Judge Convicts Bronx Resident on Federal Charges, Faces Potential Life Sentence
A New York man, Johnny Ray Gasca, was pronounced guilty today by United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. on federal criminal charges related to the abduction of a 68-year-old woman with dementia from the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center in July 2021. Gasca, aged 53, was convicted on counts of kidnapping, attempted obstruction of justice, and attempted witness tampering.
The verdict was delivered by Judge Birotte Jr. at the conclusion of a six-day bench trial. Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Gasca forcibly kidnapped the victim at approximately 8:30 a.m. on July 19, 2021, following his unsuccessful attempt to secure a medical appointment at the VA facility.
According to court documents, Gasca approached the victim and her long-time friend near their car. Gasca suddenly appeared and forcibly grabbed the victim, pushing her into a gold-colored pickup truck parked nearby. He then threw her into the rear portion of the truck’s passenger compartment.
The FBI became involved in the case after the Department of Veteran Affairs Police Department contacted them later that morning. The victim’s friend informed the agents that she recognized Gasca, believing he had a prior relationship with the victim. The friend also suspected Gasca of accessing the victim’s bank and retirement accounts.
The witness further revealed that the victim had reported missing credit cards, and a bank investigation unveiled a $35,000 withdrawal from her retirement account, followed by suspicious Venmo, MoneyGram, and PayPal transactions. The friend believed the victim lacked the capability to conduct such transactions independently.
The FBI swiftly launched an investigation, leading them to locate the victim’s phone at The Dixie Hollywood Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard. Agents converged on the hotel and subsequently arrested Gasca when he exited the premises with the victim.
During an interview, Gasca claimed the victim was his girlfriend and stated that they had stopped at a bank after leaving the VA facility, where the victim made a $15,000 withdrawal. While in pre-trial custody, Gasca made several jail calls to a friend in New York, urging him to destroy evidence related to his wrongdoing with the victim. He specifically instructed his friend to delete all Facebook Messenger messages, including those describing the victim as a “Golden goose.”
Although Gasca was found not guilty of one count of interference with commerce by extortion, Judge Birotte scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 29. Gasca faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
The investigation into this case was carried out by the FBI, with significant assistance from the VA Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin B. Reidy of the Major Frauds Section and Kathy Yu of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting the case.
