4 ex-law enforcement officers charged in $37 million extortion scheme

Four former law enforcement and military officers have been charged in a $37 million extortion scheme involving a fake raid on a California man’s home in 2019. The defendants, including two ex-Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies, allegedly coerced the victim into signing over his rights to a China-based rubber chemical company, Jiangsu Sinorgchem Technology Co. Ltd. The scheme was orchestrated by Max Samuel Bennett Turbett, a former British military member, at the behest of a “wealthy Chinese national” involved in a legal dispute with the victim. The group, posing as law enforcement, forcibly detained the victim and his family, threatening deportation and harm unless he complied. After the victim signed the fraudulent settlement, the conspirators were paid for their involvement. Despite threats, the victim reported the incident to local police, leading to the current charges against the four men.

Source: NPR