Drug Money Sting Taped by U.S. Agents : Some Deputies in Skimming Case Seen Handling Funds

Federal agents, working a sting operation against nine Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department narcotics officers suspected of skimming drug money, last month videotaped some of the officers as they handled money seized during a narcotics raid, sources close to the investigation said Friday.

It was unclear how many members of the nine-officer narcotics team were videotaped, but all nine participated in the raid at a San Fernando Valley hotel, a sheriff’s source said. The tape, sources said, is part of the evidence being used in an attempt to obtain indictments in the case.

Eight veteran deputies and their sergeant were relieved of duty last week when Sheriff Sherman Block and federal investigators announced that a probe begun last October had reportedly revealed money-skimming by at least some members of the drug unit, one of four assigned by the department to investigate “major” narcotics cases.

Separate Pouch

Sources who have reviewed a portion of the tape said it shows at least two officers taking cash from a money bag and putting it in a separate pouch.

“The feds were using a sting and set these guys up,” one source said. “They have at least one videotape, maybe more.”

No criminal charges have been filed in what Block described as potentially the biggest scandal of his seven-year tenure as head of the nation’s largest sheriff’s department.

Sheriff’s Department sources said Friday that federal investigators were relying on videotapes of the sting in an effort to obtain indictments. The U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles had no comment Friday on whether a tape had been shown to a federal grand jury.

Richard Shinee, an attorney for the union representing some of the suspended deputies, confirmed Friday that federal authorities had taped a sting operation in August and he had seen a portion of it.

Shinee would not comment on how he came to see the tape, nor would he discuss its details, except to say the footage he saw is “inconclusive and does not demonstrate misconduct or any wrongdoing.”

Shinee maintained that what is shown on the tape could be explained as legitimate money handling in a drug raid.

“They take money in a drug raid,” he said. “They preserve evidence. That’s what they’re there for.”

The fact that the seized money is separated does not alone demonstrate criminality, the lawyer said.

Shinee would not identify the deputies shown on the videotape. A sheriff’s source said the tape shows “a couple” of officers separating the money.

Bag on Table

The source, who said he saw a four-minute portion of a tape, said it showed “a bag sitting on a table in a room.”

“Some guys opened the bag, took some money out and then closed the bag,” the source said.

The narcotics officers were surprised when confronted with the tape last week, the source said.

Both the Sheriff’s Department and federal officials have refused comment on the investigation.

The officers have been suspended pending completion of federal and county probes. While they still receive pay, the officers have been forced to turn in their guns and badges.

One federal law enforcement source has said that at least $200,000 might have been taken during the last year by members of the unit. There was no indication that narcotics were also stolen, officials said.

Lawrence Lawler, FBI agent in charge of the Los Angeles office, has explained the suspensions by saying that some money seized in drug raids never made it to the evidence locker.

Officers Named

The suspended officers are Sgt. Robert Sobel and Deputies Terrell H. Amers, James R. Bauder, Nancy A. Brown, Eufrasio G. Cortez, Ronald E. Daub, John C. Dickenson, Daniel M. Garner and Michael J. Kaliterna.

Shinee said he was unaware of any impending indictments in the case.

“I don’t know what else they have, and I have no indications as to the timing of any (indictments),” he said.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Thomas A. Hagemann, who is heading his office’s review of the case, would not comment.