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Five federal assistant district attorneys have been honored for the work they did in prosecuting police and others in what started as an investigation into set-up stings.
Those stings, which became known as “Dirty DUIs” targeted men in custody battles, using women as decoys to lure the men to bars, then inviting them to hot tubs. The men were arrested for DUIs when they left the bar. That opened the door to a series of arrests of law enforcers in Contra Costa County.
Hartley M.K. West, Philip J. Kearney, John H. Hemann, Susan E. Badger, and Stacey P. Geis, were among 57 attorneys around the state to receive the 18th annual California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year Award, in the category of criminal law.
“We are proud of the accomplishments of these Assistant United States Attorneys and congratulate them and all the other honorees for this well-deserved award,” said United States Attorney Melinda Haag.
The team brought “dozens of civil rights and corruption charges against the Central Contra Costa Narcotics Enforcement Team and four police officers which resulted in several convictions,” said Lili Arauzhaase, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Francisco.
That included the prosecutions of former CCCNET Commander Norman Wielsch and private investigator Christopher Butler for civil rights and narcotics conspiracies, narcotics distribution, extortion and robbery.
Former San Ramon Police Officer Louis Lombardi was prosecuted for stealing money and property during searches that he performed as a law enforcement officer.
Former Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriff Stephen Tanabe was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 months in federal prison for honest services fraud and extortion for arranging those “stings” against men involved in child custody disputes.
Former Richmond Police officers Danny Harris Jr. and Raymond Thomas Jr. on firearms and obstruction of justice charges in connection with running a private security business on the side.
“As a result of these prosecutions, these corrupt law enforcement officers sustained felony convictions, lost their jobs, and are serving sentences imposed by the Court,” Arauzhaase said.
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Thank you Prosecutors!
Also, thank you to Peter Crooks of Diablo Magazine who put his life on the line to discover, uncover, establish and break the story about these corruptions and criminal activities.
The only participants who have really escaped named exposure, liability and shame for their part of these extortionant bad schemes are the divorcing wives who allowed and utilized the false DUIs against their husbands in order to obtain greater child custody and larger divorce awards than they otherwise should have.
Who are those women!?! Why were they NEVER named in the news?
Wow this sounds exactly like what happened to me dead on
Met a gal went out on two dates
Met with her at a place she would only go to and convinced me to go to that establishment
After having 1.5 cocktails she became irate which through me way off.
Telling me I had to leave .
Within minutes of me leaving I was ironically pulled over the officer made me wait 30 min before I took breathe Alizer knowing fully I was on the rise . Being only 4 miles from home I would of been fine
Thus resulting in a DUI
All the while I was in full blown custody battle
I knew something was fishy and the drink and a half I had we’re extremely strong from the bar tender
Anyone know more about his ?
Interested in more info
Thanks
My email is jasonpsychoward@yahoo.com