EMAIL sent to me as follows: TEMECULA: Assault charges filed against bail agents BY SARAH BURGE / STAFF WRITER Published: Oct. 21, 2014 Updated: 9:23 p.m. Fausto Atilano (Brother - In Law of Jeff Stone), owner of Fausto’s Bailbonds, is also accused of unlawfully representing himself as a sworn officer in Temecula. All relatives of Jeff Stone. A bail bondsman and one of his bounty hunters are facing criminal charges, including felony assault, in connection with two incidents in which they entered Temecula homes in an unsuccessful search for a client who had skipped bail, authorities said. Fausto Atilano, 52, of Temecula, owner of Fausto’s Bail Bonds, and Vincent Cusumano, 23, of Hemet are charged with two counts of assault with a firearm and several misdemeanors, including forcible entry causing damage, two counts each of unlawfully representing themselves as sworn officers and failure to notify local law enforcement of their intent to apprehend a fugitive, Riverside County court records show. Cusumano – the stepson of Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone – is also charged with unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm in public and an allegation that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Both men are set to be arraigned Dec. 2 at the Southwest Justice Center in French Valley. RELATED: Murrieta bail agent investigated The state attorney general’s office filed the charges Thursday, and $100,000 arrest warrants were issued for Atilano and Cusumano, court records show. The arrest warrant documents were sealed by Riverside Superior Court Judge Timothy Freer in an effort to prevent Atilano and Cusumano from learning about the warrants before they could be carried out, court records say. The sealing order cites the defendants’ connections to law enforcement. But Atilano and Cusumano posted bail to the court Tuesday morning before either man could be arrested. Capt. Jeff Kubel, commander of the sheriff’s Southwest Station, said he learned of the warrants Monday and called Atilano to let him know. He said Atilano is well known in the community and he believed he would turn himself in, which he did. “He said he would take care of it in the morning,” Kubel said of his conversation with Atilano. “He sounded surprised.” The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office referred the case to the state attorney general’s office earlier this year, citing a conflict of interest, said Nicholas Pacilio, an attorney general’s spokesman. Details of the conflict have not been disclosed, but Cusumano has family ties to the district attorney’s office. His stepbrother, Jason Stone, is a deputy district attorney. Defense attorney Virginia Blumenthal (Attorney for DUI suspect EX-Mayor of Murrieta Alan Long), speaking for both agents, said she believes there is more to the case than there might appear and remarked on the fact that nearly a year had passed before charges were filed. “Bail recovery agents have many powers to arrest fugitives from justice that law enforcement does not,” she said. She also denied the firearm allegation against Cusumano. “He’s never had a firearm and did not have a firearm that day,” she said. According to the police report, on Oct. 23, 2013, a Temecula woman reported that two men, later identified as Atilano and Cusumano, kicked in the door of her apartment on Solana Way with their guns drawn and searched the residence. She was home alone with her baby and had ignored their demands to open up. Atilano and Cusumano told deputies they were searching for her estranged husband, who had skipped court, according to the police report. The man wasn’t at the apartment, and his estranged wife said she hadn’t seen him for months and didn’t know where he was. Get the full story here: TEMECULA: Assault charges filed against bail agents TEMECULA: Assault charges filed against bail agents News: Assault charges filed against bail agents | atilano, bail, cusumano, attorney, court, firearm, police, report, charges, temecula View on pe
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 02:37:16 +0000
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