Perjury Alleged in Extortion Case : D.A. Says Witness Lied at Hearing on Mail Threats

In a new twist to a strange case, prosecutors filed a perjury charge Tuesday against a witness who had testified against two Antelope Valley men accused of trying to extort money from hundreds of prominent residents last year.

The single count of perjury, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, was filed against Lawrence Mock of Lancaster, an aerospace technician. Mock testified at the March preliminary hearing of Roman Makuch and Richard Faroni.

Mock, a former co-worker of Makuch and Faroni, is accused of lying under oath when he told defense attorneys during cross-examination that he had been a member of an elite Navy commando unit and a former Los Angeles city police officer, according to court documents filed by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Personnel records show that Mock has never been a Navy SEAL commando or a Los Angeles police officer, said Tom Alexander, an investigator for the district attorney’s office. Alexander said Mock told investigators, who searched his home and workplace last week, that he lied on the stand.

Mock signed a confession last week to the perjury charge, Alexander said. Mock said he lied to bolster the prosecution’s case and because he has consistently made such claims for 20 years, Alexander said.

Mock said Tuesday that he did not want to comment until he had talked to a lawyer.

“I’d like to get the air cleared on this thing,” he said.

Makuch and Faroni were arrested last Thanksgiving and charged in connection with a mass mailing of letters demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars from 265 Antelope Valley political and business leaders. The letters threatened recipients with death.

Nobody Paid

Makuch and Faroni were not in the Antelope Valley when the mailing occurred and none of the recipients paid the money, court documents say. Investigators have continued searching for more evidence, a motive and possible accomplices. The defendants were charged with attempted extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion and mailing threatening letters. No trial date has been set.

In March, Mock testified that he, Makuch and Faroni often discussed committing elaborate crimes. The talks occurred at his photo supply business after night shifts working on the B1-B bomber at the Rockwell International plant in Palmdale.

The perjury charge against Mock has caused speculation that he could provide authorities with new information on the case. Although Mock has had several conversations with sheriff’s investigators regarding the extortion case, officials said, so far he is not a suspect and has not supplied any substantial new information.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephen L. Cooley said prosecutors became suspicious in March when Mock volunteered that he had been a police officer and a member of the elite SEAL commando unit in Vietnam. Investigators found no evidence to back those claims. Records show Mock served as a Navy seaman and worked as a Los Angeles-area security guard in the late 1960s.