SIMI VALLEY : Officer Indicted in Pyramid Scheme

The Ventura County grand jury on Wednesday indicted a Simi Valley police officer and five other men on suspicion of running an illegal pyramid scheme.

Michael Cratch, 24, was arrested in July after skeptical colleagues told supervisors that Cratch approached them to join the scheme, which required a $1,000 investment from each, Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. James D. Ellison said.

Ellison said Cratch and the five men were bought into the scheme in Riverside County. After discovering that several participants lived in or near Simi Valley, the six started their own pyramid in Ventura County, Ellison said.

As with most pyramid schemes, only the organizers reaped profits, Ellison said. New recruits were required to lure eight additional investors to keep the pyramid afloat.

“There were some Simi Valley police officers approached [by Cratch] to join,� Ellison said.

The five other men indicted Wednesday were Gregory Jones, 24, of Thousand Oaks; Mark McCord, 35, of Burbank, and Kevin Novack, 22; Richard Sayball, 55, and Roland Tamparong, 23, all of Simi Valley.

Each man faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison if convicted, Ellison said. Cratch, a three-year veteran, had been placed on leave with pay pending the outcome of the case. He is the second Simi Valley police officer to be charged recently with a felony. David Ming pleaded not guilty last month to a perjury charge that alleges he lied on the witness stand.