Here we are, casting our view back to the tail end of 1993 and what could quite fairly be seen as Phillips and Matasareanu's first major introduction to public scrutiny as a combined entity. Shall we begin?

Firstly, and most importantly we open this page with a 'Found an issue' moment.
The principles of any investigation are always Who, What, Where, When, and if you are lucky enough to find out...Why.
The 'Who' in this instance is not up for debate. Phillips and Matasareanu.
The 'What' is pretty simple, a traffic stop.
The 'Where', North Pacific Avenue, Glendale, California
The 'When' is the problem.
Let me explain.
Common sources place this event happening on Friday 29th October 1993.
Yet that is not possible, because the defendants in this case had their first court appearance on the 26th October.
The arrest and court sequence was only reported by the media from Saturday 30th October onwards, it was when we finally managed to lay our hands on some (and I stress the 'some' because there are several confidential documents associated with this case that are 'missing') of the Glendale court transcripts that some of the truth of what happened started to come out.
Let us roll back to the start and tell the story properly.

Friday October 1st 1993 had been a warm day. From 11am temperatures had bathed the Southland in the mid to high 90's. As dusk blanketed the west coast a light wind kicked up from the west and cooled the air down to the mid 80's.
10:30pm at the intersection of East Colorado St and South Pacific Avenue, Glendale a brand new 1993 red Ford Thunderbird lit up its tires as it left the forecourt of Flagg Stations.

Following close behind came the police, in the form of Sgt. Ian Grimes, a Glendale police department undercover auto theft detective.

The Thunderbird headed north along South Pacific Avenue until it reached and crossed West Broadway and on to North Pacific Avenue, all the time ignoring Grimes' attempts to initiate a traffic stop.

After approximately one mile and just seconds short of the entrance ramp to the Ventura freeway the Thunderbird finally rolled to the curb.

Grimes approached the Thunderbird from the passenger side, noting in the darkness (for this area is not well lit by street lighting) the two occupants. Phillips was the driver; the passenger was the 340lb Matasareanu.
Grimes asked for the driver's name. Phillips replied 'Denis Franks', his half brother's name. Grimes requested Phillips to produce his driver's license; Phillips replied that he had left it at home. When asked his address Phillips hesitated, possibly a product of running too many alternate identities, Grimes then asked who the vehicle belonged to and Matasareanu, speaking for the first time, sealed their fate; he lied.
Matasareanu told Grimes that the car belonged to Phillips mother. He should have known that before stopping them Grimes would have requested a check on the Thunderbird's plate. The car was an airport rental (LAX or Burbank is unknown).
With Phillips hesitation at a simple question and Matasareanu's completely inept attempt at deception Grimes was convinced that the duo were up to no good so he invited Phillips to exit the vehicle and join him at the rear of the car.
As Phillips stood at the rear of the car Grimes noticed that he was holding his body at an awkward angle.
Grimes initiated a pat down and discovered there was a good reason for Phillips goofy stance, for in his waistband he discovered a Glock 17 pistol loaded with a 33 round extended magazine.

For a few heart stopping seconds neither Phillips nor Matasareanu would respond to Grimes commands. Then a muffled thud was allegedly heard from within the vehicle, it turned out to be Matasareanu stashing his own pistol, a .45 Colt, under the passenger seat.

Let us pause just for a second and consider the two previous actions. Firstly, a Glock with an extended magazine is a moderately large and uncomfortable thing to waistband whilst driving. Had Phillips been driving with the pistol tucked under his thigh? If so why had he decided to exit the vehicle with it? The inference is he bought the weapon with him in case he felt the need to initiate a firefight with Grimes in an attempt to flee. Yet, thankfully, he chose to surrender to arrest without a fight. So why bring the Glock?
Phillips had either tactically rejected the idea to fight, or had been fearful of the outcome; and if the second logic is in play here then one must ask why he was driving through Glendale with a pistol under his thigh? Because that would smack of serving his own self image rather than any operational requirement this duo may have perceived necessary.
IF, and it is a moderately large IF, this was the case and unfortunately we will never be able to truly know the motivations of this man in this moment then I believe this highlights more of an indecisive and incomplete mentality. In the moment he had a choice, shoot his way out, talk his way out, or ride the arrest train and see where it went. Having the physical tools to complete the first option but not using them leaves only the second and third options. Options that were either not viable or completely unknown to him. So what was in his head? Confidence in his ability to talk his way out? Maybe. Or the fast realization of what a good lawyer could do about the contents of the trunk that Grimes was minutes away from finding, and the fact that an unsecured weapon being carried in a motor vehicle was just a misdemeanor.
Or maybe, just maybe, he didn't want a shootout at the side of the road.
He had not yet evolved into the 'no questions asked and no quarter given' mindset that we would see in the northwest ATM lobby in February 1997 but this arrest would be, we believe, another significant step along the road to that mindset.

Secondly: Had Matasareanu been holding that pistol out of view during his interaction with Grimes? Probably not right? A lone officer conducting a traffic stop would ensure that the vehicles occupant's hands were kept in view at all times, to negate a potential ambush situation.
If Grimes had stuck with tried and tested doctrine, and there seems to be no reason we should believe that he didn't then this would mean that once Phillips exited the vehicle and Grimes' attention was now divided between two locales that Matasareanu had retrieved his sidearm from somewhere close to his position, and then decided that a shootout on the side of North Pacific Avenue was not worth it. Again, an incomplete mindset, one not yet formed into what we would see come February 1997.

Grimes backed up, placing one of the planters that border the sidewalk between himself and the two suspects, from that vantage point he was easily able to cover both men until backup arrived.

Once additional units arrived at the scene Matasareanu was removed from the vehicle and a search began, the Thunderbird would reveal a surprising cargo.

One Chinese Polytech AKS underfolding semiautomatic rifle (Matasareanu)
One Chinese Norinco MAK90 wood stocked semi automatic rifle (Phillips)
One Springfield Armory .45 pistol (Phillips)
One Colt .45 pistol (Matasareanu)
1,649 rounds of 7.62x39mm, mostly loaded into 30 round box magazines taped three together Three Chinese made seventy five round drum magazines, all loaded with 7.62x39mm ammunition 967 rounds of 9mm jacketed hollow point ammunition
357 rounds of .45 jacketed hollow point ammunition
Six smoke bombs
Two improvised explosive devices
One gas mask
Two sets of National Armor Level IIIA bullet resistant vests
Two 200 channel, portable, programmable scanners with ear pieces
Sunglasses, gloves, wigs, ski masks, and a stopwatch
Two cans of gray Studio Hair colour
Three different California automobile licence plates
$1,620 in cash in a grey plastic Sears bag

Both men would be taken to Glendale police station and processed. The police were certain they had,albeit rather fortuitously, stumbled upon a pair of would be bank robbers.
Phillips would have been asked multiple times to confirm his name, and at each opportunity it appears he gave the same answer, Denis Franks; and his choice to do that would bite him hard. His fingerprints from his 1989 arrest in Alhambra eventually tripped him up, revealing his true identity.
Now he was facing a felony false impersonation charge. We shall explore this later.

It is around this point in the story that things start to go sideways, but first we must introduce the then District Attorney James Grondin.
With the contents of the Thunderbird's trunk laid out for all to see a choice had to be made.
Was any of it criminal, or was any of it complicit in the furtherance of a crime?
In that moment that is where this case fell over.

Hindsight is always 20/20 right? Of course! Because you now get to make a judgment with information that was not available to you back when the situation was unfolding.
Today, here and now, knowing the events of February 1997 we know that the contents of the Thunderbird's trunk was nothing more than a very expanded bank robbery kit.
We know that why? Because our subjects both go down in the commission of a bank robbery three years and change later.
But in the moment and with no hindsight available? Was this a bank robbery kit?
It sure looks like one right? But can you, beyond reasonable doubt and with no crime of that nature being tied to our subjects, say 100% that these are the tools of a criminal? That was the burden of proof placed upon James Grondin, the police had done their job of apprehending what appeared to be a pair of dangerous criminals and securing the evidence, now it was the DA's turn to prove criminal intent.
Anyway, forget the question for it is a disingenuous one, both yours and mine opinion is colored because we know the events of 1997. Yet in the moment, Grondin had to make a choice. Either the Thunderbird haul was just items that looked suspect when placed together, or, it was the tools of a violent criminal conspiracy.
So it was either all the charges, or none of the charges.

'I remember sitting in a room full of cops trying to decide what we could charge these guys with.' - James Grondin

What isn't known at this moment is exactly how long Phillips and Matasareanu spent in Glendale PD custody. Nor is it known exactly when they were transferred to the custody of Los Angeles Sheriff's at the infamous Men's Central Jail.

What is known is that after their arrest on October 1st is that neither man would see a judge before October 26th. So possibly twenty five days spent in the zoo that is General Population in what was voted only a decade ago as being one of the ten worst jails in the US.

Built in 1963 to hold three thousand prisoners awaiting trial or freshly convicted, by 1990 it was routinely holding close to six thousand. Chronic overcrowding, used as a dumping ground for mental health patients, infested with gang activity and policed by a unforgiving cadre of Sheriff's deputies who often ruled with a harsh hand to protect their own safety Men's Central Jail was not the place for two white guys who for all intents and purposes had been caught playing Rambo to pop their jail cherry.
Twenty five days of a world so alien to the pair of them it must have felt like a never-ending scene from Dante's 'Inferno'. Granted Phillips had had some time in Denver jail, but Denver jail is not LA's Men's Central Jail, not even close.

When Tuesday October 26th rolled around both men would take markedly different approaches to the terms of their confinement, showing deep insights into their individual psyche.
At 8:30am in Glendale courthouse before Judge Rosemary Isham their arraignment hearings were started.
Phillips had not retained counsel in the previous three weeks he had been held in custody, a public defender, Stuart Rosen was appointed to his case.
Matasareanu was represented by private counsel, Milton Kerlan.
James Grondin the Deputy District Attorney was in attendance.

Matasareanu
Count 1: 182(A)(1) - Felony
'Conspiracy to commit a felony'
Count 2: 487(H) - Felony
'Grand theft' With a value over $400 (currently $950)
Count 6: 12031(A) - Misdemeanor
'Carrying a loaded firearm in vehicle or public place'
Count 7: 12280(A)(1) - Felony
'Any person who, within this state, manufactures or causes to be manufactured, distributes, transports, or imports into the state, keeps for sale, or offers or exposes for sale or who gives or lends any assault weapon or any .50BMG rifle'

Phillips
Count 1: 182(A)(1) - Felony
'Conspiracy to commit a felony'
Count 2: 487(H) - Felony
'Grand theft' With a value over $400 (currently $950)
Count 3: 118 - Felony
'Perjury and subornation of perjury'
Count 4: 529 - Felony
'False personation and cheats'
Count 5: 12025(A)(2) - Misdemeanor
'Carries upon his or her person any pistol, revolver or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person'
Count 7: 12280(A)(1) - Felony
'Any person who, within this state, manufactures or causes to be manufactured, distributes, transports, or imports into the state, keeps for sale, or offers or exposes for sale or who gives or lends any assault weapon or any .50BMG rifle'
Matasareanu immediately pled not guilty to all charges. Bail was set at $1,000,000 and he was remanded back to custody, headed to Millionaire's Row, a segregated section of Men's Central Jail that housed high value detainees. It was relief from General Population, at least for a while. His next hearing was scheduled for 29th October 1993, a bail hearing.

Phillips bail was set at $1,000,000 and he was remanded to custody with a court date set for the following day to continue arraignment and the entry of his plea to the charges.
At least for that night he was also going to Millionaire's Row, a segregated section of Men's Central Jail that housed high value detainees.

Phillips returned to Glendale courthouse the next day with a new counsel, Donald R. Klahs and proceeded to throw not guilty pleas at all six charges.

Bail was retained at $1,000,000. Back to Millionaires Row with preliminary hearing set for November 8th 1993.
Phillips would make mention during one of the three visits by his girlfriend. Jeanette Federico, that he was sharing jail space with the infamous Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, who were three months deep into their first trial for the brutal shotgun slaying of their parents.
A detailed write up on that case can be found here:
https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1990/10/dunne199010

Friday October 29th saw Matasareanu back in Glendale courthouse for his bail review in front of Judge Joseph F De Vanon. Matasareanu was again represented by Milton Kernan.
James Grondin the Deputy District Attorney was again in attendance.
Bail was reduced to $250,000.
Matasareanu when he was returned to jail was now out of the relative security of Millionaire's Row and back in General Population.
His next hearing was slated for November 8th 1993.

An interesting dynamic can be seen here before we even get to take a closer look at all the charges levied.
Matasareanu was trying to squeeze his way out of the system, beating on the bail reduction button until it reached an affordable level.
Phillips, it would appear, didn't want any further part of being housed with the general population of Men's Central Jail and if he had to be locked up then he would be locked up in the most tolerable area that was available to him. His strategy was cunning and subliminal, there is no record of a bail reduction petition being made on October 27th so it would appear he knew what was the more comfortable option for him and rolled with it.
Behind the scenes, and whilst both men cooled their heels in jail waiting for their next court date, a decision was made that would benefit Phillips. Once arrested by Glendale PD and his identity verified it was discovered that he had an active warrant out of Colorado for the October 1992 property fraud.
Denver appears to have weighed charges and believed that their absconder was liable for a much heavier sentence in the L.A courts, as such they decided not to extradite Phillips.
There is no official communiqué that we can source about this decision, all that has ever floated to the surface is a small handwritten note found deep within the FBI file on our subjects.

Thursday November 8th and both men appeared in Glendale court together, albeit there were some differences in the personnel within the courtroom.
No longer was DDA Grondin present, having been replaced by District Attorney Kimberly Bringgold. Matasareanu had also replaced his counsel, Howard Rotter now chosen to represent him. Phillips stuck with Donald Klahs.
Both men would see certain charges dismissed during this proceeding.
For both Matasareanu and Phillips Count 2, the felony theft charge was kicked.
It was always an odd one, and one we believed that stemmed from Matasareanu's ill devised attempt at deception about the provenance of the Thunderbird. What we cannot understand though is why they were charged with felony theft and not Grand Theft Auto.
The logic is that to charge Grand Theft Auto PC 487 (d)(1) Glendale PD would have to show the car was lost by another party, which obviously was not going to happen. So how does felony theft manage to replace that? Where was the loss incurred that could be laid at these men's feet? It was a garbage charge which appears to have been laid with a design to intimidate.
Phillips would also see Count 3 dismissed; the felony perjury.

So let us take a moment, for this is a very text heavy section of the website, and examine the remaining charges for both men. Although I am by no means versed in the machinations of the law I at least know how to read, so let us see if any of this makes sense. What must be remembered going into this section is not what we know now, but what could be proven in that moment. All mistakes or misunderstandings of the law in what follows are of my own making; I welcome any party with suitable qualifications to correct my writing/understanding.

Matasareanu
Count 1: 182(A)(1) - Felony
'Conspiracy to commit a felony'
A conspiracy can only be prosecuted if there is something called 'furtherance'. Talking about committing a crime with a friend is one thing, but for it to be a prosecutable conspiracy an overt act must be made. For example, you can talk with a friend about stealing a car but the conspiracy only becomes live when one party makes efforts to produce the tools to affect that theft.
This charge was levied because all the items in the Thunderbird trunk 'appeared' to be a bank robbery kit. A hamburger bun, a patty, salad, and sauce laid out side by side does not a Big Mac make, for sure it CAN make a burger if one so desired but separately they are just food items. This would be the defence argument in this case (although not presented in these words).
So where was the furtherance? No plans were found of banks, no handwritten notes on transport timings, nothing, and of course our two subjects steadfastly refused to say what they were up to.

Count 6: 12031(A) - Misdemeanor
'Carrying a loaded firearm in vehicle or public place'
The pistol was found under the seat. The only defence could have been 'What? Mine? I know nothing about it!' But then fingerprints would have given it away. Whether Glendale would have bothered with the cost of finger printing the gun for a misdemeanor charge is unknown.

Count 7: 12280(A)(1) - Felony
'Any person who, within this state, manufactures or causes to be manufactured, distributes, transports, or imports into the state, keeps for sale, or offers or exposes for sale or who gives or lends any assault weapon or any .50BMG rifle'
This one is awfully odd to my thinking. Let us break the wording down, ignoring the .50 cal for obvious reasons.
Manufactures: doesn't apply
Distributes: doesn't apply
Transports or imports into the state: Ambiguous wording, does this mean transports into the state as well as imports into the state, or does this mean transports WITHIN the state?
Keeps for sale: doesn't apply
Offers or exposes for sale: doesn't apply
Gives or lends any assault weapon: doesn't apply
So nothing in this PC seems to apply unless you interpret the 'transports or imports into the state' as having a dual meaning of 'transports within the state'. I am unconvinced that the wording means that but it would appear that for this charge the waters were deliberately muddied.
Let us dive a little deeper though, maybe the charge is more focused on the weapon itself than the context it was found in.
This is Matasareanu's Polytech AKS, a bog standard unaltered stamped metal Chinese underfolding AKM.

These were banned from importation in 1989 by the Roberti-Roos Act in response to the January 1989 Cleveland Elementary School shooting in Stockton, California.
This particular rifle was banned by name, #1c on the list.
Source:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=30510.

But that ban is specifically for importation; ownership is another kettle of fish entirely. Any pre-ban firearm was to be registered with the Department of Justice.

What appears to have happened for this charge to stick was that Matasareanu had owned this weapon since before the June 1989 Roberti-Roos ban (or had purchased it illegally after the ban), and had failed to register it. When it saw the light of day during the Glendale pinch Matasareanu could not provide supporting grandfather rights documentation so it immediately fell under the transportation section of 12280a1, if you choose to read the ambiguous wording of that PC a certain way.
If this was the case then quite why they did not go after PC 12285 (registration) I am at a loss to explain.

Phillips
Count 1: 182(A)(1) - Felony
'Conspiracy to commit a felony'
See Matasareanu's Count 1 as the exact same logic applies.

Count 4: 529 - Felony
'False personation and cheats'
This charge comes across similarly to the conspiracy charge above, in that there must be an act of furtherance that would lead to the person whose name you used being exposed to criminal or civil liability.
Had Phillips used his half-brother's name, Denis R. Franks? Yes he had.
Would Franks have been exposed to criminal liability and the detrimental effects of such a conviction? Yes he would have.

Solid charge, and in my opinion a monumentally stupid decision from Phillips. Whatever was he hoping to gain? We know that there had been a conflict between the two brothers; we also know that they allegedly in previous years (very early 1990's), and with each other's knowledge, shared identities. Quite why Phillips persisted with this charade is hard to fathom, all it ended up doing was landing him a felony conviction for no gain.

Count 5: 12025(A)(2) - Misdemeanor
'Carries upon his or her person any pistol, revolver or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person'
Unquestionable charge, yet oddly Phillips still went not guilty on it.

Count 7: 12280(A)(1) - Felony
'Any person who, within this state, manufactures or causes to be manufactured, distributes, transports, or imports into the state, keeps for sale, or offers or exposes for sale or who gives or lends any assault weapon or any .50BMG rifle'

Ok this one is a mind bender, truly.
I won't copy and paste the broken down elements of the PC as was done in Matasareanu's case, if you need to refresh your memory, scroll up.
Phillips' rifle was a MAK90, specifically designed by Norinco to circumvent the 1989 import ban. In fact this rifle was compliant with the incoming 1994 Federal Assault Weapons ban, having none of the features that would see it termed as an assault weapon.
Yet still the very odd decision to charge 12280 was made. I am at a loss to explain it.
Their preliminary hearing would see out the day with three felony charges in total dropped and the rest held to answer. Judge James Rogan set Phillips' bail to match Matasareanu's, $250,000. No more Millionaire's Row for him, back to the zoo.
Both men were returned to Men's Central Jail with a new court date of November 22nd 1993.

It is at this point that most of the court documents run out, once the case was transferred from Glendale to LA Superior Court the documentation trail goes cold, all bar a couple of small snippets.

What is known is that due to their not guilty pleas that a jury was empanelled and lawyer arguments were made about the introduction of certain elements of evidentiary material.
Five days later, on December 7th, Matasareanu bonded out via American Surety Co. What backed his bond is unknown but given that he had no property of his own, his business was all but dead in the water and he had no saleable assets one can only assume that Valerie had put her house up against the bond, a tactic she would repeat some years later when faced with her own troubles.
Phillips was staying put though, he still had the extradition case from Colorado to face and even though Denver was not going to pursue the case it still had to go through the court process. Back to jail he went.
December 17th saw another court date but no information can be gained as to the proceeding's contents.
December 27th 1993 and things took a turn in the court room.
After pleading not guilty to all charges for the previous eight weeks, Matasareanu would plead guilty to Counts 6 & 7 respectively the misdemeanor loaded firearm within a vehicle, and the felony unlawful weapons activity charge for the Polytech. Whether this plea was a bargaining chip to wipe out the sole remaining charge of conspiracy to commit a felony is unknown, or whether that charge was dropped within the proceedings is also unknown. Either way the charge of PC182(A)(1) does not show on Matasareanu's list of criminal convictions.

Matasareanu would leave court with three years probation, a $350 fine, and a felony conviction. That conviction would stand for the moment, but in the not too distant future he would successfully apply to have the conviction reduced to a misdemeanor. For the moment he would have to live his life with the felon tag attached to his name, and all the restrictions that would entail.

Phillips was a similar story, with a different ending to the day.
He would plead 'Nolo Contendre' (acceptance of guilt without a formal plea) to the two charges of false personation and carrying a concealed firearm. The remaining charges of conspiracy to commit a felony and unlawful weapons activity seemed to melt away into nothing. Unlike Matasareanu there is no sheet in the FBI file listing Phillips criminal convictions, in fact nowhere that an interested person can look is this information publically available but instead has to be pieced together from court records over the years.

Phillips would see out the day with a three year probation order to match Matasareanu's and a $200 fine, but free he was not. He was headed back to jail until the Colorado extradition order could be placed in front of a judge, and that would not occur until January 10th 1994.

Both men would see out the final few days of the year now as convicted felons, and Phillips still cooling his heels in MCJ.
The die had been cast, arrested for what a collection of items looked like. With hindsight the cops and the DA were probably spot on the money with their assessment of both men and the Thunderbird's cargo, the only issue was their eagerness to charge ended up with them throwing a multitude of charges and trying to see which one stuck. The burden of proof on their shoulders fell at the first hurdle and the inevitable plea bargaining took over stripping potential charges down until there was very little left to prosecute, the final cost was ninety nine & seventy one days in jail respectively together with a less than useful probation order and a paltry fine.
It would be the felony conviction that should have caused the most anguish for both men, but this in itself may have been one of the many Rubicon's that these men crossed along their journey to North Hollywood. Now that they had this black marker over them, then why not act as the marker dictated?
One further observation/question as we bring this page to a close.
The 'pursuit' along North Pacific Boulevard, Glendale happened at 10:30pm. Not exactly banking hours. So the one thing this pair were not doing was being on their way to a 211, not right at that moment anyway.
Just the timing of this arrest may have been what stopped them falling foul of the conspiracy to commit a felony charge, had it been during banking hours the story may well have been very different.
So where were these two going in the late evening with a trunk full of guns and ammo? That's the million dollar question isn't it? The first guess was that they may have been moving safe houses, but that logic doesn't really stack up. Phillips was living in Studio City, Matasareanu with his mother, wife and young son in Altadena. It doesn't seem practical that this pair could finance multiple safe houses at this moment in the timeline.
What is more logical is that they were heading out of state. If the 1993 Littleton armored car job can be laid at their feet then it seems viable that given the appearance of the perpetrators in that particular job and the items found in the Thunderbird's trunk that we are looking at a direct link to another crime about to be committed.
Take the T-Bird out of state, swap licence plates, pull another 211, change plates to effect getaway. Return to LA and affix original plates. Remember there was three sets of licence plates found in the trunk. To what ends did they need to be there? Multiple items of clothing indicating an overnight stay, hair coloring and wigs (the EXACT same modus operandi as the Littleton gig) and finally $1600 in cash found in a gray Sears bag which to us indicates enough for a hotel stay, gas, food and spending money.

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