Green Goblins

ERBA- SHADOW OF GRACE

Devon “Samba” Wheeler got his start in the illegal cannabis business by stealing 100 pounds of Mexican brick weed from his partner Keith Weber aka” Kalpa Vriksha Das” Devon Wheeler got his start in the silver business Lone Ones by ripping off his partner and father in law Leonard Khamhout aka” Lal Krishna Das” the slilver smith who t designed Chrome Hearts. After failing to recover his stolen business from Devon Wheeler, Leonard Kamhout shot himself and committed suicide in front of the Hare Krishna Temple on New Years Day 2016. Devon Wheeler got his start in the legal cannabis business by strong arm robbing Grace Medical Marijuana Pharmacy the business that our family spent ten years building and turning it into ERBA with the help of corrupt Neighborhood Council Member Jay Handal and master criminals Ali Sherkachian, Peter Tajara and James Catipay. After his business partner Jason Detamore learned that Devon “Samba” Wheeler had trafficked his wife’s 13 year old sister Tulsi to his brother Gabriel Dezio and then his son Chad Wheeler, Devon tried to strangle and murder Jason Detamore. Jason Detamore filed criminal charges against Wheeler The next day Jay Handal a member of the West LA Neighborhood Council approached Jason Detamore and told him that he represented the landlord Suresh Jain. Jay Handal negotiated a settlement in which Jason Detamore would get the business Grace on Pico and Centinela Ave and Devon Wheeler would get the Cultivation Operation at Marina Caregivers (now Highway Cannabis)  After the charges and lawsuit against Devon Wheeler were dismissed, the landlord Suresh Jain evicted Jason Detamore and leased the property back to Devon Wheeler through his stepbrother Gabriel Dezio. Devon Wheeler, Jay Handal, and Ali Sherkachian then opened ERBA by submitting fraudulent ownership information to the City of Los Angeles and the State of California and were granted an Adult Use Cannabis Retail License at Grace Medical’s previous location. Jay Handal who negotiated the fraudulent settlement was named CEO of Erba Markets. Devon Wheeler likes to act like he was part of the cannabis leagalizstion movement but in fact Wheeler hid in the shadows like a coward behind our family who built the business and then once cannabis was legalized Wheeler stole our family’s business Grace and turned it into ERBA. This is a story of Grace (good) vs ERBA (evil).

“Green Goblins”

by

Jason Detamore  

On July 31, 2009 federal agents raided the Organica Inc medical marijuana collective in Culver City.  The owner Jeff Joseph then moved Organica Inc to 12320 Pico Blvd and became a 1/3 partner in Grace Medical Marijuana Pharmacy.  My mother “Grace” was appointed the CEO, Jeff’s sister Vicky was made the Secretary and my business partner Devon Wheeler’s wife Damayanti was named Chief Financial Officer.  In November of 2009 we opened Grace Medical Marijuana Pharmacy at 12320 Pico Blvd and Centinela Ave.

My wife and I moved to Santa Monica in 2001. We had two boys that played football and in 2004 I was named head coach of the Santa Monica Vikings Youth Football team.  In 2010 I was brought in to coach the freshman 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 introduced Chad 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.

In December of 2015 Devon Wheeler took a vacation with his daughter and his girlfriend and left his son Chad Wheeler the keys to the house so he could “have a shot “ at his Aunt Tulsi who had come to live with them because in Devon Wheeler’s words “he’s been sniffing around that for a while.” Chad Wheeler suffered a mental breakdown during this time and then told his teammates at USC that he was quitting football to marry his aunt Tulsi and to raise their baby. When his teammates tried to talk some sense into him Chad Wheeler then began shouting insults and punching walls. The police arrived, subdued Chad and took him into custody for medical evaluation.  Devon Wheeler had become involved in a sexual relationship with one of our young female employees who was threatening to sue us, and Chad had suffered two concussions by then. I told Devon Wheeler that he should take some time off to get his personal life in order and to take care of his son’s mental health issues. Devon Wheeler was not amused and replied, “This is the way it is with kings.” 

Devon Wheeler then locked us out of Grace Medical Marijuana Pharmacy the business we had built and appointed James Catipay as CEO. On August 10, 2016 Devon attacked me and 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 showed up at Grace the next day and eventually negotiated a settlement in which Devon would get our share of the cultivation operation at Marina Caregivers (now Highway Cannabis) and we would get the business Grace on Pico and Centinela Ave.  In 2021 Marina Caregivers was sold to Highway Cannabis for more than $12,000,000 of which we received not a penny. The settlement that Jay Handal negotiated with us was a fraud as well.  Once the criminal charges against Devon Wheeler were dropped the landlord Suresh Jain evicted us and leased the property back to Devon Wheeler through his stepbrother Gabriel Dezio. Devon Wheeler, Jay Handal and Ali Sherkachian then opened ERBA Markets at Grace Medical’s previous location at 12320 Pico Blvd. Devon Wheeler’s attorney Yelena Katchko authored the fraudulent settlement and engineered the scheme and her firm Katchko, Vitielelo and Karikomi then went on to represent Suresh Jain in the civil litigation. Jay Handal who negotiated the fraudulent settlement was named CEO of ERBA Markets for his part in the scheme. 

After the incident at USC, Tulsi Mims showed up at our doorstep and told us that while she was a minor living with her sister and the Wheelers, Devon’s stepbrother Gabriel Dezio began having sex with her. Tulsi claimed that after Gabriel Dezio moved out Devon Wheeler began to pay her $100 for oral sex and encouraged her and Chad’s incestuous relationship by giving them the keys to the house while he went on vacation to Hawaii with his mistress and his daughter. I filed a report with the Santa Monica Police but no charges were filed.  On March 16, 2017 Jay Handal the CEO of ERBA Markets 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. We spent 7 years in court pursuing Devon Wheeler, Jay Handal and Suresh Jain in civil court but they have buried us in corruption, litigation and perjury. In court Yelena’s Katchko’s husband Giandominic Vitiello lied with absolute conviction and swore that Suresh Jain knew nothing about the settlement his employee Jay Handal had negotiated in order to protect child sex predator Devon Wheeler.

 In 2017 we moved Grace across the street to 2340 Centinela Ave leaving the landlord Suresh Jain free to build his 55-unit apartment complex at 12320 Pico Blvd as he swore under oath that he intended to do.  Suresh Jain did not begin construction of his apartment complex but instead 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.  Under oath Gabriel Dezio admitted that Suresh Jain leased the property 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. In December of 2018 DEC Medical’s request to move its license to Grace Medical Marijuana’s 2340 Centinela Ave address was denied because it was within 600 feet of 12320 Pico Blvd where ERBA Markets now operates.  As a direct result of Devon Wheeler, Jay Handal and Suresh Jain’s fraudulent actions, Grace Medical Marijuana Pharmacy at 2340 Centinela was denied an Adult Use Cannabis Retail license.  On July 29, 2020 our partner in DEC Medical Barret Slome was shot and murdered. Though no one had been able to prove that Devon Wheeler, Ali Sherkachian and Jay Handal had anything to do with Barret Slome’s murder the suspicion that they carried out the murder and got away with it is enough to keep others from coming forward and speaking out against them.

Chad’s 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 the divorce. Chad’s father Devon would do anything for his son even enabling his deviant actions and covering up for his violent behavior.  When we dared to question Chad’s relationship with his aunt Tulsi, Devon Wheeler’s response was “This is the way it is with kings.” and to take our business from us to prove that he could.  Chad did go to the NFL and he did buy a house not for his mother but his father. In January of 2021 Chad Wheeler shaved his head and demanded that his girlfriend Aliyah Taylor bow down to him. When Aliayah refused to bow down to him Chad Wheeler strangled her and beat her until she lost consciousness.  Chad Wheeler was arrested and charged with domestic violence.   He was cut by the Seattle Seahawks and announced his retirement from football.  Chad Wheeler is now serving an 81 month prison sentence for trying to murder his girlfriend.

My dream was to “Free the Ganja Prisoners.”  As a freshman at West Virginia University I was arrested for selling 26.6 grams of ganja to a confidential informant. Devon Wheeler had grown the leafy ragweed I was caught selling for his father who had just passed away after a painful battle with cancer. I refused to testify against Devon who was one of my best friends growing up. 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. In 1995 I wrote my senior thesis on “The Suppression of the Hemp Industry due to the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937.”   In 2001 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. 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 was featured on NBC News, PBS, KTLA, and National Public Radio.

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 and the money was returned after a year as Grace had a pending application with the Department of Cannabis Regulation and had “limited immunity” at the time. Still, the damage was done.  This was the second time the business had been raided in 3 years and landlords had been through enough. They did not renew the lease.  After 10 years of operation Grace Medical Marijuana Pharmacy was forced to close. By engaging in fraud and submitting fraudulent ownership information to the City of Los Angeles and the State of California James Catipay, Peter Tajera and Suresh Jain succeeded in transferring ownership of the business they agreed to give up to Devon Wheeler, Ali Sherkachian and Jay Handal. Erba Markets Pico now claims to be the third largest retail store in the state of California has plans to open 9 stores. Grace, the business our family built has been taken over and turned into ERBA. In 2022 Bill Maher and Woody Harrelson opened “the Woods” a cannabis consumption lounge in West Hollywood with Devon' Wheeler the “Epstein of Weed.”

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, cocaine friends, golddiggers, kidnappers, and crooked cops. The legalization of ganja has proven even more difficult to navigate as the floodgates have been opened to predatory business criminals and the carpet bagging politicians and the law enforcement agencies that tool for them.  My grandpa was a bootlegger; my dad was a ganja smuggler but 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  “Green Goblins” I am not sure where we fit in.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2024/03/01/chad-wheeler-sentenced-prison-domestic-violence-alleah-taylor/72813616007/

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/07/29/la-attorney-killed-in-laguna-beach-condo

https://www.sec.gov/news/pressrelease/2016-72.html

https://dfpi.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/337/2013/09/ShekarchianAlireza_dr.pdf

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-09-fi-30669-story.html

https://patch.com/california/brentwood/san-gennaro-cafe-cited-for-alcohol-violations-closes-bb4c67bc1b

https://www.smobserved.com/story/2019/12/16/news/allegedly-illegal-pot-dispensary-grace-on-pico-blvd-in-west-la-subject-to-raid-arrests/4336.html