Los Angeles DA Hochman says LAPD officer was "personally motivated" to record coworkers making allegedly bigoted statements
New court filings show that the Los Angeles County district attorney believes the LAPD officer who allegedly recorded coworkers making racist, sexist and homophobic statements was "personally motivated" to do so.
DA Nathan Hochman's explosive new claims come as Daniel Flores, 43, faces 16 felony counts for eavesdropping-related allegations, which could land him up to 13 years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors claim he took as many as 122 recordings of coworkers without their consent in 2024 as they discussed which candidates to hire.
"[The] defendant's motive to make the recordings was less altruistic and more personally motivated to avoid being transferred to patrol and to reap a financial windfall from suing the City of Los Angeles," Hochman said.
Some colleagues said Flores at times made references to the desire to earn large payouts from the department in the form of civil lawsuits, which he allegedly referred to as the "LAPD lottery." Prosecutors say Flores used the recordings as a way to cash in on his job at the department without working. He has since filed a lawsuit against the city of LA.
A court filing even accuses Flores of manipulating the recordings, omitting his own participation in the problematic conversations.
Meanwhile, criminal defense attorney Diane Bass says it doesn't matter what the motive was.
"I think that the people who need to be demonized here are these officers who were making racist, sexist and homophobic comments when they're biased against more than half of the population of Los Angeles," she said.
The DA's Office said the recordings could have been addressed in the "proper channels." In turn, Flores' legal team said in a statement that he did, in fact, do so.
"Daniel Flores did not leak this material. He did not sell it, post it, or hand it to a reporter," said Alan Jackson, Flores' defense attorney. "He walked it into Internal Affairs and gave it to his own department, in an official complaint, because he believed the Department would do something about it. The Department's answer was to investigate him. The District Attorney's answer is to prosecute him."
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnel on Thursday offered his support to the DA's Office for pursuing the case.
"I am committed to ensuring the workplace is professional, respectful, and free from misconduct, and any employee who violates those standards will be held accountable," McDonnell said.
The 16 officers who were recorded making alleged bigoted comments in the recordings have since been disciplined, McDonnell said, although the specifics are unclear.
Meanwhile, Mayor Karen Bass said she's concerned that the charges could "send the wrong message" to potential whistleblowers in the future.
"The bottom line is that the alleged racist, sexist, and homophobic comments made are outrageous and unacceptable. While I understand that it is inappropriate and a crime to record colleagues without their consent, these charges certainly send the wrong message that calling out egregious behavior could land you in prison," Bass said. "I am worried that this will deter whistleblowers and discourage officers from using the appropriate reporting channels in the future."
Flores is due to be arraigned in a Los Angeles County courtroom on Aug. 10.