L.A. Deputies Convicted : 6 Guilty of Skimming Drug Money

Six members of an elite Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department narcotics team were convicted today on charges of conspiring to steal thousands of dollars during drug arrests.

Culminating the worst corruption scandal in the department’s history, a federal jury delivered 25 unanimous guilty verdicts out of a 54-criminal-count indictment that included theft, fraud, money laundering, threats of violence and racketeering-related crimes.

A seventh deputy was convicted on a tax violation, but the jury was unable to reach verdicts on conspiracy and theft charges against him.

The jury unanimously concluded that six of the deputies had stolen $48,000 in an incident recorded on videotape as part of an FBI sting. Prosecutors initially alleged that the deputies had skimmed as much as $1.4 million.

After six days of deliberation, the jury deadlocked on 26 remaining charges, on which U.S. District Judge Edward Rafeedie declared a mistrial. The jury also reached three unanimous not-guilty verdicts pertaining to the alleged theft of $527,000 by three of the deputies.

Their supervisor, former Sheriff’s Sgt. Ronald Sobel, had already pleaded guilty and was the key prosecution witness. He testified that it was common practice for those on the narcotics unit and deputies on other drug squads to steal money during arrests.

Most of the officers declined to comment following the verdict. One of the seven, Deputy James R. Bauder, said: “I’m sure this jury did the best job they could. But we’re disappointed.”

All of the deputies remain free on bail pending sentencing in January and February. The length of their likely prison terms is unclear. Had they been convicted on all counts, each deputy could have faced from 58 years to 128 years in prison and $1.3 million in fines.

In addition to Bauder, the deputies convicted on conspiracy and theft charges were Terrell H. Amers, Eufrasio G. Cortez, Ronald E. Daub, John C. Dickenson and Daniel Garner. All six belonged to a narcotics unit called Majors II that investigated high-level drug traffickers and money launderers.

Deputy Macario Duran, who was not a member of Majors II, was convicted only of a tax violation, in which he allegedly attempted to conceal large bank deposits that prosecutors said were part of the skimmed funds.

In addition to Sobel’s testimony, prosecutors buttressed their case with the videotape of an FBI sting that appeared to show Bauder and Garner stealing cash. Prosecutors also used a secret audio recording made by Sobel of several deputies and financial records that purportedly detailed “vast, outlandish expenses” impossible to support on a deputy’s salary.

Some of the deputies testified that the money they were spending came from a variety of legal sources, including inheritances, gifts, outside jobs and legal gambling.

Sobel, who was attacked by defense attorneys as a liar, also testified that sheriff’s deputies routinely falsified police reports and perjured themselves in court, planted drugs on suspects and beat them.