Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Former LAPD Jailer Accused Of Selling Inmate Contact Info To Bail Bond Couple
From left: William Aroutounian and his wife, Iryna McCormick (Photo via Facebook) and LAPD Van Nuys Jail (Photo by Rynerson Bail Bonds via the Creative Commons on Flickr)
()
A former LAPD jail employee is being accused of selling the contact information of inmates to the married owners of a mom-and-pop bail bond shop.Leonard Jimmy Ramirez, a former LAPD civilian employee working out of the Van Nuys jail, and William Aroutounian and Iryna McCormick, the married owners of a mom-and-pop bail bond shop, were all charged with conspiracy in connection with the alleged scheme, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
As a detention officer working at the jail, Ramirez had access to the names and information of individuals who were booked into and housed at the jail. Ramirez would provide arrestee's contact information to William Aroutounian and Iryna McCormick of BBB Bail Bonds Co., who would then use the information to try and illegally solicit bail bond contracts. This classy song-and-dance is formally known as "bail capping," according to prosecutors.
The Los Angeles Police Department's Professional Standards Bureau first started investigating Ramirez after they received a tip that he was illegally providing contact information to the couple, who in turn, would contact family members of arrestees, according to the district attorney's office. The incidents (i.e. bribery and illegal leaking of information) are said to have occurred between Sept. 1, 2013, and Nov. 3, 2014.
Per the complaint, here's an example of how it all would go down from March 2014:
Support for LAist comes from
()
(Felony complaint via the District Attorney's Office)
Sidenote: Isn't exchanging bribes in an alley at dusk a little played out by now? Aroutounian and Ramirez also once met in a shopping center parking lot for a hand-to-hand item exchange, a handoff location which, to be honest, we find equally cliché.
Ramirez was arrested Thursday and faces up to four years and eight months in state prison if convicted. He is charged with one felony count of conspiracy to commit bail solicitation and bail solicitation and one count of accepting a bribe.
According to Aroutounian's personal Facebook page, he opened BBB Bail Bonds Co. in 2010. The company's phone number is no longer in service.
"Great job honey! You will get a huge hug and a kiss at home!!! We did it!!!!!!!! :)))," Iryna publicly commented at the time. Both she and her husband are charged with one one felony count of conspiracy to commit bail solicitation and bail solicitation and face up to three years in state prison, if convicted.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist