Officers Marked Sobel for Death, Jury Told : Trial: Ex-deputy says he and colleagues wanted to eliminate the sheriff’s sergeant when they learned he secretly cooperated with prosecutors.

A former Los Angeles County narcotics officer testified Friday that he and other deputies implicated in a money-skimming scandal talked about killing a former colleague when they learned that the sheriff’s sergeant was secretly cooperating with federal prosecutors.

Eufrasio G. Cortez told jurors that he and half a dozen other deputies “talked about doing away with” Sheriff’s Sgt. Robert R. Sobel during several drinking sessions and other meetings that were held when the corruption scandal first broke in 1989.

Testifying as a government witness in a money-skimming trial, Cortez said the deputies made sure that no one was wearing a hidden microphone or recorder and then “discussed finding out where Sobel was so we could kill him.”

Sobel, the first narcotics officer to agree to assist investigators in the corruption probe, had moved out of his Westminster home as a security measure, and Cortez testified that he told fellow deputies that he would try to determine where Sobel had gone. But he said he was unsuccessful.

Asked if he had been conspiring to obstruct justice and kill a government witness, Cortez replied: “I simply indicated that I might be able to find out where he was living. I guess I was conspiring, yes.”

Cortez’s statements came on his final day of testimony against two sheriff’s deputies accused of skimming drug money while working with Cortez on an elite anti-drug team.

Cortez, who already has pleaded guilty in the case, said that the defendants--Robert Juarez and Tyrone Powe--had received stolen money but that neither deputy was present during the discussions at which “the elimination of Sobel came up.”

Sobel did name seven deputies that he said had attended the meetings, including Deputy Edward D. Jamison, who was acquitted recently in another money-skimming case.

Jamison said Cortez’s allegations are untrue. “Guys got together and discussed stuff, discussed the case. But nobody said anything about doing away with Sobel. That’s a damn lie.”

Cortez also named Daniel M. Garner, a former deputy who was convicted with Cortez in 1990, as another officer attending the meetings about Sobel. But attorney Phillip Deitch, who represents Garner’s wife, Yhvona--also a defendant in the current money-skimming trial--challenged that account.

“All I can say is that I have a one word commentary on that testimony,” Deitch said, “and the first four letters are b-u-l-l.”

Assistant U.S. Atty. Steven M. Bauer, whose questioning had led to Cortez’s statements, said he could not say whether authorities are investigating the allegation. “We take all information about obstruction of justice seriously,” he said, “but I won’t comment about any specific investigations.”

Cortez’s comments about the alleged threats came after he testified that his own wife had moved from their home with the help of FBI agents after he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

The ex-deputy said he feared that Jamison or other deputies he had implicated in the money-skimming scandal would harm his wife--which Jamison called absurd.

Referring to Cortez’s testimony that he still considered Jamison and other deputies his friends, Jamison said, “If we’re still good friends, why would I harm his old lady?”

Defense attorneys had surprised Cortez and prosecutors by producing a letter from Cortez to Jamison that denounced government investigators with obscenities and also thanked Jamison for “touching bases with my wife.”

Although the Jan. 24 letter was written after Cortez had decided to cooperate with investigators, he described Sobel and another ex-deputy who were cooperating with prosecutors as “human garbage” and said they were pleading guilty and lying about thefts merely to avoid prison.

Asked why he had written such a letter, Cortez said he was attempting to hide the fact that he, too, had become an informant. “I wasn’t about to give any hint to Jamison or anyone on the outside that I was cooperating for fear they would hurt my wife, so I wanted to show I was still with them,” he said.

Cortez, who once won an award as California narcotics officer of the year, told jurors that he stole about half a million dollars as a narcotics officer. He also testified that he committed perjury 30 times, beat suspects on 20 occasions and used false statements in search warrants 100 times--misconduct that he said was “sporadic” over a 15 1/2-year career as a deputy.

“Do you believe you were a good cop, Mr. Cortez?” asked defense attorney Terry Amdur.

“I was an excellent cop, yes,” Cortez said.