Informants Named Vignali's Father

Torres has a short criminal record. He was convicted in 1992 of gun possession for having a loaded .25-caliber handgun in his vehicle and again in 1996 for having loaded 9-millimeter and .380-caliber semiautomatic handguns in a car he was driving.

Torres was placed on probation for gun possession. While he was on probation, his flagship supermarket on Jefferson Boulevard at San Pedro Street, an adjacent warehouse and his homes were searched in 1999. Authorities can search probationers without a warrant, meaning they do not have to persuade a judge that they have good reason. They found about $1 million in cash, as well as weapons and ammunition, but no drugs. They also found a copy of a confidential DEA report on Torres and Vignali.

Hirsch, Torres' attorney, said the guns belonged to Torres' security force and had been in a storeroom since the 1992 riots. Torres ultimately was sentenced to 30 days for leaving the state without the permission of his probation officer.

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Times staff writers Beth Shuster and Stephen Braun contributed to this report.