| Thousand Oaks Man Convicted of Grand Theft Brian Andrew Hynes, 43, of Thousand Oaks, was convicted by a jury of one count of felony grand theft after spending money meant for the Oak Heart County Music Festival. Hynes, the principal owner of the Borderline Bar & Grill, partnered with Westlake Rotary to put on the annual charity music festival in 2020. The festival was canceled due to COVID. Hynes proceeded to misappropriate the refunded deposit for musical acts in the amount of $43,750. Instead of returning the money to Westlake Rotary and ticket holders, Hynes directed the funds to be placed into a general business bank account that he controlled. He went on to spend the festival money on his unrelated business and personal expenses. “Facing difficult financial circumstances, Mr. Hynes decided to misappropriate venture money,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Marc Leventhal, who prosecuted the case. “Rather than mitigating his crime by taking responsibility, he instead put his former Rotary colleagues and business partner and employees through the ordeal of an emotionally draining trial. I am grateful to the jury for the patience and dedication they showed in hearing the evidence and rendering their verdict.” Hynes is scheduled to be sentenced on November 1, 2023, at 9 a.m. in courtroom 48 of the Ventura County Superior Court. |
| Long Beach Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Attempted Residential Burglary Shawn Hernandez, 31, of Long Beach, was sentenced to 17 years in prison after being previously convicted by a jury in August of felony attempted first-degree residential burglary and felony conspiracy to commit first-degree residential burglary. A judge also found true all prior convictions and special allegations. On January 9, 2023, at approximately 2:15 a.m. Hernandez and other unidentified co-conspirators attempted to burglarize a home on Township Avenue in Simi Valley by shattering a rear glass sliding door. The homeowner called 9-1-1, and as Simi Valley police officers arrived at the house, a Dodge Charger fled the neighborhood, leaving Hernandez and others at the scene. The driver of the getaway car led police on a short, high-speed pursuit, which ended in a single-car traffic collision. The driver, later identified as co-defendant Karenga Williams, was the only suspect in the car. During a search of the car, officers located personal identifying information belonging to Hernandez. Evidence was also found at several residences surrounding the victim’s home, including a black ski mask, sweatshirt, gloves and a bag in a neighbor’s backyard. Detectives were able to identify Hernandez as a possible participant, and DNA connected him to the Simi Valley scene. His DNA was matched to DNA found on a glove left behind in the neighbor’s yard. Uber records show that Hernandez used the rideshare app to get from the Simi Valley neighborhood to South Los Angeles. For his role in the crime, Williams pled guilty in June to attempted first-degree residential burglary and evading an officer. He was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison. “Ventura County residents have the right to feel safe and secure in their homes without fear of someone breaking in during the middle of the night,” said Deputy District Attorney Matthew Hovsepian, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Serious-Violent Felonies Unit, who prosecuted the case. “Thanks to the dedicated work by Simi Valley police detectives, this conviction can start to restore the victim’s sense of security in her home.” |
Ventura Man Charged With Human Trafficking of a Minor
Kai Sommers, 35, of Ventura, was charged with four felony counts of child sex crimes in October. The allegations include two counts of human trafficking of a minor, distribution of child sexual assault material and possession of child sexual assault material by someone with a prior conviction. Aggravating circumstances in that Sommers served a prior prison sentence were also alleged for all four counts. Sommers pled not guilty to all counts at arraignment.
Sommers has previous convictions for a lewd act upon a child and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He is currently on post-release community supervision. On August 30, 2023, the Ventura Police Department conducted a search of Sommers’ home and recovered evidence that led to the current charges. Human trafficking of a minor includes inducing, persuading, or causing a minor to engage in a commercial sex act.
Sommers is currently held on $100,000 bail for the four charges and has a no-bail hold for violating the terms of his post-release community supervision.
High School Coach Pleads Guilty to Sex Crimes With Student
Aaron James Mora, 25, of Oxnard, pled guilty in October to one felony count of sending harmful matter to a child. He also admitted to the special allegations that the victim was vulnerable and that he took advantage of a position of trust or confidence to commit the offense.
Mora, a track coach at Oxnard’s Pacifica High School in 2022, began text messaging with an underaged female student on the team. He then sent inappropriate sexual images of himself to the victim and also received images from the victim.
“The victim was courageous in reporting this abuse,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Edward Andrews, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Sexual Assault Unit, who prosecuted the case. “Our coaches occupy positions of trust, which the defendant abused terribly. I hope that his upcoming sentencing sends a message that we protect our kids and there are serious consequences for both electronic and real-life manipulation of children.”
Mora is scheduled for sentencing on December 1, 2023, at 9 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court. He is currently out on $50,000 bail.
| Local Real Estate Agent Sentenced for Fraud Daniel Montano, 29, of Camarillo, was sentenced to 180 days in jail, placed on formal probation for two years and ordered to pay $102,366 in victim restitution. Montano had previously pled guilty to four felony counts of forgery. Montano also admitted as true circumstances in aggravation that the crimes indicated planning, sophistication, and professionalism and that he took advantage of a position of trust and confidence when he committed the offenses. Montano is a licensed real estate agent by the California Department of Real Estate. In October 2020, while Montano was employed by RE/MAX Gold Coast Realtors in Ventura, the victims chose him to represent them on two residential transactions. The investigation in this case, conducted by the District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation, determined that during this representation, Montano forged the victims’ signatures on multiple California Association of Realtors forms. After forging the victims’ signatures, Montano sent the documents to escrow on the sale and purchase of residential properties located in Ventura. In addition to jail time, formal probation, and restitution, under the terms of his sentence, Montano is prohibited while on probation from engaging in any employment activity requiring a real estate license. Prior to his sentencing today, Montano paid $68,500 in victim restitution. Information is provided by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. |
