FBI, LA Sheriff's Office Investigate Each Other; Did Feds Help Inmate Smuggle Cellphone Into Jail?
Investigating claims of abuse at the Los Angeles County jail, the feds were concerned that an informant was about to talk with them on a monitored pay telephone.
So they helped arrange to get him a smuggled contraband cellphone—and then tried to “flip” the county sheriff’s deputy who allegedly accepted $1,500 to bring it to their man. Then they visited the deputy at home to try to persuade him to be a FBI informant, too, reports the Los Angeles Times. Instead, he apparently resigned.
Aggravated, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca pointed out that the feds were at least arguably breaking the law themselves by smuggling a cell phone into the jail and complained to the U.S. Attorney. His deputies went to the lead FBI agent’s home to question her about what Baca calls “a crime,” although he admits he isn’t likely to prosecute, the newspaper reports.
“My goal is the truth,” Baca said at a recent news conference.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Facebook to Help Calif. Prisons Control Inmates’ Use of Contraband Cellphones By Closing Accounts”
