Lawyer Pleads Guilty in Smuggling Case
A lawyer pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to conspiring with a senior U.S. Customs agent and two other men to smuggle 15,000 counterfeit Microsoft programs into the United States from Hong Kong.
Lawrence S. Boyle, 53, of Westminster reached a plea agreement with prosecutors that was filed under seal.
Boyle’s attorney declined to say whether it calls for Boyle to testify against the other defendants.
U.S. District Judge Lourdes Baird ordered Boyle to return for sentencing Nov. 13 on two counts of conspiracy, punishable by a maximum 10 years in prison.
Boyle, a former Long Beach police officer and Los Angeles deputy district attorney, was arrested in July along with Richard Casas, 46, of El Monte, a veteran Customs agent; Casas’ brother, Edward, 39, of Sylmar; Peter Yi, 36, of Chino Hills; and Yi’s brother, Sung K. Yi, 42, of Cypress.
The Casas brothers and the Yis are scheduled to be arraigned next week.
Their arrests grew out of a sting investigation by FBI and U.S. Customs agents.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
