Captain
John H. Clark |
Welcome
to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's
Department Commercial Crimes Bureau . .
.The Los Angeles County Sheriffs
Department's Commercial Crimes Bureau
(CCB) is an investigative unit within the
Detective Division which is tasked with
the responsibility of investigating a wide
range of complex "white collar" crimes.
The types of cases this Bureau handles are
those involving frauds of all types up to,
but not limited to, identity theft,
mortgage fraud, computer-related fraud,
and a myriad of other schemes that
perpetuate these thefts. These schemes include those such as the
infamous Ponzi scheme, advanced fee
scheme, the charity switch, lottery scam,
planned insolvency, and many, many other
frauds. In essence, any fraud where a
suspect knowingly or intentionally
conceals, misrepresents, and makes false
statements to either deny or obtain
monetary benefit, or otherwise illegally
profit from the victim will be
investigated. Additionally, the Bureau will
investigate unusually complex elder
fiduciary abuse cases and provide guidance
to station detectives on elder fiduciary
cases as needed. A key tool in CCB's investigative
arsenal is the Detective Information
Resource Center (DIRC) research unit,
which conducts nontraditional research of
on-line computer databases and other
investigative sources with the intent to
provide investigative solutions to any
local, state, or federal law enforcement
agency. The reputation of the DIRC's
success has transcended not only this
Department and the County of Los Angeles,
but throughout the nation. DIRC was
recognized by the National Association of
Counties (NACO), and presented with its
highest honor for "an innovated program
which contributes to and enhances county
government in the United States."CCB consists of nine investigative
teams, and is staffed by four lieutenants,
12 sergeants, 40 deputies, several
volunteers, and a cadre of professional
staff that aids in the processing of the
investigative packets. Additionally,
several of the teams were specifically
designed in a task force configuration to
help combat various frauds as these crimes
traverse state and national boundaries.
These teams are supplemented by local,
state and federal investigators from such
agencies as the U.S. Postal Inspector's
Office, the Secret Service, the FBI, the
District Attorney's Office, and many
others. These teams are disbursed
strategically throughout the county to
ensure the best coverage possible for our
constituents.Investigating fraudulent activity is
just one element for which we are tasked;
fraud prevention is the other. Being the
victim of any fraud can have devastating
results and can take years, if ever, to
fully recover from. To assist in this
endeavor, CCB has constructed an
"Identity
Theft and Fraud Prevention Tips"
awareness website within the Los Angeles
County Sheriff's Department site,
LASD.org. This site is designed to
provide critical information for those who
have already been victimized and those
seeking knowledge on how to avoid becoming
a victim of these ever increasing crimes.
This site includes worthwhile and helpful
definitions, as well as posters,
brochures, and multimedia audio and videos
presentations.The "overview" of the Commercial Crimes
Bureau will provide you with a more
detailed brief of each unit within the
Bureau.
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