Ex-Security Contractor Faces Charges as Repo Man

A former security contractor known for using vigilante-style tactics to frighten drug dealers out of apartment buildings in the northeast San Fernando Valley faces misdemeanor charges of repossessing automobiles without a license.

David Roybal, 34, of Los Angeles, has been charged with 15 misdemeanor counts of violating the state’s Business and Profession’s Code for working as a repo man without a required state license.

His scheduled arraignment Thursday in a downtown Los Angeles municipal courthouse was postponed until Dec. 9 to give attorneys from the public defender’s office time to review the charges, according to court officials.

Roybal was freed on his own recognizance.

Roybal and other security contractors were the focus of a Times’ article last year that prompted the Los Angeles Police Department to crack down on security squads hired by landlords to rid apartment buildings of drug dealers and deadbeat tenants.

But Roybal said Thursday that he stopped working as a security contractor “a long time ago.”

Jacquelyn Mason, a deputy city attorney, said she is not trying to put Roybal behind bars and is willing to accept a plea bargain by his attorneys. As a penalty, she said, she would accept a long summary probation period and a stiff fine, just to make sure Roybal stops repossessing automobiles without a license.

Roybal said he was not worried about the charges, saying “I think I can do OK.”

He said he doesn’t understand why he is being charged, adding that he works for a legitimate car dealership.