FEDS ARREST SUSPECT IN '81 KILLINGS RACKETEERING CHARGES.Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer Having twice escaped a murder conviction, the lead character in one of Hollywood's seediest stories was indicted INDICTED, practice. When a man is accused by a bill of indictment preferred by a grand jury, he is said to be indicted. and arrested Friday on federal racketeering Traditionally, obtaining or extorting money illegally or carrying on illegal business activities, usually by Organized Crime . A pattern of illegal activity carried out as part of an enterprise that is owned or controlled by those who are engaged in the illegal activity. charges linked to the ``Wonderland Murders'' 19 years ago. A federal grand jury handed up a 16-count indictment against former nightclub owner Eddie Nash Eddie Nash (b. 1929) was a nightclub and restaurant owner in Los Angeles and is a convicted gangster and drug dealer; he is best known for his involvement in the quadruple Wonderland Murders. of Tarzana, alleging he has led an organized drug-peddling ring for 25 years and orchestrated four brutal deaths at a Wonderland Avenue drug house in Laurel Canyon Laurel Canyon can refer to several things:
Nash, now 71, was arrested about noon Friday at his home and is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center "Metropolitan Dentention Center" refers to a series of federal detention facilities (prisons) located throughout the United States. They are run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. downtown. A bond hearing is scheduled for Monday. He faces life in federal prison if convicted on all charges. ``This case is particularly spectacular, and particularly notorious,'' said LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. Cmdr. Dave Kalish. ``It is an interesting case, a notorious crime, with notorious criminals.'' In two trials, prosecutors alleged that Nash, whose real name is Adel Gharib Nasrallah, ordered the Wonderland murders in retaliation for stealing drugs from him. A scene in the 1997 film ``Boogie Nights'' in which a porn star played by Mark Walhberg steals drugs from a dealer is said to have been based on the theft from Nash. The first trial ended in a deadlocked jury; Nash was acquitted in the second. The indictment alleges that Nash bribed a juror juror n. any person who actually serves on a jury. Lists of potential jurors are chosen from various sources such as registered voters, automobile registration or telephone directories. and one of the witnesses in the first trial, forcing a deadlock. Nash's co-defendants in the Wonderland murders - former porn star John Holmes, who died of AIDS in 1988, and Nash's bodyguard Gregory Diles, who died in 1995 - also were acquitted. Attorneys for Nash did not return messages Friday afternoon. But in a televised interview earlier this month, Nash told KNBC-TV anchor Paul Moyer he never ordered the hit. ``All I can say is what I've said for the last 20 years: I really did not kill anyone or have anything to do with the killing of those people on Wonderland.'' The indictment alleges that Nash, a convicted cocaine trafficker, has been buying, transporting and selling large quantities of heroin, cocaine and marijuana at Hollywood nightclubs, his Tarzana home, and a North Hollywood auto body shop since 1975. The indictment also charges Nash with conspiring to defraud the United States, wire fraud and money laundering The process of taking the proceeds of criminal activity and making them appear legal. Laundering allows criminals to transform illegally obtained gain into seemingly legitimate funds. . Nash and his associates, in order to protect the members of the organization and the profits, engaged in murder, violence, threats of violence, intimidation, bribes and money laundering, the indictment alleges. While not directly accusing him of the 1981 murders, the indictment says Nash conspired with Diles and Holmes to commit the heinous slayings of Ronald Launius, 37; William DeVerell, 42; DeVerell's girlfriend, Joy Audrey Miller, 46; and Barbara Richardson, 22. Because of his 1990 acquittal, he cannot be tried again for the murders. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Larson, who is prosecuting the racketeering case, is confident about the case, yet cautious due to Nash's long history and the case's complexities. ``It's a very complex indictment that addresses a long series of criminal activities by an individual who definitely left his mark on L.A.,'' Larson said. ``In a 20-year period, he was involved in a major narcotics narcotics n. 1) techinically, drugs which dull the senses. 2) a popular generic term for drugs which cannot be legally possessed, sold, or transported except for medicinal uses for which a physician or dentist's prescription is required. conspiracy.'' Nash's arrest culminates a four-year investigation by the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice charged with investigating all violations of federal laws except those assigned to some other federal agency. , the California Department of Justice, and the LAPD's organized crime and vice units. In a statement issued Friday afternoon, U.S. Attorney Alejandro N. Mayorkas said, ``We believe that the dedication and persistence of law enforcement has built a case against an individual who is alleged to have participated in a series of crimes that warrant the most aggressive prosecution in federal court.'' Friday's indictment also alleges that Nash planned an elaborate fraud and money laundering scheme between August 1994 and November 1995 in which he designed a system to launder Launder To move illegally acquired cash through financial systems so that it appears to be legally acquired. criminal proceeds generated by associates of the enterprise and disguised ownership of property owned by a member of the enterprise. The indictment also names five associates. One man, Hovsep Mikaelian, a k a Joe McLean, 49, of North Hollywood, is alleged to be one of Nash's closest allies. He was convicted in May 1997 of narcotics trafficking, excise tax Excise Tax 1. An indirect tax charged on the sale of a particular good. 2. A penalty tax applied to ineligible transactions in retirement accounts. This penalty is assessed by and paid to the IRS. Notes: 1. evasion, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and telecommunications fraud. He was sentenced in November 1999 to 14 years in federal prison. Mikaelian's brother, Hrant, 45, also of North Hollywood, is alleged to have been involved in the enterprise's narcotics trafficking efforts and wire fraud and money laundering schemes. He pleaded guilty in May 1999 to involvement in an unrelated international money laundering conspiracy and is set to be sentenced later this year. Harry Diramarian, 58, of Pasadena, is an accountant who is alleged to have worked for Nash and the Mikaelians. He pleaded guilty in February 1999 for his involvement in an unrelated $600,000 tax evasion The process whereby a person, through commission of Fraud, unlawfully pays less tax than the law mandates. Tax evasion is a criminal offense under federal and state statutes. A person who is convicted is subject to a prison sentence, a fine, or both. scheme and is set to be sentenced later this year. The federal indictment was a relief for LAPD Chief Bernard C. Parks Bernard Parks (born December 7, 1943 in Beaumont, Texas) is a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 8th District in South Los Angeles and former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. Parks attended Los Angeles City College, received his B.S. . ``I am very proud of all of the investigative teamwork that went into this very serious and complex case,'' he said in a statement. ``I have great confidence in the United States Attorney's Office to vigorously pursue this prosecution.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: EDDIE NASH IN 1990 |
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