 | Glendale police detective John Saro Balian, 45, is accused of lying to federal agents who were investigating his connections to the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime. Balian was charged in a 47-page criminal complaint with making false statements to investigators during interviews last year. Balian repeatedly made false statements and misrepresentations about his links to criminal figures. |  |
 | The complaint accuses Balian of lying to mislead investigators about his relationship with Jose Loza, a Mexican Mafia member and “shot-caller” of the Canta Ranas street gang, which is facing federal racketeering charges – even though at the time, “Balian was communicating with Loza via a burner cell phone to discuss jointly undertaken criminal activities.”
Balian is suspected of lying about accepting money to find people who may have been associated with a burglary at the offices of a convicted felon who later became an informant. |
