91st Case Overturned in Rampart Scandal
A drug conviction thrown out Tuesday by a court commissioner was the 91st criminal case to be overturned on the basis of information obtained in the investigation into the Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart corruption scandal.
Superior Court Commissioner Michael G. Price dismissed the conviction of Porfirio Acosta, 41, who was arrested by then-LAPD Officer Rafael Perez in July 1997 on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale.
Perez, who was cooperating with investigators to obtain a lesser sentence on his own cocaine theft charges, told investigators that he had fabricated parts of his report on Acosta’s arrest and that he searched the man’s car and home without Acosta’s consent. Afterward, according to prosecutors, Perez induced Acosta to sign a consent form.
Acosta pleaded no contest to the charge in October 1997 and was sentenced to four months in jail. When he failed to surrender to begin serving his term, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
The dismissal of the case was in response to a writ filed by the district attorney’s office.
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