Tracking significant cases in Los Angeles County Superior Court
By Los Angeles County Politics (LACP)
After 13 years, trial begins in LA County Assessor corruption case
It may be the longest-running corruption case in Los Angeles County history.
Jury selection resumed this week in the trial of former LA County Assessor John Noguez — born Juan Renaldo Rodriguez — and two co-defendants who were first arrested in October 2012 on charges that they ran a bribery scheme that cost the county more than $10 million in lost property tax revenue.
Noguez, who was elected County Assessor in 2010 after raising more than $1 million in campaign contributions, is accused of accepting $185,000 in bribes from Arizona tax consultant Ramin Salari in exchange for dramatically reducing property assessments on Westside homes in Beverly Hills, Brentwood, and Pacific Palisades — saving Salari’s clients an estimated $1.16 million in property taxes.
More than 100 Westside property owners received improper tax breaks under the scheme, prosecutors allege.
Noguez faces one count of conspiracy to commit grand theft, 14 counts of misappropriation of public funds, 14 counts of grand theft, three counts of accepting a bribe, two counts of embezzlement by a public officer, two counts of perjury, and one count of public records violation.
The case has been marked by extraordinary delays. Charges were originally filed in 2012, thrown out on a technicality in May 2020, and refiled two months later. Noguez continued to receive his county salary for years while on paid leave because he had not been convicted.
Former DA Steve Cooley, who originally filed the case, called it the most significant public corruption he had seen in four decades as a prosecutor. “Talk about the wheels of justice spinning slow,” Cooley said earlier this year as the trial finally neared.
If convicted, Noguez faces up to 36 years in state prison.
Glendale cop faces trial for kicking juvenile in the head
A Glendale police officer who allegedly kicked a teenage shoplifting suspect in the head during a struggle caught on video at the Glendale Galleria in 2021 is moving through the court system — nearly five years after the incident occurred.
Gonzalo Zendejas, now 40, was one of four officers who responded to a reported shoplifting at a Dick’s Sporting Goods inside the Glendale Galleria on June 5, 2021. Mall security had observed two juveniles allegedly stealing merchandise. As officers moved to detain one of the juveniles, a struggle ensued and Zendejas allegedly kicked the teenager in the head.
A shopper captured the encounter on video, which subsequently circulated widely on social media showing officers punching and kicking the suspect while holding him down.
Zendejas was placed on administrative leave immediately after the incident. All four involved officers were suspended pending investigation. The Glendale Police Department requested outside assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to ensure an independent review. Charges were finally filed in June 2024 — three years after the incident — following what prosecutors described as an extensive investigation.
Zendejas faces one felony count of assault by a public officer. If convicted, he faces a maximum of three years in county jail. A progress report hearing is scheduled this week.
Zendejas remains the only officer among the four charged criminally.
Former CEO of Paul Newman-founded children’s camp faces hoosegow for alleged $5.2 million embezzlement
The former chief executive of The Painted Turtle — a beloved nonprofit camp co-founded by the late actor Paul Newman that provides free summer programs for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses — is heading toward trial on charges he cooked the books and stole $5.2 million from the organization over seven years.
Christopher L. Butler, 49, of Porter Ranch served as CEO of the Lake Hughes camp from 2018 until the summer of 2025, when a newly hired controller discovered financial irregularities in the organization’s books. Butler also served as the organization’s controller for a period, a position prosecutors say he used to conceal the alleged theft. Investigators say he modified and deleted computer records to cover his tracks.
Founded in 1999 by Paul Newman and philanthropists Page and Lou Adler, The Painted Turtle has served tens of thousands of children — all at no cost to families — running week-long summer sessions organized by diagnosis, from kidney disease and hemophilia to muscular dystrophy and rare genetic disorders. The organization reported $4.6 million in revenue and $7.9 million in expenses in its most recent available filing, relying almost entirely on donations. Butler received $202,071 in compensation as CEO during that period.
Butler faces 15 felony counts: nine counts of grand theft, five counts of forgery, and one count of fraudulent use of a computer. He pleaded not guilty in February and faces more than 18 years in state prison if convicted. A preliminary hearing is scheduled this week.
“Abusing a position of power to steal funds from a camp dedicated to helping children with serious medical conditions is an affront to both the law and our deepest values,” DA Nathan Hochman said when charges were announced.
Man charged with impersonating a doctor and performing unlicensed surgery faces arraignment
A Los Angeles man who allegedly posed as a board-certified plastic surgeon on social media and performed unlicensed cosmetic surgery on a woman — leaving her with serious infections requiring multiple follow-up treatments — is scheduled for arraignment this week on felony charges that could send him to prison for a decade.
Cristian Adrian Perez Latorre, 55, of Los Angeles maintained an Instagram account with more than 20,000 followers identifying him as a “plastic surgeon board certified” specializing in facial procedures. A LinkedIn page also allegedly attributed to him claimed he held a medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires. He had no valid California medical license.
On July 13, 2021, Latorre allegedly performed an unlicensed cosmetic surgery on a woman. Ten days later he treated the same woman for infections caused by the procedure. On August 13, 2021, she returned again for further complications. Charges were filed in August 2024 following an investigation by the California Department of Consumer Affairs.
Latorre faces one count of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of battery with serious injury, and six counts of practicing medicine without a certification, with a special allegation of inflicting great bodily injury. He faces up to 10 years in state prison if convicted. The case is being prosecuted by the DA’s Consumer Protection Division.
Anyone with additional information is urged to call 213-257-3010.
