The U.S. Department of Justice is now moving to bring federal charges against the organizers behind the riots and violent unrest that have gripped Los Angeles almost every night for the past two weeks.
Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, announced this week that federal charges are being filed against a man caught on video handing out boxes of heavy-duty face shields to rioters during the most violent night of the unrest on June 9,” CBS News reported.
Footage from a local Fox affiliate shows a man in a black pickup truck dropping off the gear to the mob.
“No, those are masks. So people are prepping for some sort of altercation with police as we speak,” Fox Los Angeles reporter Matthew Seedorff observed at the time. “You probably don’t put on a mask unless you have a plan of not wanting somebody to see your face,” he added.
On June 12, FBI agents arrested Alejandro Theodoro Orellana, identified as the driver of the truck. He was taken into custody on an allegation of Conspiracy to Commit Civil Disorders (18 USC 371) for distributing face shields to suspected rioters, according to Essayli on X.
“We are moving quickly to identify and arrest those involved in organizing and/or supporting civil disorder in Los Angeles,” Essayli said.
The DOJ also announced charges against another man accused of hurling rocks and explosive devices at police officers on U.S. Route 101 during the June 9 violence.
Adam Palermo, 39, is now facing four felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, along with one felony count of arson and one count of vandalism, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
Officials say that on June 8, around 7 p.m., Palermo threw a large rock from an overpass onto a California Highway Patrol vehicle on the 101 Freeway. He also allegedly lit an object on fire and tossed it onto a CHP SUV parked on the freeway, which then caught fire.
Palermo is also facing federal charges tied to the incident, Essayli confirmed during a press conference.
He reportedly posted images on social media showing damaged CHP vehicles along with a caption that read, “All of the protests I’ve been involved in, which is well over 100 now, I’m most proud of what I did today,” according to Essayli.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have criticized President Donald Trump over the financial cost of deploying troops to contain anti-ICE riots in their jurisdiction—a cost significantly lower than the amount taxpayers spend on services for illegal immigrants in the state.
Just an absolutely shameful use of taxpayer dollars that could be used to actually HELP people,” Bass recently posted on X. “Despicable.”
“$134 million that should be going to LA’s fire recovery,” Newsom posted on X. “Shameful.”
Many on social media responded to their posts by highlighting the billions of taxpayer dollars spent on illegal immigrants in California. Among those weighing in was White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller.
“Wait till you find out how many trillions we have to spend on illegal aliens,” Miller posted on X in response to Newsom.
“Now do the $9 billion you drained out of our state treasury to fund your free healthcare for illegals immigrants scheme,” campaign strategist Andrew Clark posted on X.
“How many billions have you spent on illegals Gavin? It’s well into the hundreds of billions, “Conservative activist and filmmaker Robby Starbuck posted on X. “THAT money should have gone to your citizens and fire recovery but you gave it to illegals.
Recent studies reviewed by Fox News Digital reveal that California spends at least tens of billions of dollars annually on illegal immigrants, far exceeding the $134 million cost of deploying federal troops to respond to recent rioting.
