Former undersheriff of Los Angeles County guilty of conspiracy
LOS ANGELES-- The former second-in-command of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was convicted Wednesday in a corruption probe that also brought down his boss and several underlings who tried to thwart a federal investigation into abuses in the nation's largest jail system.
Ex-Undersheriff Paul Tanaka was found guilty by a federal jury of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
After just two days of deliberations, a federal jury found Tanaka guilty of directing eight alleged co-conspirators in a scheme to thwart a 2011 investigation into allegations of excessive force within the jail system. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Tanaka helped orchestrate efforts to hide an inmate when they discovered he was an FBI informant, prosecutors said. Underlings were ordered to intimidate an FBI agent in the case by threatening to have her arrested.
The corruption went all the way to the top of the department and former Sheriff Lee Baca could face six months in jail when he's sentenced next month.
"This was Paul Tanaka's operation," Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Fox said in his closing argument. "He was the director, he was in charge."
A defense attorney, however, argued that it was actually ex-sheriff Lee Baca who "was in control of this entire situation."
The case stems from events five years ago, when a cell phone was discovered in the hands of an inmate at the Men's Central Jail. Sheriff's deputies quickly tied the phone to the FBI, which had been conducting a secret probe of brutality against inmates.
Tanaka testified that he was out of the loop and unaware of the cover-up efforts. He could face up to 15 years in prison when sentenced.
Tanaka retired from the department in 2013 and ran unsuccessfully to replace his former boss, losing by a wide margin to Jim McDonnell.