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In "Swimming with Sharks," the Colorado Springs Independent looks into how predatory lenders are eating credit-hungry debtors alive in this faltering economy. Terje Langeland writes that, "Julio Bonilla just wanted to borrow $4,000 to pay for some improvements to his split-level home ... By the time he walked out of the loan office, the 47-year-old Bonilla -- who speaks limited English -- had been talked into refinancing both of his mortgages, consolidating various credit-card debts and purchasing thousands of dollars worth of insurance, all rolled into one new loan totaling $164,000." Now his wife has lost her job, and they can't make the payments on the high-interest loan. Worse yet, the practice is perfectly legal.

It first appeared to be a simple stickup gone bad, but police investigating the killing of pet-shop owner Sarkis Antonyan found much more than that. Christine Pelisek and Charles Rappleye writing for LA Weekly, discovered that for more than a decade, Antonyan had run scams and opened new enterprises for a burgeoning Armenian crime scene, including massive rip-offs from the $450 million state recycling program. Antonyan's rise and fall provide a rare window on the life behind the suburban facade of one of L.A.'s most anonymous immigrant communities.