CONVICTIONS OF 9 MORE VOIDED IN SCANDAL

Rampart: Seven adults and two juveniles have cases thrown out because of
officers' alleged misdeeds. Latest overturned convictions are the first not
directly linked to informant Rafael Perez.

A judge Tuesday reversed the convictions of nine more people allegedly
framed by officers in the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Division.

Seven adults and two juveniles had their cases thrown out by Superior Court
Judge Larry P. Fidler, bringing the number of convictions set aside as a
consequence of the ongoing police corruption scandal to 32.

One man, George Kenneth Alfaro, was ordered immediately released from
prison amid disclosures that an officer allegedly planted a plastic bag of
drugs on him before his arrest in May 1998.

The tainted cases involved nine officers, four of whom had not been
previously linked to the scandal but who are under active investigation.
Three of the officers remain on duty. One has recently resigned, a police
source said.

The court action marked the first time prosecutors have sought to overturn
convictions not directly linked to ex-officer-turned-informant Rafael
Perez, the man at the scandal's center. While Perez has alleged to
investigators that all of these latest cases involved either planted
evidence or falsified police reports, he was not an arresting officer in
two of the cases.

Fidler overturned the convictions of:

* Sonia Castro, who pleaded guilty to a drug charge and was sentenced to
County Jail and probation. Perez now says that, contrary to what his
partner wrote in the arrest report, neither officer saw Castro sell drugs.

* Transcito Hernandez Luna, who pleaded guilty to a drug charge in 1997 in
exchange for dismissal of another case. Perez now says he and his partner
never saw Luna drop a bindle of cocaine. In fact, he now says, the drugs
belonged to someone else.

* Allan Manrique Lobos, who pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a
felon. Perez now alleges that two other officers planted the weapon on
Lobos. Despite the striking of the weapons case, Lobos remains in state
prison for an unrelated murder.

* Julian Lopez Hernandez, who pleaded guilty to a drug charge and was
sentenced to County Jail. Perez now says he and a partner conducted an
illegal search, which resulted in the discovery of the drugs.

* Michael Williams, who pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a
felon and was sentenced to state prison. Perez now says he and his partner
falsified an arrest report, wrongly indicating that they saw Williams
discard the gun in question. Though Williams admits that he did have a gun,
prosecutors say the case was irreparably tainted by the officers' conduct.
Williams is serving 50 years to life for an unrelated murder conviction.

* Laura Villatora, who pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale and
was sentenced to state prison. Perez now says he and a partner lied about
having Villatora's permission to search her residence, where they found 7
pounds of marijuana. Rather, he says, they forced their way into the
dwelling. She is serving time on an unrelated conviction and is expected to
be deported upon her release later this month.

* Two juveniles, whose names and case information were withheld by authorities.

Perez, who in September pleaded guilty to stealing 8 pounds of cocaine from
LAPD evidence facilities, is hoping to receive a lighter sentence in
exchange for cooperating with investigators. The ex-officer maintains that
he is also motivated by a desire to clear his conscience.

Perez has admitted that he and his former partners framed 99 innocent
people over three years while working as officers in the Rampart Division.

The former officer has said he routinely planted drugs and weapons on
innocent people, then perjured himself in court in an effort to send his
victims to prison.