3 Arrested in Slaying Prompted by Scam

Three people were arrested Thursday in the slaying of a Van Nuys man which stemmed from a $500,000 merchandise scam allegedly masterminded by a man held by Orange County authorities, Los Angeles police investigators said.

Dale Francis, 33, was shot Wednesday morning in the house he shared with his mother, said Lt. George Rock, commander of Van Nuys division detectives. Arrested for Francis’ death were Richard Jorgenson, 22, of Simi Valley and Kevin Johnson, 22, and Jamal Garcia, 22, both of Sepulveda, Rock said, adding that Johnson and Garcia appeared to be hired “hit men,” not participants in the scam.

All three were being held in the Van Nuys jail on suspicion of murder. Detectives were looking for a fourth suspect identified as Brent Johnson, 23, of Simi Valley, Rock said.

Brent Johnson--who Rock said is unrelated to Kevin Johnson--is believed responsible for arranging Francis’ slaying, Detective Richard Levos said.

Levos said Brent Johnson had stolen about $7,000 in cellular phones from the scam’s mastermind--a convicted confidence man named Richard Bittleman--and stored the merchandise at Francis’ home in Van Nuys. Levos said Francis’ role was still unclear but that he had quarreled with Brent Johnson, who was Bittleman’s bodyguard.

Bittleman--who also uses his father’s name, Jack or J.R. Bittleman--was being held in Orange County Jail on unrelated credit-card fraud charges, Levos said.