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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:
(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.
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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.
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