Johnny Ray Gasca, a 53-year-old man from New York City, was found guilty in June 2023 after abducting a 68-year-old woman with dementia in West Los Angeles. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for this September. Gasca is facing a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison.

Obstructing Justice

Apparently, Gasca kidnapped the victim on the morning of July 19, 2021. He had been trying to get a medical appointment at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center at the time. A friend was accompanying the victim, and as they approached their car, Gasca grabbed the victim and pushed her toward his truck. He tossed her into the rear portion of the truck's passenger compartment before driving off.

The victim's friend recognized Gasca and thought they were in some kind of relationship. They also thought Gasca had taken money from the victim's bank account and retirement accounts. Some of the victim's credit cards were also missing, and bank records showed that $35,000 had been withdrawn from her retirement account, along with several other transactions that she didn't seem to know about.

The FBI located the victim's phone within a few hours of starting their investigation. When Gasca and the victim exited The Dixie Hollywood Hotel, agents were there to arrest him. Gasca told them that the victim was his girlfriend and that she made a $15,000 withdrawal after her VA appointment of her own volition. Then, while in pre-trial custody, he made several calls to a friend in New York, begging him to destroy evidence of his harm to the victim, erase his Facebook Messenger messages, and destroy his hard drives before the FBI could seize them.

An Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney Can Help

Attorney Vitaly Sigal of Sigal Law Group has years of experience and helping defendants navigate federal investigations and subsequent trials. Call 818-325-0579 today for a free consultation.