local area hospitals. Volunteer transportation specialists play a very important role in ensuring an ample blood supply for patients in need by transporting blood and blood products. For more information and to apply for a volunteer transportation specialist position, visit rdcrss.org/driver.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Charles Ray Mundy (DOB 12/27/63), of Ventura, was sentenced to serve two years in the Ventura County jail for his role in causing a 2014 explosion at Santa Clara Waste Water Company (“SCWWC”). Last month, Mundy pled guilty to felony offenses of knowing failure to warn of a serious concealed danger, disposal of hazardous waste, filing a forged instrument, and reckless disregard for handling hazardous waste causing unreasonable risk. Mundy also pled no contest to the felony offense of causing great bodily injury by emitting an air contaminant, and to the misdemeanor offenses of repeated violation of labor safety standards, and failure to update a business plan. This case was jointly prosecuted by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and the California Attorney General’s Office.

On November 18, 2014, an explosion occurred at 815 Mission Rock Road, Santa Paula, a wastewater treatment facility owned and operated by SCWWC. Mundy was the former vice president of Environmental Compliance and Facilities Operations at SCWWC. The explosion was caused by the reckless disposal of hazardous chemicals with incompatible materials in a vacuum truck. Numerous employees and first responders were injured either by the initial explosion or by inhaling toxic fumes.

While employed by SCWWC, Mundy was instrumental in obtaining 255 gallons of the chemical sodium chlorite, a regulated hazardous material. SCWWC was required to report the presence of sodium chlorite in their Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP). Mundy failed to report that sodium chlorite was present at the Santa Paula location. Further, Mundy failed to disclose the presence of sodium chlorite to first responders immediately after the explosion. In addition, Mundy provided false HMBP submissions by not reporting 5,500 gallons of Petromax, a hazardous chemical.

While executing search warrants in November 2014, police recovered forged analytical results in Mundy’s SCWWC office and later confirmed he prepared these forged results and submitted them to the City of Oxnard. Mundy also failed to provide adequate training and personal protective equipment to employees working on site.

In addition to the jail sentence, Mundy was ordered to pay victim restitution and will be placed on formal probation for three years. As a term of probation, Mundy is prohibited from employment in any capacity in the waste water treatment industry.

About The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.