Los Angeles has seen two major federal crimes come to light lately, which have shocked the surrounding communities.

A man from New Hampshire was arrested by U.S. Marshals after fleeing to Los Angeles. The man, Robert Joseph Manship, was wanted on sex crime charges in New Hampshire and was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after he returned from the Philippines. The man is a retired sergeant in the United States Air Force and had been indicted on the charges of “aggravated felonious sexual assault” as well as “felonious sexual assault” on a child under the age of 13. While this would have been a local crime in New Hampshire, the attempt to flee and actually leaving the country resulted in the charges becomes federal in nature. In fact, the U.S. Marshals worked in conjunction with other federal and international law enforcement agencies to capture the man. This could lead to seriously heavy penalties such as decades in prison. Allegedly, the man left the country after being questioned regarding sexual assaults in 1995.

The second crime recently reported is the bigger problem and may require a strong Los Angeles Federal Crime Defense Attorney to help those accused and arrested. According to a recently released report, serious questions are being raised about the possible reselling of handguns by officers in the Los Angeles Police Department. If it is true that some officers resold their handguns, then it could be a violation of federal firearm laws as well as city ethics regulations. Beyond that, it could be a serious black eye for the LAPD as some of those guns may have been used to commit crimes that the LAPD is trying to stop. Beyond just police officers, the department is looking into whether members of the elite SWAT unit took advantage of the situation. Some officers may have used their assignments to purchase large number of specially made handguns and resold them as weapons for huge profits. This is an ongoing inquiry that various legal organizations are looking into.

For now, the investigation into the SWAT team is being carried out by local agencies, but the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other federal law enforcement agencies may soon get involved.

Federal crimes such as these carry heavy penalties in terms of jail time, fines and more. For the police officers involved, beyond public disgrace they also are in danger of being kicked off the force, charged with federal felonies and more.

Categorised in: Federal Crimes