LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Fund-Raisers for Police Groups to Face Charges
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office is preparing to file misdemeanor criminal charges against the owners and some employees of two telemarketing firms that solicit money for police officer associations in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.
The owners of Variety International Productions of Glendale and Rambret Inc. of Hollywood and four Rambret employees were ordered by letter last week to appear for arraignment Thursday on 12 counts of soliciting funds for a police association without a permit and failing to identify themselves as paid fund-raisers.
The owners of the two companies did not return calls from The Times.
Detective Rudy Pichardo, who investigated the case for the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, said the two firms have been responsible for most of the complaints received by the commission concerning police officer solicitations.
The companies raise money for the Montrose-based Municipal Motorcycle Officers of California, the National Police Rodeo Assn. and the Police Expo, made up police officer associations in San Fernando, Alhambra and San Gabriel, Pichardo said.
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