http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Probe-Prostitute-fed-gang-info-on-home-4200909.php
Probe: Prostitute fed gang info on home
Demian Bulwa and Henry K. Lee
Updated 9:05 am, Thursday, January 17, 2013
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Investigators believe the home invasion robbery that ended in the death of a South Bay millionaire in November happened after a prostitute gave information about his mansion to one of two East Oakland gangs that police have tied to an eruption of violence, The Chronicle has learned.
Three men and a woman are charged in connection with the Nov. 30 death of Raveesh "Ravi" Kumra, 66, a cell-phone entrepreneur and the former owner of Mountain Winery in Saratoga. His body was found after his wife summoned police to the couple's ransacked, 7,000-square-foot home in Monte Sereno, in the hills west of San Jose.
A Santa Clara County judge has sealed documents related to the case. But three law enforcement sources said investigators believe the home invasion was one of several around the Bay Area in recent months tied to an East Oakland gang called the Money Team.
At a news conference Monday, Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan said the group had been at war with a second batch of criminals from East Oakland since the slaying of a 16-year-old girl in August. Jordan said the rivalry was to blame for 90 percent of the city's violent crime in recent months, though the Police Department later admitted that he had overstated the figure.
Death penalty possible
Charged with murder in the Monte Sereno case are Deangelo Austin, 21, Javier Garcia, 21, and Lukis Anderson, 26, who are each eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors have alleged that Austin and Garcia committed the crime for the benefit of a street gang.
Gang enhancements
A fourth defendant, 22-year-old Raven Dixon, is accused of being an accessory to the killing, and faces a gang enhancement as well.
According to the sources, Kumra had hired Dixon many times as a prostitute. Investigators believe she passed along information about his home - including the layout - to people affiliated with the Money Team, who then hatched a plan to invade the mansion.
The sources, affiliated with law enforcement in the East Bay and South Bay, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the court order sealing documents in the case.
Sources said Austin is believed to be affiliated with the Money Team and that Garcia is believed to be associated with Ghost Town, a West Oakland gang that has joined forces with the Money Team.
Authorities have said that both Kumra and his wife, 63-year-old Harinder Kumra, were attacked before the robbers made off with cash, jewelry and rare coins. They have not said how Raveesh Kumra died.
Attorneys for the defendants either declined to comment or did not return telephone messages Wednesday.
"I have no discovery materials from the district attorney," said Garcia's attorney, Chris Givens. "I don't have any information about how my client is even involved."
'He ain't killed nobody'
Garcia's mother, Maria Rodriguez of Oakland, said Wednesday, "Javier has nothing to do with it - they have the wrong guy."
His brother, 25-year-old Cordell Rodriguez, added, "Of course, he ain't killed nobody. They need to find the person who killed somebody. That's what they need to do, their job."
He said he had never heard of the other defendants and denied that his brother was affiliated with the Money Team or any other gang.
Fremont robbery
Kevin Smith, the Santa Clara County deputy district attorney who is prosecuting the case, said, "I can't talk about anything that's within the documents sealed by the court, and that's everything other than the charges that they are facing."
Sources said that in the past, members of the Money Team have targeted victims from ethnic groups that they perceive as likely to keep cash and valuables in their homes and businesses.
The gang is also believed to be connected to an Aug. 23 home robbery in Fremont that was thwarted when two siblings hid in a closet and called police. Three men from Alameda and Oakland were arrested after a foot chase.
The Money Team was among the targets of a gang intervention program that East Bay authorities and community leaders started in the fall called Operation Ceasefire. On Oct. 18, alleged members were summoned to a meeting at an East Oakland church.
They were offered social services but also told that, if they did not end their gun violence, they would become the focus of several law enforcement agencies.
Demian Bulwa and Henry K. Lee are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: dbulwa@sfchronicle.com, hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @demianbulwa, @henryklee
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