03-05-2010, 07:52 PM
Sophisticated Counterfeiting Operation Run Out of Apartment Facing Federal Reserve Building in Los Angeles
April 30th, 2010 Update: Tile Mosaic Replica of CIA Emblem On Floor, Hugo Chavez Portrait Hanging Above It
WTF?
Via: Los Angeles Downtown News:
![[Image: cia_tile_emblem.jpg]](http://cryptogon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/cia_tile_emblem.jpg)
When a resident of the Reserve Lofts smelled gasoline emanating from unit 701 in the early evening of April 19, the Fire Department got a nervous call. The concerned resident couldn’t have known that the act would be the first domino to tumble, ultimately setting off an ongoing manhunt for a figure police warn should be considered armed and dangerous.
When fire and police officials arrived at unit 701 shortly after 6 p.m., the man inside, 33-year-old Brian Alexik, refused to open the door. After unlocking the door with a key, the door remained blocked by a homemade contraption that functioned as a second lock. By the time police broke down the door with a battering ram, Alexik had fled his unit, apparently escaping via a fire escape.
The source of the fumes was immediately apparent: Alexik, who police say sometimes went by the name Ken Shurin and is of Russian descent, had been using a gasoline-powered electric generator. But the generator was perhaps the least surprising thing authorities found.
Also in the apartment was approximately $15,000 in counterfeit money and the equipment used to make it. Police officials said the fake bills were of “high quality.” Additionally, there was an AK-47, a sawed-off shotgun and other evidence that suggests Alexik was manufacturing weapon parts. He also had an array of fake identification documents.
Other details in the apartment paint a curious if difficult to interpret portrait of Alexik. Inlaid on the floor was a handmade tile mosaic replica of the Central Intelligence Agency seal; it was about five feet in diameter. Hovering over the CIA emblem was a large, framed portrait of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
As of Los Angeles Downtown News’ press time on April 30, the LAPD and Secret Service were still trying to track down Alexik. Capt. Steven Sambar, who heads the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division, said Alexik should be considered “very dangerous.” Three felony charges have been filed, two for possessing the AK-47 and the shotgun, and one for possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
One Arrest
Police seemed to get their first break in the investigation on Thursday, April 29, when they arrested 32-year-old Gregory Koller, who officials suspect has ties to Alexik. Officials served a search warrant of Koller’s residence — a converted warehouse at 38th Street and Grand Avenue — at about 6 a.m. and discovered “items consistent with manufacturing weapons,” said Sambar.
The raid also yielded drugs including methamphetamine, and counterfeit currency, “the same items that directly link back to Alexik,” Sambar said. Koller was expected to be booked on narcotics charges, and likely faces additional charges tied to the recovered contraband, Sambar said.
Almost two weeks after law enforcement first responded to the Reserve Lofts, many residents of the building were still wondering why dozens of police, firemen and Secret Service agents had responded en masse on April 19.
“People are completely on edge,” said a resident who asked not to be identified because tenants had been asked by the landlord not to speak and feared retaliation.
In the days after Alexik’s door was knocked in, an unsigned letter went up in the building elevator, asking, “What really happened on the nights of April 19 and 20 at 409 W Olympic Unit 701?” It went on to make a slate of allegations — including illegal weapons possession and counterfeiting — that police echoed in a press release more than a week later.
Residents also noted the ironic parallels between Alexik’s alleged counterfeit operation and the 81-year-old building’s history. Converted into 78 live-work units in 2006, the building was the former Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve Bank.
It’s not yet clear what authorities are making of Alexik’s choice to live at the Reserve Lofts. But Commander Jose Perez, who oversees Central Bureau, pointed out that Alexik’s unit overlooks the current Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve Bank, next door at 950 S. Grand Ave.
Perez, who is not actively involved in the investigation, termed the proximity to the active Federal Reserve location as “suspicious.”
Alexik is believed to be about 5-foot-10 and weigh about 180 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call 911 immediately and make no attempt to confront him. Anyone with other information about the suspect is asked to contact LAPD Major Crimes Division Det. Daniel Logan at (213) 486-7386.
—End Update—
April 30th, 2010 Update: Tile Mosaic Replica of CIA Emblem On Floor, Hugo Chavez Portrait Hanging Above It
WTF?
Via: Los Angeles Downtown News:
When a resident of the Reserve Lofts smelled gasoline emanating from unit 701 in the early evening of April 19, the Fire Department got a nervous call. The concerned resident couldn’t have known that the act would be the first domino to tumble, ultimately setting off an ongoing manhunt for a figure police warn should be considered armed and dangerous.
When fire and police officials arrived at unit 701 shortly after 6 p.m., the man inside, 33-year-old Brian Alexik, refused to open the door. After unlocking the door with a key, the door remained blocked by a homemade contraption that functioned as a second lock. By the time police broke down the door with a battering ram, Alexik had fled his unit, apparently escaping via a fire escape.
The source of the fumes was immediately apparent: Alexik, who police say sometimes went by the name Ken Shurin and is of Russian descent, had been using a gasoline-powered electric generator. But the generator was perhaps the least surprising thing authorities found.
Also in the apartment was approximately $15,000 in counterfeit money and the equipment used to make it. Police officials said the fake bills were of “high quality.” Additionally, there was an AK-47, a sawed-off shotgun and other evidence that suggests Alexik was manufacturing weapon parts. He also had an array of fake identification documents.
Other details in the apartment paint a curious if difficult to interpret portrait of Alexik. Inlaid on the floor was a handmade tile mosaic replica of the Central Intelligence Agency seal; it was about five feet in diameter. Hovering over the CIA emblem was a large, framed portrait of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
As of Los Angeles Downtown News’ press time on April 30, the LAPD and Secret Service were still trying to track down Alexik. Capt. Steven Sambar, who heads the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division, said Alexik should be considered “very dangerous.” Three felony charges have been filed, two for possessing the AK-47 and the shotgun, and one for possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
One Arrest
Police seemed to get their first break in the investigation on Thursday, April 29, when they arrested 32-year-old Gregory Koller, who officials suspect has ties to Alexik. Officials served a search warrant of Koller’s residence — a converted warehouse at 38th Street and Grand Avenue — at about 6 a.m. and discovered “items consistent with manufacturing weapons,” said Sambar.
The raid also yielded drugs including methamphetamine, and counterfeit currency, “the same items that directly link back to Alexik,” Sambar said. Koller was expected to be booked on narcotics charges, and likely faces additional charges tied to the recovered contraband, Sambar said.
Almost two weeks after law enforcement first responded to the Reserve Lofts, many residents of the building were still wondering why dozens of police, firemen and Secret Service agents had responded en masse on April 19.
“People are completely on edge,” said a resident who asked not to be identified because tenants had been asked by the landlord not to speak and feared retaliation.
In the days after Alexik’s door was knocked in, an unsigned letter went up in the building elevator, asking, “What really happened on the nights of April 19 and 20 at 409 W Olympic Unit 701?” It went on to make a slate of allegations — including illegal weapons possession and counterfeiting — that police echoed in a press release more than a week later.
Residents also noted the ironic parallels between Alexik’s alleged counterfeit operation and the 81-year-old building’s history. Converted into 78 live-work units in 2006, the building was the former Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve Bank.
It’s not yet clear what authorities are making of Alexik’s choice to live at the Reserve Lofts. But Commander Jose Perez, who oversees Central Bureau, pointed out that Alexik’s unit overlooks the current Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve Bank, next door at 950 S. Grand Ave.
Perez, who is not actively involved in the investigation, termed the proximity to the active Federal Reserve location as “suspicious.”
Alexik is believed to be about 5-foot-10 and weigh about 180 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call 911 immediately and make no attempt to confront him. Anyone with other information about the suspect is asked to contact LAPD Major Crimes Division Det. Daniel Logan at (213) 486-7386.
—End Update—
"Where is the intersection between the world's deep hunger and your deep gladness?"