Green Goblins: A History of ERBA and the Violent Syndicate That Has Cut Out the Heart of LA's Cannabis Industry

The road to cannabis legalization in California was paved with the promises of safe access, social equity, and the eradication of cartel-style violence. For decades, pioneer operators risked their freedom to build a legitimate, regulated framework. Yet, the opening of this multi-billion-dollar marketplace has birthed a terrifying reality: the criminal element hasn't just survived legalization. It has weaponized law enforcement and the court system to eliminate its competition and in less than 10 years has completely taken over the most lucrative market in the United States.

Based on the harrowing accounts from the frontlines of the Los Angeles "Green Rush"—chronicled in Jason Detamore’s memoir, The Crows of Sunset Park—the legal cannabis industry has been hijacked by violent predators with connections to not only LA's seedy underbelly but the corrupt politicians who protect organized crime from City Hall to Sacramento. The hostile takeover of peaceful mom-and-pop dispensaries is no longer limited to boardroom fraud and the bribing of police, politicians, and judges. In just a short time it has escalated to the ultimate form of corporate restructuring, using payoffs, intimidation, and even murder.

By forming predatory partnerships with genuine Social Equity operators, using management companies and straw-men as owners, and submitting fraudulent ownership information to the City of Los Angeles and the State of California a new breed of criminal operators has built built a multi- million dollar network of illegal retail chains, pushing out the very pioneers who built the industry and even the legitimate corporate entities attempting to break into the Los Angeles market such as MedMen and Eaze. At the center of this battle is a sinister cabal of criminal operators and to understand how this syndicate operates, one must look at the alarming backgrounds and allegations surrounding the men pulling the strings:

James Catipay: At the core of the syndicate's financial architecture is James Catipay, a disbarred attorney with a documented history of severe financial crimes. Catipay was convicted in federal court of Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud for orchestrating a massive $11.7 million Ponzi scheme (Prometheus Law) in which he defrauded hundreds of investors—mostly retirees—before being sentenced to federal prison.

Peter Tajera: Before moving into the cannabis industry and conspiring with Devon Wheeler to deprive the rightful Social Equity owners of Grace Medical Marijuana Pharmacy of their location in order to allow Wheeler, Handal and Sherkachian to to set up the illegal ERBA location at Pico & Centinela Avenue, Peter Tajera, the former CEO of Mepco was responsible for carrying out a a scheme to place illegal microchips in gas pumps to overcharge unsuspecting customers for more gas than they were actually pumping. Peter Tajera managed to avoid a $600,000 judgement against him from the state of California by transferring his home into James Catipay’s name. Leveraging this ruthless corporate experience with inept state regulators, Tajera has moved on to using fraud and perjury to eliminate the competition.

Ali Sherkachian: Operating in lockstep with the rest of the cabal, Sherkachian’s track record in the financial and cannabis sectors is so fraught with violations that he was explicitly banned from trading cannabis-related securities. Despite this ban Sherkachian is the owner of multiple Adult Use Retail Cannabis businesses within the City of Los Angeles in violation of Measure M through the syndicate's sprawling network of "straw-man" proxies and “shell companies” which he has used to illegally consolidate retail chains and hide this illegal monopoly from regulators.

Jay Handal: Handal serves as the political and public face of the syndicate's takeovers despite having absolutely zero prior experience in the cannabis industry. In fact, Handal’s only notable background in business was operating the San Gennaro Cafe—an establishment that was closed after being repeatedly cited by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for operating and selling alcohol without a liquor license. Despite these lackluster business credentials, Handal transitioned into a political fixer and is now the CEO of ERBA. Working alongside Catipay, Tajera, Wheeler, and Sherkachian, Handal has used forged documents, fraudulent settlement agreements, and has committed perjury on multiple occasions to disguise the real ownership of the cabal and to hijack physical dispensary locations, all the while shielding criminal operations behind a mask of local civic involvement.

While the syndicate's white-collar criminals manipulate the system, the enforcement of their dominance is allegedly built on a truly terrifying, multi-generational legacy of violence and bloodshed: the Wheeler family.

Howard Wheeler (The Roots of Violence): The grandfather of this dark legacy, Howard Wheeler was one of the founders of the New Vrindavan Hare Krishna commune and was responsible for the murders of Charles St. Dennis and Steven Bryant. St. Dennis and Bryant were murdered by Thomas Dresher after they discovered that the commune's leader, Keith Ham AKA Kirtananda Swami was guilty of child molestation. Howard Wheeler not only helped plan the murder of Steven Bryant who was shot execution style but also delivered the cash to pay the hitman Thomas Dresher.

Devon Wheeler (The Enforcer): Raised in the New Vrindaban commune as the adopted son of the notorious child abuser Keith Ham and hidden from his mother to protect him from child abuse investigations, Devon Wheeler commited his first act of perjury at the age of 19 when he lied to the a jury in Elkins, West Virginia and claimed that he had never seen Keith Ham abuse any children in order to help Keith Ham escape justice. Wheeler then went on to steal his father in law Leonard Kamhout’s silver business driving him to commit suicide. When Jason Detamore discovered that Devon Wheeler had trafficked his wife sister to his son Chad WheelerDevon Wheeler attempted strangle and murder Jason Detamore.

Chad Wheeler (Third-Generation Violence): The cycle of violence continues with Devon's son, Chad Wheeler. A former offensive lineman for the University of Southern California and the Seatle Seahawks, Chad is currently serving a prison sentence for the brutal attempted murder of his girlfriend, Aliyah Taylor. Court records detail a horrific assault in which Chad Wheeler strangled and beat Taylor after she refused to bow down to him.

Adding a surreal layer of glamour to this grim reality, these key syndicate figures have embedded themselves in high-profile ventures to legitimize their wealth. Devon Wheeler and Jay Handal are currently partners with Woody Harrelson and Bill Maher in the upscale West Hollywood cannabis lounge, "The Woods." Harrelson and Maher have built their reputations as advocates for the cannabis industry but in fact are acting as useful idiots providing cover for these predators. In a dark and eerie parallel, Wheeler’s partnership with Harrelson bridges two legacies of lethal violence. While Devon's father, Howard Wheeler, was implicated in the murder-for-hire of Steven Bryant to protect a cult leader Keith Ham, Woody Harrelson’s father, Charles Harrelson, was a notorious hitman convicted of assassinating a federal judge. This shared history of inherited, murderous violence casts a grim shadow over their glittering celebrity facade, providing the ultimate cover for operators whose true business tactics are enforced through brutal means.

During the years long high-stakes litigation aimed at dismantling this illegal empire, key witnesses possessed the testimony needed to expose the massive fraud underpinning the syndicate's success. Devon Wheeler's attempted murder of Jason Detamore was a desperate act to sever the legal opposition's case but the campaign to suppress the truth claimed a devastating toll with torture and murder of Los Angeles attorney and dispensary operator, Barret Slome.

Slome, another critical witness capable of testifying against the collective interests of the syndicate, was shot and killed in his Laguna Beach condo in July 2020 by a hitman who had refused to admit who hired him. This brutal murder stands as a chilling message to potential witnesses that stepping into the courtroom means signing your own death warrant.

The most terrifying consequence of the syndicate's violence is the death of the truth. Since Slome's murder, a paralyzing media blackout has descended upon Los Angeles. Not a single journalist has had the courage to investigate or write about the violent, cartel-like actions of this syndicate. The fear of ending up like Slome has effectively gagged the press. While men like Wheeler and Handal smile for cameras at "The Woods" alongside Hollywood elites, the journalists whose job it is to expose them remain paralyzed by fear.

The current state of the Los Angeles cannabis industry is a tragic perversion of what legalization was supposed to achieve. The blood of Barret Slome, the near-fatal attack on Jason Detamore and the silencing of witnesses and the media are stark reminders that the "legal" market’ is currently harboring ruthless criminals operating under the guise of legitimate businessmen. Until this violence is prosecuted and the media finds its courage, and this network of predatory operators—these “Green Goblins” are fully investigated and held accountable, the legal cannabis industry in Los Angeles will remain nothing more than a facade for those without the courage and the character to enforce the law, not at all what the voters intended.

In November of 2009 my mother Olive “Grace” Moore and I opened Grace Medical Marijuana Pharmacy at 12320 Pico Blvd and Centinela Ave. I kept my involvement in the cannabis business private because I was also the head coach of the Santa Monica Vikings Youth Football team. In 2010 I was brought in to coach the freshman football team at Santa Monica High School. I convinced my childhood friend and business partner Devon Wheeler to bring his son Chad to Santa Monica High School. I then introduced Chad Wheeler to to Coach Lane Kiffin who recruited him to play left tackle for the University of Southern California. Chad was a four-year starter at USC and his dream was to go to the NFL and buy a house for his mother Lila whose silver business his father Devon had ripped off.

In December of 2015 Chad Wheeler told his teammates at USC that he was quitting football to marry his aunt Tulsi Mims and to raise their baby together. When his teammates tried to convince him that marrying his aunt was crazy, Chad began shouting insults at them and punching walls. The police arrived, subdued Chad and took him into custody for medical evaluation. Chad had suffered two concussions playing football by then and I told Devon that he should take some time off from trying to steal our business to take care of his son's mental health issues. Devon Wheeler then defended Chad’s relationship with his aunt which he had encouraged and replied, "This is the way it is with kings."

Devon Wheeler then locked my wife Lisa and I out of Grace Medical Marijuana Pharmacy the business we had built and appointed James Catipay as CEO. On August 10, 2016 Devon tried to strangle me after he was told by LAPD that he had to honor his contract with me. Devon was charged with assault and battery. Jay Handal, a member of the West LA Neighborhood Council then showed up at Grace the next day and eventually negotiated a settlement in which we gave up our share of the cultivation operation at Marina Caregivers (now Highway Cannabis) in return for his share of the business Grace on Pico and Centinela Ave.

The settlement that Jay Handal negotiated with us was a complete fraud. Once I agreed not to testify against Devon Wheeler and the criminal charges against him were dropped, Devon Wheeler and Jay Handal paid our landlord Suresh Jain to evict us and leased the property back to Devon Wheeler through his stepbrother Gabriel Dezio. After James Catipay was arrested and charged with fraud and sentenced to 18 months in the Federal Correctional Institute in Morgantown, West Virginia. Devon Wheeler, Jay Handal and Ali Sherkachian opened ERBA at Grace Medical's previous location 12320 Pico Blvd. Jay Handal who negotiated the fraudulent settlement was then appointed CEO of ERBA.

After the incident at USC, Chad’s aunt Tulsi Mims showed up at Grace and told us that while she was living with the Wheelers, Devon began paying her $100 for oral sex and that Devon had encouraged her and Chad's incestuous relationship. I filed a report with the Santa Monica Police but no charges were filed because apparently incestous relationships in California are legal as long as both parties consent. On March 16, 2017 Jay Handal the CEO of ERBA texted me gloating, "SMPD case closed." I texted Jay Handal back and reminded him that he was gloating about predators getting away with statutory rape and incest and he replied that he was not gloating but he definitely was.

We spent almost a decade and hundreds of thousands of dollars pursuing Devon Wheeler, Jay Handal and Suresh Jain in civil court but they buried us in litigation and managed to delay the case year after. On July 29, 2020 our partner in DEC Medical Barret Slome was tortured, shot and killed in his Laguna Beach home and after that one by one all of our witnesses refused to testify against Wheeler, Handal, Sherkachian and Jain. No one could prove that Wheeler, Handal, Sharkachian or Jain had anything to do with Barret’s murder because the hitman arrested for the crime has refused to admit who hired him but after Barret’s death no one was taking any chances.

At the trial under oath, under oath Gabriel Dezio admitted that Suresh leased the property at Pico and Centinela to to him to conceal Devon Wheeler's ownership of more than one cannabis business in the City of Los Angeles in violation of Prop-D meaning that Jain had submitted fraudulent lease and ownership information on behalf of Devon Wheeler and Jay Handal to the City of Los Angeles and the State of California to obtain an Adult Use Cannabis Retail license at 12320 Pico Blvd. Judge Mark Epstien who admitted during the trial that he knew Jay Handal and that Handal had contributed to his political campaign even after telling Suresh Jain “I don’t believe your story for a New York minute.” then took the case away from the jury and let Jain, Handal and Wheeler walk away scott free. I guess the Epsteins of the world do stick together.

As a freshman at West Virginia University I was arrested for selling 26.6 grams of ganja to a confidential informant. I refused to testify against my friend Devon Wheeler who was one of my best friends growing up and I was sentenced to serve a year at the Federal Correction Institute in Morgantown, West Virginia. I did not consider myself a criminal and in prison I made up my mind that I would dedicate my life to the legalization of cannabis and the release of the prisoners held in captivity because of the unjust war against the plant.

All my life my dream was to "Free the Ganja Prisoners." In 1995 I wrote my senior thesis on "The Suppression of the Hemp Industry due to the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937." In 1999 I wrote and produced the film "Karma to Burn" a film about college football player who uses cannabis to treat migraines followed by the documentary "Every 43 Seconds" in 2003. In 2009 my mother and I opened "Grace" Medical Marijuana Pharmacy and by 2019 Grace Medical Marijuana Pharmacy was the third largest retail store in the state of California and the most trusted name in the medical marijuana industry. Grace Medical had established relationships with doctors and researchers at the Rand Corporation, UCLA and the National Institute of Health. Grace had been featured on NBC News, PBS, KTLA, and National Public Radio.

Barret's Slome’s dream was to make Grace the largest retail chain of cannabis stores in the state of California. That dream died in a Laguna Beach apartment on a Tuesday morning. Chad Wheeler's dream was to go to the NFL to buy a house for his mother who lived in poverty after being swindled by his father in their divorce. Chad did go to the NFL and he did buy a house not for his mother but his father who had encouraged his deviant behavior. In January of 2021 Chad Wheeler shaved his head and demanded that his girlfriend Aliyah Taylor bow down to him. When Aliayah refused Chad strangled her and beat her until she lost consciousness and Chad Wheeler is now serving an 8 year sentence at Walla Walla Prison in the State of Washington. On December 10, 2019 LAPD and the National Guard raided Grace Medical, smashed the cameras, handcuffed all the employees and patients and emptied the safe. No charges were filed but the damage was done. The landlord refused to renew the lease and after 10 years of operation Grace Medical Marijuana Pharmacy was forced to close.

Predators survive by feeding off the the dreams and the suffering of of the innocent but I am delighted that people in this state no longer have to worry about going to prison for cannabis. For over 50 years politicians and law enforcement spent the bulk of their anti-drug efforts combatting ganja cultivation and importation while heroin, cocaine, oxytocin, crystal meth and fentanyl use grew to epidemic levels. The illegal Ganja trade generates tremendous profits and therefore draws the unwanted attention of thieves, murderers, robbers, swindlers, golddiggers, kidnappers, and crooked cops. The legalization of ganja has proven even more difficult to navigate as the floodgates have been opened to carpet bagging politicians and the law enforcement agencies that tool for them. My grandpa was a bootlegger; my dad was a ganja smuggler and at one time I imagined that my family would be seen as the "Kennedy's of Cannabis". Now that our life's work has been swindled from us in plain view and our name has been dragged through the mud by these dream killing "Green Goblins" I am not sure we want any part of it.