Officials Testify to Fear of Robles

Two state legislators testified Tuesday that they were so concerned that South Gate Treasurer Albert Robles would carry out alleged death threats against them that they feared for their families’ safety and thought twice about opposing him in the political arena.

Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Whittier) said she has avoided South Gate ever since Robles nearly two years ago allegedly threatened to rape her and kill her husband. Escutia said she takes extra care entering unfamiliar places, especially when accompanied by her children.

“I feel very much like a sitting duck when I have my hands taken up by children,” said Escutia at Robles’ trial at Norwalk Superior Court. Although her district includes South Gate, Escutia said she has visited the city only once in nearly two years.

Assemblyman Marco Antonio Firebaugh (D-Los Angeles) said he believed Robles is capable of violence and organizing a death plot. The alleged threat, he said, was relayed to him through a friend, who told him that Robles wished to take Firebaugh to Tijuana and shoot him in the head.

“It made me wonder whether it was worth being at odds with Albert, being in politics,” said Firebaugh, who resides in South Gate, a working-class city in Southeast Los Angeles County.

The legislators’ testimony came on the second day of a trial where prosecutors are trying to prove that Robles, 37, uttered criminal threats against Firebaugh; Escutia; her husband, Leo Briones; and a South Gate police lieutenant.

If found guilty on the seven felony counts, Robles faces a potential eight-year prison term.

His attorneys portray the case as a political vendetta by the lawmakers to get back at Robles, an outspoken opponent who once called Escutia a “pig” on a TV newscast.

His attorneys concede Robles’ rhetoric can be crass, but said any statements, even threats, should be taken in a political context.

While on the stand, Escutia and Firebaugh largely avoided eye contact with Robles, though Firebaugh did look over in his direction a few times. Robles, dressed in a black business suit, showed no emotion and conferred frequently with his attorneys.

The legislators’ testimony is considered key because prosecutors must not only prove that the threats were made, but that they prompted fear.

Both Escutia and Firebaugh, under cross-examination by a Robles defense attorney, Tom Brown, conceded that they weren’t fearful on the few occasions they encountered Robles in person, either at fund-raisers or parties. They claimed the public settings put them at ease.

Firebaugh also admitted that he was reluctant to report the alleged threats to police because he didn’t want to be perceived as a victim. But Robles’ alleged threats were taken seriously enough by authorities that state security teams were assigned to protect Firebaugh. Escutia arranged for personal bodyguards.

The legislators portrayed South Gate as a tough city where name calling and insults come with the territory, but Robles’ behavior, they said, crossed the line.

“In politics, we hear a lot of bluster and people saying things,” said Firebaugh, who added that the tenor of Robles’ alleged statements was something new and worrisome.

“To my knowledge, no one has ever said that they wished to shoot me in the head, not even in the most vitriolic of political fights,” he said.