California sheriff’s deputy charged with extortion, soliciting bribe, authorities say
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A San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Tuesday on charges that he solicited bribes and committed extortion while on duty, according to authorities.
In June 2024, the Sheriff’s Department received a complaint from a citizen regarding Deputy Cameron Romo, who was then put on administrative leave, according to a department statement.
Investigators determined that Romo, 27, had allegedly committed criminal acts while he was on duty at the Hesperia station.
On Monday, the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office filed charges against Romo, alleging extortion and soliciting a bribe, according to the statement.
He was arrested about 8 a.m. Tuesday and booked into the Central Detention Center in lieu of $90,000 bail.
Federal prosecutors have charged a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy with smuggling heroin into a jail where he was assigned to investigate gang crimes.
The district attorney’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Romo joined the Sheriff’s Department as a deputy in September 2020 and has worked at the Hesperia station since August 2021, officials said.
Anyone with more information about this case is asked to contact Det. Antonio Alcala at (909) 890-4904.
“This is unfortunate that a Deputy Sheriff would engage in this type of behavior,” San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Shannon Dicus said in a statement. “I am proud of all the investigators involved in bringing this case to the district attorney’s office so he can be held accountable.”
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