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Mountain View News Saturday, March 22, 2025

AUTHORITIES IDENTIFY SUSPECT IN ARCADIA 
MURDER, BELIEVE HE FLED TO CHINA

MONROVIA HILLSIDE WILDERNESS PRESERVE 
TRAIL RESTORATION WORK STARTING MONDAY, 
MARCH 24

During the Eaton Fire, the U.S. Forest Service and CalFIRE installed dozer lines as a barrier 
between residential neighborhoods and the fire. These dozer lines were installed throughout 
the Monrovia Hillside Wilderness Preserve and left considerable damage. Starting Monday, 
March 24th, contractors – hired by the City of Monrovia - will begin trail restoration work in 
these damaged areas of the HWP. 

Work will include:

• Reshaping certain trails to eliminate uneven and loose surfaces.

• Reestablishing single-track trails by reinforcing edges with retention barriers. This also

 minimizes erosion.

• Installing natural rolling drains and water bars along the main trail to control erosion 

 from future rain events.

The restoration work is expected to continue over the next few weeks.

Trail Closures and Safety Precautions

During this time, some trails may be intermittently closed to ensure the safety of both workers 
and trail users. Residents are advised to stay informed about trail conditions and avoid closed 
areas for their safety, especially when crews are working. Please follow the posted signage.

Thank you for your patience as the City works to restore and improve the trails for your continued 
use!

 ARCADIA (CNS) - A 41-year-old man who is believed to have fled to China has been 
identified as a suspect in the murder of a 61-year-old man in an Arcadia residence, authorities 
said today.\

 Arcadia Police Department officers were called to the 50 block of Woodlawn Lane, west 
of Santa Anita Avenue and Foothills Middle School, at around 6:26 p.m. on March 11, 
regarding a possible home invasion and shooting.

 The victim, described as an Asian man, was allegedly shot in the torso by the suspect, 
Zehao Lu, a Chinese national, before being transported to a hospital, where he died from 
his injuries, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

 Two additional victims -- a 43-year-old woman, who was unharmed, and a 13-year-old 
boy, who suffered minor scratches -- were also in the home at the time, authorities said.

 Homicide investigators said they learned that Lu confronted the womanand her son in 
the driveway before forcing them into the residence where an altercation with the older 
man ensued. Lu then shot the 61-year-old victim and fled the scene, according to the 
LASD.

 Detectives recovered a gun inside the home but it was not immediately clear if it was the 
weapon used in the shooting. Investigators believe the suspect and victim knew each 
other, though their exact relationship remains unknown.

 Prosecutors last week filed one count of murder, two counts of assault with a semi-
automatic handgun and one count of burglary with a person present against Lu. A no-bail 
warrant with an extradition order has been issued.

 Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call the LASD's Homicide 
Bureau at 323-890-5500. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers 
at 800-222-8477 or go to lacrimestoppers.org.


LANCASTER WOMAN CONVICTED IN HOSPICE 
FRAUD SCHEME

 LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Lancaster woman was found guilty today of receiving more 
than $330,000 in illegal kickbacks for patient referrals to two hospice companies in a fraud 
scheme that bilked Medicare out of more than $3.2 million through claims for medically 
unnecessary services.

Callie Jean Black, 66, was convicted at the conclusion of a four-day bench trial in Los 
Angeles federal court of four counts of soliciting and receiving remunerations for patient 
referrals, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. scheduled sentencing for July 25.

Dr. Victor Contreras, 69, a Ventura County physician who worked for the two Pasadena 
hospices, pleaded guilty last year to one count of health care fraud and was sentenced in 
December 2024 to two years behind bars and ordered to pay $3.28 million in restitution.

 

The lead defendant in the case, former Pasadena resident Juanita Antenor, 62, remains at 
large and is believed to be in the Philippines, prosecutors said.

According to the 14-count indictment, from July 2016 to February 2019, Contreras and 
Antenor schemed to defraud Medicare by submitting nearly $4 million in false and fraudulent 
claims for hospice services submitted by Arcadia Hospice Provider Inc. and Saint 
Mariam Hospice Inc. Antenor controlled both companies.

Medicare only covers hospice services for patients who are terminally ill, meaning that 
they have a life expectancy of six months or less if their illness ran its normal course.

Contreras admitted having falsely stated on claims forms that patients had terminal illnesses 
to make them eligible for hospice services covered by Medicare, typically adopting 
diagnoses provided to him by hospice employees whether or not they were true.

Contreras did so even though he was not the patients' primary care physician and had not 
spoken to those primary care physicians about the patients' conditions. Medicare paid on 
the claims supported by Contreras' false evaluations and certifications and recertifications 
of patients.

Prosecutors say Antenor paid Black and other so-called marketers illegal kickbacks for 
referred to the two hospice companies.


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Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com