Federal authorities have charged 10 current and former police officers from Antioch and Pittsburg, California, in a series of indictments encompassing a wide range of offenses, including police corruption and civil rights violations. This comes after an 18-month investigation into an alleged criminal network composed of law enforcement officers.
Reports have called this one of California's biggest criminal cases of police corruption.
Charges involved alleged misconduct, ranging from cheating in training classes to severe violations of citizens' civil rights. The most serious charges are related to civil rights violations, accusing officers of injuring, oppressing, threatening, and intimidating Antioch residents.
The charges include accusations against Antioch officers Morteza Amiri, Devon Wenger, and Eric Rombough of plotting violence, collecting "trophies" of their crimes, and falsifying official reports to cover up their actions. Prosecutors claim that Amiri's dog bit 28 people, and Black residents made up 19 of the victims or 68 percent.
Specific incidents involving the deployment of force, such as the use of police dogs and "less lethal" launchers, have been outlined. The officers allegedly exchanged messages encouraging violent behavior and shared photos of injuries they inflicted.
The indictments also include charges of possessing and distributing anabolic steroids, obstruction of investigations, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for cheating on training courses. All accused officers have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case has brought attention to alleged systemic issues within the Antioch Police Department, including accusations of racism and excessive use of force.
"Any breach of the public's trust is absolutely unacceptable," said FBI Special Agent In Charge Robert Tripp. "The actions today make clear that nobody's above the law."
We'll be following this Mercury News story and additional developments here.
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