SYLMAR : Court Convicts Man of Posing as Officer
A San Fernando Superior Court jury took only one day to convict a 27-year-old Sylmar man of posing as an undercover police officer to rob Latino immigrants in the northeastern San Fernando Valley.
Richard Banales, convicted Monday on 14 counts of robbery and burglary, faces a maximum of 18 years in prison when he is sentenced on Aug. 10.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Carole Anne Chizever said that between March and May of last year, Banales, who was on parole on drug charges, went to the homes of Spanish-speaking victims in Sylmar and Pacoima, carrying a two-way radio and a fake police identification card.
Banales would tell victims that he was looking for drugs and then would steal jewelry, cash and electronic equipment.
“He took advantage of their lack of sophistication and their naivete,” Chizever said.
Banales was finally arrested in late May after one of the victims wrote down the license plate number of the car Banales drove, and police tracked him to his stepfather’s home.
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