22,350 Counterfeit Audio Tapes, 7 Suspects Seized
Sheriff’s investigators culminated a two-week investigation Thursday by arresting seven suspects at an East Los Angeles home and seizing 22,350 counterfeit audio cassette tapes with an estimated street value of $156,000.
About a dozen deputies conducted the 10 a.m. raid in the 4000 block of Rogers Street, said Deputy Gabe Ramirez, who described the house as a distribution center. Ramirez said deputies were joined in the raid by Maurice Richardson, an executive of the Assn. of Latin-American Record Manufacturers.
The suspects--all Mexican nationals--were charged with failure to disclose the origin of recordings and were being held at the East Los Angeles sheriff’s substation on $5,000 bail each. They were identified as Felipe Gutierrez, 26; Raydavid Perez, 18; Jorge Lopez, 19; Delfino Sanchez, 27; Ruben Baranco, 22; Amador Vasquez, 18, and Lauro Reyes, 21.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
