Criminal Investigation

Indian officials ordered a criminal investigation Thursday after more than 120 people died within 48 hours of drinking tainted bootleg alcohol in the state of West Bengal. The death toll was expected to rise given that dozens of patients remained in critical condition in area hospitals. The government of the eastern state promised to give $4,000 to each victim's family and arrested seven people on suspicion of selling the liquor, although those who manufactured it were reportedly on the run. "My husband used to drink every day, and last night he also was drinking," an unidentified woman dressed in a blue sari told the Times Now television network.

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley has opened a preliminary inquiry into allegations of irregularities in the Los Angeles Community College District's choice of a watchdog for its troubled $5.7-billion construction program. Deputy Dist. Atty. Max Huntsman said Monday that his office's public integrity division is examining why the college district hired a newly formed company, Policy Masters Inc., as inspector general over higher-ranked candidates. The company's founder, Christine E. Marez, had no background in independent audits and investigations.

Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel is dispatching a team of auditors to pore over the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum's books because of a financial scandal that is already the subject of a criminal investigation. Greuel had been prepared to launch the wide-ranging audit in July but shelved it at the request of Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley's office, which is conducting the criminal probe. Prosecutors said they were concerned that an audit could hinder their inquiry.

State auditors have urged the Los Angeles Community College District to seek a criminal investigation into allegations that the selection of an inspector general to police the district's troubled construction program was rigged. Jeffrey Brownfield, chief auditor for state Controller John Chiang, told the district's Board of Trustees that an independent probe was needed to determine how the district allegedly violated its own bidding rules in choosing someone with no experience in audits or investigations over higher-rated applicants.

It started with a tweet and ended with an apology. Hours after The Game said he was sorry for an online post last week that included the Compton sheriff's station phone number and prompted hundreds of phony calls, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials said Wednesday they would no longer pursue criminal charges against the rapper. Capt. Mike Parker said the department decided against seeking prosecution because of a lack of evidence. But he called The Game's apology, made to CNN, "relevant and well-received.

The Fullerton City Council on Friday directed its attorney to draw up a contract for a police watchdog to review its embattled Police Department in the wake of a homeless man's deadly encounter with six officers. The council is expected to approve the contract next week with Michael Gennaco to conduct an independent review of Kelly Thomas' death. Gennaco oversees Los Angeles County's Office of Independent Review and scrutinizes the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's actions.

An administrative law judge has referred a U.S. insurance company for criminal investigation after the firm failed to pay benefits to survivors of nine Iraqi translators killed while working for the American government. Under a federally funded program, Chicago-based CNA Financial Corp. provides insurance coverage to contractors killed or injured while working overseas for the U.S. The slain translators were helping to train Iraqi police recruits. CNA withheld information from the federal government and avoided making payments to the families who lost relatives in a 2006 attack, according to court files and interviews.

If you like your true crime populated by clever killers, tenacious detectives and intriguing, eccentric suspects, and if you demand a whodunit mystery with a satisfying measure of redemption, "Bringing Adam Home" is not the book for you. This is a tale of lazy, incompetent detectives, an unkempt, gap-toothed killer with an IQ of 75, and an investigation by the Hollywood (Fla.) Police Department that was so amateurish it took an outsider to clear the case ? 27 years after the murder.

Charlie Sheen's estranged wife said this week that the TV star vowed to decapitate her and send her severed head to her mother. But Brooke Mueller's statements filed in court are not enough for the Los Angeles Police Department to open a criminal investigation. This week a judge issued a temporary restraining order against Sheen, who has pleaded no contest twice on domestic violence charges. But LAPD officials said they've determined that they can launch a probe only if Mueller files a complaint, which as of Friday she has not. "It is incumbent on her to come forward and make a police report," said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Mitzi Grasso.