Sacto 9-1-1: 2 Roseville men indicted in scam of dead Marine's mom

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Sacto 9-1-1

The Sacramento Bee's Crime blog is a comprehensive report of crime news, trends and information for your community and beyond.

September 19, 2008

2 Roseville men indicted in scam of dead Marine's mom

From Denny Walsh:

Two Roseville men accused of colluding in the theft of nearly $200,000 in life insurance proceeds meant for a dead Marine's grieving mother were have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Sacramento.

After Joyce Guzman was notified in November of the death of her son, Lance Cpl. Kyle Guzman, in a U. S. Marine Corps training accident, Raymond Brogan and his uncle, Robert Brogan, convinced her to give them control of the money so they could "pay (her) bills and make investments for her benefit," the indictment alleges.

Instead, it alleges, they converted the funds to their own benefit "by fraudulently inducing (her) to sign some checks and forging her signature on other checks."

Raymond Brogan, 41, who is being held without bail, pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Robert Brogan. 61, was arraigned Friday and pleaded not guilty. After a brief hearing, U. S. Magistrate Judge Edmund F. Brennan ordered him held without bail as a flight risk and a danger to the community..

The indictment charges them wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy, and conducting a monetary transaction in criminally derived property.

In an FBI agent's affidavit supporting a criminal complaint filed Aug. 25, Raymond Brogan is alleged to have gained access to Joyce Guzman through his girlfriend, Carol Ann Damico, who is Guzman's half-sister.

Damico, 33, and Raymond Brogan were charged in the complaint and affidavit with stealing $195,350 in insurance benefits 21-year-old Iraq war veteran Kyle Guzman left his mother. The affidavit noted the couple had been living in Roseville with Robert Brogan, but he was not charged in the complaint.

Damico was absent from the indictment, which may mean she is negotiating a deal with prosecutors. A Dec. 1 preliminary hearing has been scheduled for her. She is free on bail.

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Q: What happennded with the case involving Nick "Nate" Morelos in 1991, and how long was he sentenced?

A: As reported in The Bee, Nick Nathanial "Nate" Morelos in March 1993 was sentenced to 15-years-to-life in prison for the stabbing death of 16-year-old Shawn Cassinelli.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge James L. Long described the July 20, 1991, slaying as a tragedy for all involved.

Long could have sentenced Morelos, who was 17 when the stabbing took place, to the California Youth Authority where he would have remained no longer than his 25th birthday. But the judge opted for a harsher penalty, citing the viciousness of the crime.

In October 1992, Morelos pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Cassinelli, a popular San Juan High School athlete who died of a single stab wound to the stomach.

The incident occurred as Cassinelli was walking along a dark stretch of Old Auburn Road. One of Cassinelli's two companions threw a bottle into the road in front of a passing car.

Morelos, a passenger in the automobile, leaped out and charged the three pedestrians, fatally stabbing Cassinelli.

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