Case Issuance & Extradition Division
In 2011, the Case Issuance and Extradition Division was managed by division Chief Terri Wyatt, Assistant Chief Susan Gust, Legal Support Manager Ken Deyo and Paralegal Supervisor Don Morton. The division is comprised of the following units:
Domestic
and International Extraditions Unit- Felony Issuing & Priors Unit
- Lifer Hearing Unit
- DA Liaison Unit
Domestic and International Extraditions
The Extraditions Unit is responsible for countywide efforts to return fugitive defendants from other states and foreign countries to San Diego. Our unit also works on cases involving fugitives located in San Diego who face extradition to other states.
- Domestic: Last year, the unit extradited 63 defendants from other states, including 1 from the U.S Territory of Guam, back to San Diego. Prosecutors handled 210 extradition, citizen identity, and social security related hearings.
- International: We successfully extradited a record number of six defendants from Mexico back to San Diego. All were Mexican nationals and all were wanted on very serious or violent charges. In 2011, there were a total of 16 international extraditions of Mexican nationals for state prosecutions in all of California. That means San Diego accomplished more than 1/3 of the total state extraditions from Mexico. Since 2008, the unit has successfully extradited fourteen fugitives from Mexico, all of whom were Mexican nationals.
High-profile international cases handled by the Extraditions Unit in 2011 Included:
- On December 10, 2009, defendant Jesus Arteaga-Garcia fatally stabbed his estranged, 8-week pregnant wife, who was a U.S. Border Patrol Agent. This murder occurred in front of the couple’s two young children. The victim had recently filed for divorce. The defendant, a Mexican national, immediately fled to Mexico. On July 27, 2011, he was formally extradited to San Diego. He is facing two counts of murder, along with special circumstances allegations and two counts of serious child endangerment.
- On August 17, 2009, defendant Ricardo Perez Borbon, a parolee and registered sex-offender, cut off his GPS ankle bracelet after molesting a 10-year-old child who was waiting with her father for auto body work at the shop where defendant worked. Borbon fled to Mexico and was located, arrested and formally extradited to San Diego on September 7, 2011, to face numerous, serious sexual assault charges.
- On December 30, 2011, defendant Jesus Gonzalez-Trujillo was transported by U.S. Marshals to San Diego following a successful international extradition to face charges for his personal involvement in three kidnapping and heinous murders throughout San Diego County. This defendant is a member of Los Palillos criminal organization, formerly part of the Arellano-Felix international drug cartel.
Felony Issuing & Priors Unit
This unit has the responsibility of carefully assessing new cases that occur in the central area of San Diego to determine whether felony charges should be filed. In addition, Case Issuance staff decides if a case should be referred to another prosecution agency or to another division to be handled vertically – by just one Deputy District Attorney for the life of the case. In 2011, the attorneys in this division reviewed 5,363 felony cases for issuing, and our busy clerical staff processed all of those cases. There were 3,888 felony cases issued; 794 were rejected; and 681 were redirected to other agencies. The division also handled a variety of legal issues and provided legal advice on criminal law, procedure and evidence to the various law enforcement agencies that submit cases to our office for consideration.
The Priors Unit obtains certified court documents for the DA's Office. The prior convictions elevate a defendant's custody exposure so defendants with criminal records are given a more appropriate sentence than those defendants who have no previous criminal convictions.
Lifer Hearing Unit
The DA’s Lifer Hearing Unit has two main goals: to ensure that dangerous prisoners with life sentences are not released carelessly and to ensure that crime victims and their families are given an opportunity to participate in the parole hearing process. Last year, the Lifer Hearing Unit processed 250 cases for parole suitability hearings. There were 120 lifer parole hearings, with 35 inmates receiving parole grants from the California Board of Parole Hearings. Eighty-five inmates were denied parole at their hearings. Four of the 35 parole grants were overturned by Governor Brown.
High-Profile Lifer Hearings handled in 2011 included:
- Genaro Villanueva was denied parole for 15 years in December 2011. Villanueva murdered beloved character actor, David Huffman. When Huffman interrupted Villanueva committing a burglary in a motor home in 1985, Villanueva brutally stabbed the actor to death.
- Mark Rogowski was denied parole for seven years in February 2011. Rogowski was a world-class skateboarder who had achieved significant notoriety. He brutally murdered a friend of his ex-girlfriend in 1991. The victim, Jessica Bergsten, was raped and buried in a shallow grave in the desert. The victim’s father attended the hearing and made a moving statement against parole.
- Linda Elizabeth Ricchio was denied parole for seven years in May 2011. Ricchio stalked her ex-boyfriend, Ronald Ruse, for months before his 1987 murder. Ricchio threatened to kill Ruse. She purchased a handgun, took shooting lessons, then rented an apartment across from the victim and shot and killed him one day when he came home from work
- James Bright was denied parole for five years in July 2011. Bright attempted to murder Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Kain in 1992. Deputy Kain pulled Bright over for defective brake lights; Bright stuck a .357 magnum out the window and opened fire. Bright sped away while the victim crawled to his patrol vehicle and radioed for help. He hovered near death for a week before making a recovery and retiring from the Sheriff’s Department. A massive manhunt led to Bright’s arrest.
DA Liaison Unit
Two very experienced prosecutors are assigned as liaisons to local law enforcement agencies including the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. These prosecutors work closely with law enforcement by assisting with investigations. The liaisons provide critical assistance in assuring evidence is collected lawfully so it can be introduced in court by the prosecutors. They also assist police with drafting legal documents such as search warrants, arrest warrants, and other court orders. The DA liaisons are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day to answer legal questions. They are frequently on hand for critical suspect and witness interviews in sensitive and serious cases.
- In 2011, the two liaisons reviewed just more than 1,300 search warrants and about 150 arrest warrants. They also provided legal advice on over 3,000 inquiries from law enforcement and prosecutors.
