The FBI announced recently that Gino Augustus Turrella, 47, of Des Moines, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle to seven years in prison, five years of supervised release and $231,100 in restitution for 19 felony counts regarding threats he made against the Boeing Company, Shell Oil and Chevron Oil Company.

As we reported Nov. 6th, Turrella was convicted Nov. 6, 2009, following a four day jury trial in front of U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour. Turrella was convicted of the following:

• Making Interstate Communications with Threat to Injure Person
• Making Threat by Instrument of Interstate Commerce
• Possessing a Firearm during Threats of Violence
• Identity Theft

At sentencing Judge Coughenour ordered Turrella to forfeit his extensive arsenal of weapons to the government.

According to the FBI’s announcement:

Turrella was arrested on August 26, 2008, in the parking lot of the REI store in Tukwila. In a search of his home, law enforcement recovered more than 100 firearms. According to records in the case and testimony at trial, Turrella sent threats via e-mail and through the Internet, on nine occasions between the dates of May 2, 2008, and May 30, 2008. In making the threats, Turrella posed as other real people, and used e-mail addresses that he had opened under the names of those individuals.

In the e-mails that he transmitted to Boeing, Turrella stated variously that he was going to bring a gun into a Boeing facility and “shoot ever [sic] employee I see,” and also that he would “strap himself with explosives and detonate” them if and when he was apprehended, in order to cause “maximum death and destruction in the workplace!”

In an e-mail he posted to the Anacortes oil refinery website, and to the Richmond, CA Chevron Oil refinery website, he stated that “a bomb was placed at a strategic location at the oil refinery” and that he was “going to set if off via remote control” so that it “will kill the most of your employees and do the most destruction to your refinery.”

In making the threats to the Boeing Company, Turrella posed as one of his former managers at the Boeing Company. Turrella was angry at the manager because he had authorized disciplinary action against him. In making the threats to the Shell and Chevron Oil refineries, Turrella posed as a different person—a former co-worker at another company that Turrella disliked. In both cases, Turrella apparently hoped that the people who he impersonated when making the threats would suffer repercussions—either in their jobs or even perhaps in the form of criminal investigation—because of them. Prosecutors were able to show that Turrella’s laptop contained evidence linking him to the e-mail accounts used to send the threats, and that the laptop had been logged on to the wireless networks at the King County Library or Highline Community College when the threatening communications were transmitted.

In their sentencing memo, prosecutors noted that Turrella had a history of making threats. In 1992 he was investigated for jamming HAM radio frequencies and was fined $10,000. His response was to make threats over HAM radio. In 1997, he disrupted the U.S. Coast Guard emergency broadcast channel, and made threats when he was informed of the possibility of federal prosecution. In 2001, Turrella sent threats via mail and e-mail to the Army National Guard.

Asking for a significant sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court: “In short, Turrella has persisted, for years, in deviously exploiting his knowledge of successive technologies to terrorize others. He has done so, relentlessly, despite the fact that he was explicitly warned that he would be federally prosecuted if he persisted.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Auburn Police Department, and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kathryn Warma and Aravind Swaminathan.

Lovelychild Manuel of Des Moines was sentenced Friday (Jan. 8th) to eight years in prison for the deadly shooting of Devon Guidry after a book signing in Tukwila in April, 2008.

Manuel pleaded guilty to killing Guidry and wounding Paul Dervin after a party for two authors of a book about rapper Dr. Dre in the parking lot of the Gordon’s On The Green restaurant, which is located at Foster Golf Links in Tukwila.

Witnesses told police that Manuel shot Guidry in the back of the head after an argument, then fled in an SUV driven from the scene by another man.

Following the shooting, police received several tips that Manuel had been involved in the shooting and was planning to leave the state. Officers arrested him following a traffic stop in SeaTac. Manuel admitted to being at the restaurant during the party, but initially denied any involvement in the shootings.

At first charged with second-degree murder, Manuel pleaded guilty to reduced charges of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault. Had he been convicted as initially charged, he would likely have faced more than 20 years in prison.

Manuel is currently jailed at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, pending transfer to the Department of Corrections.

According to the South Correctional Entity Multijurisdictional Misdemeanant (SCORE) website, Lydig Construction is the low bidder for construction of the new jail, which will be built in Des Moines beginning this month.

According to the press release, the new jail will “…bring a cost-effective misdemeanor corrections facility to partnering cities of Auburn, Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Renton, SeaTac and Tukwila.”

Lydig’s bid was for a construction cost of $62,000 per bed, which apparently is half the cost of other jails planned in the Northwest. Further savings in operation costs are expected through design solutions, enabling a six-to-one staffing ratio using a combination of direct and indirect supervision methods.

According to their website, Lydig Construction was founded and incorporated in 1956, and has grown from a 4-person organization into a multi-million dollar construction service provider. They have offices in Bellevue and Spokane, and Lydig has built eight different justice-related projects, including:

• Northwest Detention Center
• Green Hill School
• Coyote Ridge Corrections Center
• Franklin County Courthouse
• Wenatchee Police Station
• Washington State Patrol Crime Lab
• Washington State Penitentiary Warehouse
• National Guard Readiness Center

On Tuesday (Nov. 17th), Leemah Carneh, the man accused of murdering an elderly couple and two teens at a Des Moines home in 2001, pleaded guilty to murder.

Carneh, 28, pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated first-degree murder with a firearm for the brutal killings. These charges carry a mandatory life sentence, which King County Superior Court Judge Palmer Robinson imposed following the plea.

Carneh, who was 19 at the time, is accused of killing Richard and Jane Larson, 63 and 64, their grandson Taelor Marks, 17, and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Josie Peterson, in the Larsons’ home in March 2001. Peterson was a cheerleader at Evergreen High School when she was killed.

As we reported previously, Judge Robinson, following a competency hearing that took place over several weeks, ruled in August that Carneh was mentally fit to stand trial. He was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic not long after his arrest.

Carneh was arraigned on the four counts of aggravated first-degree murder immediately following Robinson’s ruling.

According to police investigators, Carneh allegedly gunned down Marks’ grandparents, hid their bodies, then waited inside the house for Peterson and Marks and brutally beat them in an ambush when they came home. King County prosecutors allege that Carneh was obsessed with Peterson, who didn’t know him.

He was arrested at his home two days after the killings. When police searched Carneh’s house after the killings they found a photo of Peterson, a ring belonging to Marks, luggage with the Larson’s name on it, a stereo from Marks’ car, a handgun – and bloody clothes.

Despite this evidence, criminal proceedings were delayed while Carneh was treated for his mental condition at Western State Hospital. On several occasions, he was returned to the King County Jail only to be sent back to the hospital when it was determined he still was not mentally competent to participate in his defense.

After prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty, Carneh will now face life in prison without the possibility of parole. In late 2005, he received a civil commitment to Western State when another superior court judge ruled he still was not competent to stand trial but under state law no longer could be held on the criminal charges.

One year later, prosecutors were notified by officials at Western State that Carneh’s mental condition has improved to the point that he no longer needed constant supervision. They also said he was eligible to earn permission to leave the hospital grounds. At that point, prosecutors re-filed the murder charges and requested a new competency hearing for Carneh. But it took another two and a half years with a new treatment regime before he was finally found fit to stand trial.

Shortly before the original murder charges against Carneh were dismissed, Taelor’s mother Lorraine Marks said, “It’s unbelievable to me. He wrote the book on how to commit murder and get away with it…. I’m furious with the system.”

When the charges against Mr. Carneh were dismissed in 2005 and he was sent from the King County Jail back to the mental treatment facility, prosecutors said it was unlikely, even if he never went to trial for the murders, that he ever would ever be free again.

But late last year, prosecutors learned the defendant had made enough improvement to be unsupervised and perhaps even leave the grounds of the institution.

 At that point, they re-filed the charges of aggravated first-degree murder against him.

 Yet now, he again has been found mentally unfit. Western State staff believe additional treatment alternatives can help Mr. Carneh become competent so he finally can stand trial.

The Seattle Times is reporting that Gino Turrella, a Des Moines man, has been convicted of 19 felony counts for threats he made against Boeing, Shell Oil and Chevron Oil.

Turrella was convicted Friday (Nov. 6th) in US District Court in Seattle after a jury deliberated about five hours following a four-day trial.

According to the Times, Turrella was convicted of:

• 2 counts of making interstate communications with threat to injure persons
• 7 counts of making threats by instrument of interstate commerce
• 1 count of possessing a firearm during threats of violence
• 9 counts of identity theft

He faces between 5-10 years in prison. His sentencing date is scheduled for Feb. 19th.

According to documents, Turrella made eight threats via email in May of 2008, posing as other people by using accounts he’d created himself. The threats included one to Boeing in which he claimed that he was going to bring a gun and go on a shooting rampage, as well as detonate himself as a suicide bomb.

When Turrella’s home was searched, police discovered over 100 firearms.

When you do a Google Search for Turrella, you’ll see that he was also quite active Commenting on various websites, oftentimes with fiery language.

Read the full story here.

The controversial new South Correctional Entity (SCORE) jail will conduct groundbreaking ceremonies at 2pm Monday, Aug. 10th on the project site, which is located at 1801 S. 200th Street in Des Moines.

The $80.5 million, one-story SCORE facility is being built to provide a cost-effective misdemeanor corrections facility, and is a cooperative effort between seven sities:

• Auburn
• Burien
• Des Moines
• Federal Way
• Renton
• Seatac
• Tukwila

As we reported previously, the seven south King County cities announced plans to build this 668-bed misdemeanor jail near Des Moines Creek Park on a 14-acre parcel owned by the Port of Seattle, located southwest of where South 208th Street intersects with 18th Avenue South.

According to SCORE, the fenced, heavily wooded location is not practical for other development, and has been overrun by trespassers and is “scattered with their left-behind garbage.”

However, from our research, it appears that a popular mountain biking trail goes through this area.

The facility is expected to begin construction later this year, and the building of it is estimated to take 21 months; under this schedule the jail should be ready to open mid to late 2011.

Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler says:

“SCORE is another example of cities in South King County working together to solve problems we all share. We’ve found that we are able to come up with creative, cost effective solutions to difficult issues and problems when we work together as equal partners.”

The jail is expected to employ around 120 workers, including corrections officers, medical staff and administrative personnel.

Here’s an artist’s rendition of what the front entrance to the jail might look like:

More information is available at the SCORE website.

The Department of Justice announced that a former Des Moines resident named Charles Nolon Bush, 69, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, 3 years’ supervised release and over $30 million in restitution.

Bush lived in Des Moines in 1998, and later Port Orchard, where he operated various investment entities such as Hulaman Management Services (HMS), Global Dominion Financial Services (GDFS), and Cornerstone Institute. BUSH accepted more than $35 million in investor funds.

Here’s the DOJ press release:

CHARLES NOLON BUSH, 69, formerly of Port Orchard, Washington was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 30 years in prison, three years supervised release and $30,097,659 in restitution. On November 13, 2008, a jury convicted BUSH of twenty-seven counts including Securities Fraud, Wire Fraud, Mail Fraud, and Money Laundering. The jury deliberated one day following a two week jury trial. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton said, “This was an incredible enterprise…. He lied to people on a repeated basis…. He was very calculated throughout this enterprise… Throughout all of this the one who got paid first was Nolan Bush.”

According to testimony at trial and records filed in the case, BUSH took millions of dollars in investor money in a fraudulent high-yield scheme between 1998 and 2002. In 1998, BUSH was a resident of Des Moines, Washington, and later Port Orchard, Washington, where he operated various investment entities such as Hulaman Management Services (HMS), Global Dominion Financial Services (GDFS), and Cornerstone Institute. BUSH accepted more than $35 million in investor funds. BUSH promised high yield investments, when in fact only one-third of investor money was placed into any investments. Bush used the remaining investor money, among other things, to fund a lavish lifestyle and pay previous investors in the form of a Ponzi scheme. Victims speaking in court turned to Bush and said “you’re a liar, you’re a thief, and you’re a coward.” They described how he had robbed people of their health care and college funds. “I hope the Judge, through the honest efforts of our government puts you away for 300 years.”

In order to lend legitimacy to the investment scheme, after July 1999, BUSH conducted business from “View Park Golf Estate,” a mansion on a private nine-hole golf course, and from a luxury suite at Safeco Field, while representing to investors that he personally had taken a vow of poverty. BUSH recruited other individuals, referred to as “financial planners,” to act as his agents in promoting the scheme.

Towards the end of his scheme, BUSH represented that investor money was for Cabo San Quintin, the name given to a destination resort which developers planned to build on a peninsula located on the west coast of Baja California, Mexico. BUSH lied to investors about the safety of the project as an investment.

Above are two images split up from an architect’s renderings of what Des Moines’ proposed new $80 million dollar SCORE Midemeanor Jail might look like.

As we reported previously, on Thursday, Feb. 26th, seven south King County cities announced plans to build a 668-bed misdemeanor jail on near Des Moines Creek Park on a 14-acre parcel owned by the Port of Seattle, located southwest of where South 208th Street intersects with 18th Avenue South.

According to SCORE, the fenced, heavily wooded location is not practical for other development, and has been overrun by trespassers and is scattered with their left-behind garbage. The facility is expected to be under construction late in 2009, and the building of it is estimated to take 21 months; under this schedule the jail should be ready to open mid to late 2011.

Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler says, “SCORE is another example of cities in South King County working together to solve problems we all share. We’ve found that we are able to come up with creative, cost effective solutions to difficult issues and problems when we work together as equal partners.”

Sheckler currently chairs the Highline Forum, a group of South King County cities and the Highline School District that works with Sea-Tac International Airport to promote mutual economic interests and address local environmental issues.

The jail will employ around 120 workers, including corrections officers, medical staff and administrative personnel.

Most of the inmates who will be housed in the SCORE facility will have been arrested or sentenced to jail time for property crimes such as theft, driving offenses, and criminal trespass.  The average length of stay for these inmates is approximately 14 days.

SCORE plans to create a unique release strategy that will return inmates to the city in which they were arrested or living when they are released. Inmates will not be released into the surrounding neighborhoods.

A public meeting on this jail is scheduled for Wednesday, March 25th at 8:30am at the Renton City Hall.

So, the jail will house nearly 700 misdemeanor criminals, who will apparently be released back to whence they came.

What do YOU think of Des Moines “scoring” a new jail? Please Comment below…

Seven south King County cities announced today (Thursday Feb. 26th) their plans to build a 668-bed misdemeanor jail.

In Des Moines.

The cities on board this venture, which is called the South Correctional Entity (or “SCORE,” not to be confused with the small business advisors “SCORE”), include:

• Des Moines
• Tukwila
• SeaTac
• Federal Way
• Renton
• Burien
• Auburn

SCORE is hoping to open this new jail in mid-2011 to replace jail space that will no longer be provided by the county. The seven cities will team up to handle all operations of the new facility.

From a press release, here’s a quote from SeaTac Mayor Ralph Shape:

“Meeting the public safety needs of our residents while keeping costs down is our number one goal. SCORE meets that need.”

The entity has hired a consulting firm, which proposed that the area will need nearly 700 additional jail cells by 2026, and that cities could reduce costs by working together.

The preferred site for the new jail is near Des Moines Creek Park, on a 14-acre parcel owned by the Port of Seattle located southwest of where South 208th intersects with 18th Ave South (see map below).

Next steps in this project is the permitting process, which will also allow for public comments and review; here’s more info from the SCORE website:

SCORE is currently seeking applicants for the Community Outreach Team.

The Community Outreach Team will work with SCORE to address community concerns and questions.

If you are interested in participating, send your letter of interest to:

SCORE Outreach Team
1055 South Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057

Priority will be given to:

• Applicants that live in the cities of Des Moines or Tukwila
• Applicants that live west of 18th Avenue South
• Applicants that live South of 200th Street
• Applicants that live north of 216th Street

Questions and Comments can be e-mailed to SCOREjail@rentonwa.gov

A public meeting on this jail is scheduled for Wednesday, March 25th at 8:30am at the Renton City Hall.

So…what are your thoughts on having a jail in Des Moines?

Please Comment below the map…
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