LOS ANGELESPair Plead Guilty in Software Theft...

LOS ANGELES

Pair Plead Guilty in Software Theft Ring

Two key players in a prominent cyberspace gang, known as

DrinkorDie, pleaded guilty Thursday in Los Angeles federal court to criminal charges of copyright infringement.

Kentaga Kartadinata, 30, of Los Angeles and Mike Nguyen, 26, of West Los Angeles agreed to cooperate with the U.S. Customs Service in an investigation targeting members of the so-called Warez cyberspace gang around the world.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Christopher Johnson said in court that indictments are expected soon against at least 50 other DrinkorDie members.

Under terms of a plea agreement, Kartadinata and Nguyen each face 27 to 33 months in prison. They are free on bail pending sentencing a year from now.

Nguyen, a computer programmer at UCLA, managed several of the group’s file servers containing thousands of pirated software titles.

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COMPTON

School Chief’s Raises at Ex-District Contested

The New Mexico attorney general Thursday charged current and former school board members in Las Cruces with illegally granting raises and benefits to Compton Supt. Jesse Gonzales when he headed the schools there.

Gonzales, who was not charged with anything, was superintendent in Las Cruces for nearly 12 years before leaving late last year to assume the top job in Compton. Through a spokesman, he declined to comment.

In a previous interview and in documents submitted to The Times, a lawyer for Gonzales said the board was responsible for approving raises and that Gonzales had accepted them “in good faith” as gestures recognizing his “excellent work.”

Gonzales’ accomplishments in Las Cruces were cited by California education officials when they decided to return full local authority to Compton’s schools last year after eight years of state management.

The criminal complaints involve misdemeanor violations of New Mexico’s Open Meetings Act. They charge two current board members and three former members with approving hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra benefits for Gonzales without making the votes public.

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EL SEGUNDO

Chevron Oil Worker Convicted of Extortion

An employee who threatened to blow up the Chevron oil refinery in El Segundo if the company refused to pay him as much as $3 million to settle his disability claims was found guilty of extortion Thursday by a federal jury in Los Angeles.

Federal prosecutors said Ronald Denton, 38, who worked at the refinery for 14 years, had been placed on disability leave after complaining of stress stemming from his failure to get a promotion.

While on leave, he told a psychologist he intended to blow up the facility if the firm refused to meet his financial demands, the U.S. attorney’s office said. Denton, who remains in custody, is scheduled to be sentenced May 2.

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LOS ANGELES

Activist Charged in Stolen Property Case

A Los Angeles-area community activist has been charged with unlawfully taking a vehicle and receiving stolen property, prosecutors said Thursday.

Melvin Farmer, who formed an antiviolence organization, pleaded not guilty at the Inglewood Courthouse on Tuesday. Sheriff’s deputies arrested him Friday and booked him into Los Angeles County Jail. He is being held in lieu of $85,000 bail.