Javier Rezendez Rocha

Introduction

Javier Rezendez Rocha, a 38-year-old Los Angeles Department of Water and Power electrical craft helper, has been charged with 12 felony counts of vandalism as one of four defendants in an alleged yearlong graffiti spree that prosecutors say turned tall buildings across Los Angeles into “personal billboards” and left property owners with $172,930 in repair costs. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office announced the charges on October 15, 2026, saying the crew scaled buildings with ladders and climbing equipment, spray-painted graffiti down their sides, filmed the work with drones, and sold merchandise tied to their tags. District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said the alleged motive was “not artistic expression but money and social media eyeballs.”

Background Information

Rocha was born July 12, 1988, and has worked for LADWP as an electrical craft helper since 2018, according to the District Attorney’s office; the California Post reported his base salary in the job ranged from $75,335 to $102,249 a year. Prosecutors allege he put that utility job’s specialized gear to use in the vandalism: Hochman said it was “even more troubling” that one defendant was a public utility employee who “allegedly used climbing equipment to reach the locations to damage buildings, several of which are significant to the historical and architectural fabric of Los Angeles.” Beyond his employment, little public background about Rocha appears in the charging announcements.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged; not adjudicated. Rocha faces 12 felony counts of vandalism of $400 or more in defacement with graffiti in Los Angeles County Superior Court case 26CJCF06480. He has not been arraigned, has made no public statement, and every allegation against him is untested; he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The complaint, filed October 8, 2026, alleges that from August 2025 through August 2026 Rocha and three co-defendants carried out a series of graffiti attacks on mostly tall buildings across Los Angeles, on various dates climbing ladders and rappelling to rooftops to spray-paint graffiti down the sides of the structures. The group allegedly used drones to capture footage of its handiwork and generated profits by selling merchandise associated with the graffiti, which Hochman described as a money-making operation rather than street art. The damage bill across the spree totals $172,930, with some targeted buildings considered historically significant, according to the charging announcement. “These defendants turned buildings across Los Angeles into their personal billboards, leaving property owners with over $170,000 in repair costs,” Hochman said, adding: “To anyone thinking about vandalizing property, Los Angeles County is not yours to deface.” Rocha alone is charged with 12 of the counts; his co-defendants are Michael Ray Gonzales, 40, of Pico Rivera, charged with seven felony counts of vandalism; and Francisco Rodriguez Aguilar, 37, of West Covina, and Richard Evan Ward II, 45, of Oceanside, each charged with two. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the alleged vandalism “targeted some of our city’s most iconic buildings and public spaces” and warned: “If you deface our city, we will investigate you, identify you and hold you accountable.”

Public Reaction and Consequences

The charging announcement drew wide local coverage — the New York Post’s account carried it under a headline flagging that “one is an LA utility worker” — with outlets focusing on the unusual detail that a city utility employee stands accused of turning his work equipment toward vandalism. Hochman said prosecutors will ask the court, as part of any punishment, to require offenders to personally remove graffiti throughout the county: “This was not harmless graffiti, and these are not victimless crimes as they destroy the quality of life in our community.” Rocha has not publicly responded to the charges, and no statement from LADWP about his employment status appears in the announcements or coverage. Of his co-defendants, Ward has entered a plea — not guilty — through his arraignment on October 12, while Rocha, Gonzales and Rodriguez Aguilar had not been arraigned as of the announcements.

Current Status

As of October 16, 2026, Rocha remains charged but not yet arraigned: he is scheduled to appear October 23 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, and those already arraigned in the case were released on their own recognizance. Rodriguez Aguilar is due for arraignment October 19, Ward’s preliminary hearing setting is set for November 19 in Department 38, and Gonzales will be arraigned at a later date. The case is being prosecuted by the DA’s Central Trials Division and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department. If convicted as charged, Rocha faces a maximum sentence of 10 years and four months in county jail; Gonzales faces up to seven years, and Rodriguez Aguilar and Ward each face up to three years and eight months.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Rocha’s LADWP career — a steady municipal job he had held since 2018 — now sits beside a 12-count felony complaint that alleges he used his utility training and climbing gear as tools of the vandalism, and neither LADWP nor the department has publicly addressed his status. A conviction carrying up to 10 years and 4 months would effectively end that career, and Hochman has signaled prosecutors will seek direct, hands-on punishment: offenders cleaning up the graffiti they are accused of leaving across the city. Until the October 23 arraignment and any trial, the allegations remain exactly that — allegations against a man presumed innocent.

Sources

• Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, “LADWP Employee, Three Others Charged in Graffiti Vandalism Spree Across Los Angeles,” Oct 15, 2026 — source
• NY Post / The California Post, “LA city employee charged as part of sprawling graffiti spree,” Oct 15, 2026 — source
• MyNewsLA, “LA DWP Employee, Three Others Charged in Alleged Graffiti Vandalism Spree,” Oct 15, 2026 — source
• @nypost, trigger post announcing the story, Oct 16, 2026 — source