Federal Court Clerk Admits Trying to Sell Document

A federal probation clerk pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of official corruption in trying to sell U.S. District Court documents to a defendant in a criminal case, prosecutors said.

John J. Cochanes, 55, of Tijuana, who was fired in September after trying to sell a confidential court document for $2,000, is believed to be the first San Diego federal court staffer indicted for official corruption, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Phillip L. B. Halpern.

Halpern said prosecutors are investigating other cases of alleged corruption among federal court employees, but he declined further comment except to say the cases are unrelated to Cochanes’.

There is no evidence that Cochanes, a clerk in the court’s probation department, had previously sold confidential court documents, Halpern said.

William Braniff, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, said in a prepared statement that the Cochanes case represented his office’s “continuing commitment to ensuring the integrity of the United States Court system. . . . All public corruption cases will remain one of the highest priorities” of his office.

Cochanes, who will be sentenced Feb. 11 by Judge Leland C. Nielsen, could receive a maximum of 15 years in jail and a $250,000 fine. He was indicted on one count of official corruption and another of converting government property. The second, lesser charge was dropped in exchange for a guilty plea to the corruption charge, although that agreement will not affect his sentence, Halpern said.

Cochanes, who was arrested Sept. 4 and later fired, remains free on $50,000 bail.

The probation department prepares pre-sentence reports, letters and other confidential documents for the federal court’s judges. The judges often rely on the reports, which frequently feature the department’s independent investigations of criminal cases, to help them mete out sentences in criminal cases.

Cochanes, whose job included the preparation of the confidential department documents, offered to sell a confidential department letter in July to John T. Buscaglia, a Holtville produce distribution manager who had pleaded guilty in March to a felony firearms violation, Halpern said. Buscaglia was awaiting sentencing by Judge John S. Rhoades.

The letter was written to Rhoades about Buscaglia by another probation officer and included other information from police and federal authorities about Buscaglia’s case, according to Halpern.

On Sept. 4, Cochanes was arrested by FBI agents at a San Diego restaurant where he had gone to meet Buscaglia, Halpern said.

Halpern said it could be helpful for defendants and their attorneys to know the contents of such confidential documents in preparing their pre-sentencing arguments.