Local News in Brief : 2 Get Prison Terms for Preying on Vietnamese
Two suspected members of a robbery ring that preyed on Vietnamese communities throughout California were sentenced Tuesday to nine years in prison.
The gang robbed Vietnamese known to have cash and other valuables in their homes, police and prosecutors said.
In an agreement with prosecutors, Tin Duc Nguyen, 21, of Spokane, Wash., pleaded guilty on July 13 to 12 counts of robbery, assault, burglary and grand theft, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Lea Purwin D’Agostino.
Chin Trong Nguyen, 28, a transient, pleaded guilty on July 13 to 16 counts of robbery, false imprisonment, assault, burglary and grand theft.
The two could have faced sentences of 12 and 18 years, respectively, if convicted of all the charges, but pleaded guilty in exchange for lighter sentences, D’Agostino said.
Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Alan B. Haber ordered the two to begin serving their sentences immediately.
They were arrested Nov. 2 with 13 others during Los Angeles police raids on two Van Nuys homes that had been under surveillance by police investigating a stolen-car ring. They later were tied to the other crimes, police said.
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