Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of lying to federal investigators, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and his attorney said.
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In December 2013, the FBI arrested 18 of Baca’s deputies, sergeants and lieutenants for alleged civil rights abuses, corruption and obstruction of justice, including threatening an FBI agent at her home and hiding an FBI jail informant.
Under the deal, Baca admitted that he lied to federal prosecutors and the FBI about efforts to hide a jail inmate cooperating with the federal corruption probe.
George Hofstetter, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the union representing sheriff’s deputies, said Baca “deserves punishment” for his actions. Baca also told investigators that he did not know that department officials had harassed the FBI special agent until after they had approached her. Decker said the federal investigation demonstrates that corruption by officials at the top of the sheriff’s department will not be tolerated. This led to a month-long scheme to obstruct the investigation, which included members of the conspiracy concealing the informant from the FBI, the United States Marshals Service and the grand jury.
Under the plea deal, Baca is free to withdraw his guilty plea if a federal judge overseeing the case decides to impose a harsher penalty, in which case prosecutors would seek a federal indictment, Decker said.
Baca announced his retirement in 2014 after his 48-year record was tarnished by back-to-back scandals involving abuse by deputies inside the county’s jail system.
He once ran the nation’s largest urban jail system but was on the threshold of a possible six-month prison sentence Wednesday.
David Bowdich, the FBI’s Los Angeles chief, said Baca had continuously denied playing a role in the corruption “even when some in the rank and file were under the gun and they were being prosecuted and ultimately convicted”. In both cases Baca’s representations were false, Decker said.
Federal prosecutors say Baca took part in discussions to derail the investigation after they discovered an informant inmate was working with the FBI.
In an unusual move, sheriff’s officials responded by moving Brown, a convicted bank robber, to a different jail under a fake name.
It was launched after sheriff’s officials learned in the summer of 2011 that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had enlisted Anthony Brown, an inmate in the Men’s Central Jail, to collect information on abusive and corrupt deputies. The pair had cell phones, which is prohibited.
“The plea agreement sends a strong message that no one is above the law”.
H. Dean Steward, one of Tanaka’s defense attorneys, said that he plans to call Baca as a witness when Tanaka goes to trial in March. There must be zero tolerance for this type of failed leadership.
Baca appeared in court Wednesday morning for an arraignment on the charge.
“Los Angeles County’s jails have been plagued by unlawful violence for decades”, said Hector Villagra, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California.
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Baca’s attorney read a statement from the former sheriff. Once he pleads guilty, the actual sentence will be determined by the federal judge presiding over the case.
