Judge Refuses to Void Conviction of Officer
A federal judge refused Monday to throw out the conviction of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s narcotics officer who was convicted last December in a money-skimming trial along with six other deputies. Eufrasio G. Cortez was convicted of theft, tax evasion, money-laundering and conspiracy in what prosecutors described as a two-year scheme where deputies stole $1.4 million during narcotics raids.
Cortez, who faces a maximum term of 53 years in prison, had asked U.S. District Judge Edward Rafeedie to set aside his conviction, citing the “inconsistency” of the jury verdicts. Attorney James Riddet argued that the jury acquitted Cortez of stealing $527,000 during a 1988 raid but apparently relied on the proceeds of that theft as the basis for convicting his client of money-laundering.
The judge last week denied similar acquittal motions by other deputies. All are scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 25.
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