Skip to Content
Media

Judge Orders L.A. Times to Delete Info on Glendale Detective’s Ties to Mexican and Armenian Mafia ~ Unconstitutional? [Updated]

1:41 PM PDT on July 16, 2018

Glendale News-Press

[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap] Glendale police detective won a ruling Saturday against the Los Angeles Times to have details of his ties to the Mexican Mafia and Armenian criminals removed from an already published article on the publication’s website.

The case is a fresh test for press freedom in Los Angeles and the L.A. Times said it would appeal the unusual weekend decision on First Amendment grounds.

[UPDATE: Since this story was published on Monday afternoon, the federal judge vacated his own order Tuesday morning, several days after his ruling caused a stir among First Amendment advocates.]

A federal judge granted Glendale detective John Saro Balian’s request for a temporary restraining order after the Times ran a story in one of its zoned community newspapers, The Glendale News-Press, detailing his July 12 guilty plea, where he admitted to “lying to federal investigators about his links to organized crime, accepting a bribe and obstructing justice by tipping off a top criminal target about an upcoming federal raid.”

The plea deal was mistakenly made public by the court’s own public database, details of which were supposed to be filed as sealed. Reporter Alene Tchekmedyian saw the mistakenly published report Friday and included it in her story on Balian’s arrest and plea Saturday morning.

U.S. District Judge John F. Walter ruled in favor of Balian’s request and the Times removed information from the sealed document from the article.

RELATED: Pasadena Quietly Settles with Family OF Man Killed by Police in 2016

The Times called the the ruling “unusual” and “unconstitutional” and said it plans to appeal the judge's order, according to a statement by Times executive editor Norman Pearlstine. "The judge's order clearly violates the 1st Amendment,” Pearlstine said in a statement. “We expect that the judge's order will be vacated on appeal, and we will publish the information."

The Times was able to use information from a Department of Homeland Security affidavit to detail some of the alleged crimes committed by detective Balian, including tipping of a Frogtown gang member of an arrest warrant, bridging ties between the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime, tipping off the Mexican Mafia of marijuana grow houses so they could extort them, and offering to pay them to intimidate a Commerce man.

While Balian is in custody awaiting sentencing, he is on unpaid leave with the Glendale Police Department, the Times reported. Their story detailed some of the allegations against him:

In one case, the informant described, Balian allegedly offered a tip about a gang sweep, allowing a top target — a Frogtown gang member — in a federal racketeering case to flee before agents arrived.

“Tell your boy Bouncer that he’s the No. 1 on the list for tomorrow,” Balian allegedly warned, according to the affidavit. It took agents another month to arrest the target.

The informant also alleged that Balian gave him locations of marijuana grow and drug stash houses — information he was privy to as an officer — and told him to “hit them” before law enforcement could execute their search warrants, according to the affidavit.

In a statement to the Times, Glendale Police Chief Carl Povilaitis said the department is taking “swift and appropriate action” and noted that a felony conviction disqualifies someone from being a police officer in California.

RELATED: L.A. Taco ~ Crime

Already a user?Log in

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Become a Member

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Spot Check: Colombian Desgranados In Echo Park, Mexican Wine Festival At Mírate, and Perverted Waffles in DTLA

Plus, a party highlighting pan-African cuisine, a new Taiwanese cookbook by an awarded local from the San Gabriel Valley, and a Little Saigon food festival that starts tonight! Welcome back to Spot Check!

September 22, 2023

This 24-Year-Old Latina Mortician Beautifies the Dead and Influences the Living

Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform. 

September 21, 2023

Meet ‘Carnitas Rogelio,’ The Family-Run Stand With The Best Michoacán-Style Carnitas O.C. Has to Offer

Michoacán-raised Rogelio Gonzalez slices the cuerito (the pig skin) in a checkered pattern to ensure a light crunch in each bite and utilizes every part of the pig, from the feet to the liver and intestines, which he binds together in a braid. 

September 20, 2023

‘The Office’ Star Rainn Wilson Brought Jerk Chicken Tacos to the Picket Lines Outside of Paramount Studios

In three hours, D's Tipsy Tacos and her team passed out “roughly 100 plates” of tacos, burritos, rice, beans, nachos, and quesadillas to striking screenwriters and actors.

September 19, 2023

Five Common Plants to Avoid When Creating Your Green Spaces in L.A.

Almost every time I visit a property with landscaping issues, the problem starts with bad design: the wrong plants in the wrong place. Here's advice from a third-generation L.A. landscaper and noted taco expert.

September 19, 2023
See all posts