Asian Gang Expert for Oakland Police Pleads Guilty to Bribery

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- Harry Hu, who helped take down some of the biggest Chinese-American gang leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area, has pleaded guilty to taking bribes and helping a longtime informant avoid prosecution.

The former Oakland police gang expert faces up to five years in prison.

Wing Wo Ma. (Mendocino Co. Sheriff's Office)

A plea deal unsealed Thursday shows Hu acknowledging that the informant, Wing Wo Ma, treated him to Reno and Las Vegas trips and paid escorts.

Hu also admitted failing to notify the FBI of his suspicions that Ma was involved in a 2013 double killing in Mendocino County.

Ma later was indicted.

Hu spent 37 years infiltrating and fighting gangs with the Oakland PD and later with the Alameda County district attorney's office.

Both agencies say he violated public trust.

The Oakland police released a statement saying the department was "appalled by the actions of former employee Harry Hu, who intentionally chose to serve his greed and desire by associating with criminals and engaging in criminal activity."