Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.
Posted by Alexander Nguyen
June 24, 2015
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department‘s former second-in-command plans to tell a jury that his boss ordered him to develop a way to thwart a federal probe into deputy misconduct at county jails, court papers obtained Tuesday show.
According to Paul Tanaka’s notice of a “public authority defense,” filed in Los Angeles federal court, the ex-undersheriff seeks to defend himself against obstruction of justice charges by arguing that he “acted on behalf of orders issued by Sheriff Leroy Baca, who was Mr. Tanaka’s ranking superior officer” when the alleged conspiracy took place.
Tanaka and ex-sheriff’s captain Tom Carey are scheduled to go on trial in November.
Both are charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, and each is named in one count of obstruction of justice. Carey is additionally charged with two counts of lying on the witness stand last year during the trials of co- conspirators. If convicted, the men face the possibility of multiple years in federal prison.
Tanaka — who is on a leave of absence as mayor of Gardena — and Carey, who oversaw an internal sheriff’s criminal investigations unit until he retired in March, have denied the charges contained in a five-count indictment returned May 13 by a federal grand jury.
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Tanaka is a liar.
Wow what a defense strategy. The same one the convicted deputies used.
I was just following orders. Tanaka must know he is going down so he has decided to take Baca with him.
Besides the evidence the Feds have they have ALL the testimony of the defendants and witnesses.
It will be difficult for Baca to escape indictment. Baca can’t claim he didn’t know the tapes the LA Times published with Baca talking to the Fe
Another one bites the dust.
Actually, Baca will walk. He will threaten to reveal information on the correspondence with Hillary and the Benghazi mess where Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was arrested and charged with causing the unrest leading up to the attack at the US compound. They will cite National Security reasons and Baca will walk. Hillary is now protected at all costs. Paul you are going down the river with no paddles or oars in your little boat.
Baca talking to the Feds before the investigation got to far, Tanaka’s prior public statements and testimony Baca is going down.
Seems like a ton of ROOKIE mistakes in all this.
It proves what others say about those who climbed the ladder with little actual experience. Arrogance took over their common sense if they ever had any.
NO HONOR among these guys now that their cornered.
I AM LMBO at the Internal Affairs Captain.
Don’t take any bets certain folks around here are smarter. They have already been spanked by rank and file employees.