Pair to Be Arraigned in Calderon Extortion Case
A Los Angeles Municipal Court judge has ruled that two men should be arraigned on charges that they attempted to extort $100,000 from state Sen. Charles M. Calderon (D-Whittier) by threatening last winter to expose alleged political improprieties while Calderon was running for county supervisor.
Steven Newton, who is married to Calderon’s ex-wife, Jeanine, and Newton’s half-brother, Robert Moreno, are scheduled to be arraigned on three felony charges Oct. 9 in Department 112 of Los Angeles Superior Court. They are charged with attempting to extort, conspiracy and sending a letter for extortion. Judge Henry Barela made the ruling in a preliminary hearing Tuesday in East Los Angeles Municipal Court after listening to Calderon testify and to tape-recorded meetings between the senator and the defendants.
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