Government prosecutors allege Mr. Torres is a criminal who over the past 20 years has used murder, theft and intimidation to build his business empire. Posted on 03/22/2009 8:33:59 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
LOS ANGELES -- Supporters say George Torres is a hardworking and generous immigrant entrepreneur who built a grocery-store chain serving some of the region's toughest neighborhoods.
Government prosecutors allege Mr. Torres is a criminal who over the past 20 years has used murder, theft and intimidation to build his business empire.
Those two views of the 52-year-old Mexican national who grew up in Los Angeles will clash during a federal-court trial scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Prosecutors accuse Mr. Torres of heading a racketeering scheme since the 1980s, using money and force to battle rivals and expand his business enterprises. Among the charges against him in the racketeering conspiracy are solicitation of murder and bribery of a public official.
Mr. Torres's chain of large, brightly lit Numero Uno supermarkets are the business anchors in several largely ethnic blue-collar neighborhoods of Los Angeles and neighboring cities. Mr. Torres "was one of the trailblazers" in the local Mexican-American grocery business, said Steven Soto, president of the Mexican American Grocers Association.
The indictment contends that in pursuit of zoning permits for one of his Numero Uno markets, Mr. Torres illegally made payments of cash and goods -- including Lakers basketball tickets -- to a former city-planning official, Steve Carmona.
The allegations against Mr. Carmona, which involve defrauding the public of his honest services by taking payments from Mr. Torres, are "absolutely groundless," said Mr. Carmona's attorney, Mark Werksman. His client's case is scheduled to go to trial later this year, separate from Mr. Torres's.
Six other people, including Mr. Torres's brother and son, are also charged with taking part in various aspects of the alleged racketeering conspiracy. All, including Mr. Torres, have pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
“Blue collar” = gang-infested, illegal immigrants running amok, poverty-stricken barrio.
Apparently George Torres was a business partner of Carlos Vignali, of Clinton Pardongate infamy.
http://www.laweekly.com/2005-05-26/news/la-s-underground-power-broker/1
... the elder Vignali, along with business partner George Torres, owner of Numero Uno Markets, were part of a major drug-trafficking operation. Years later they would hear from a Santa Barbara Sheriff’s deputy and a Downey police officer who had been interested in the business activities of the elder Vignali and Torres all along. The Santa Barbara deputy would tell the Minneapolis officers about a landing strip a stone’s throw from Torres’ ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley. ...
George Torres or George Soros?
The only trick this guy didn't seem to use that Chavez did, was threatening to rape the daughters of the workers that didn't join his group of thugs.
This is just SOP. At least Mr. Numero Uno is being prosecuted. Chaveaz has a holiday and streets named after him!
Ping!
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