LOS ANGELES (AP) – The former second-in-command of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was convicted Wednesday in a corruption probe that brought down his boss and several underlings who tried to thwart a federal investigation into abuses in the nation’s largest jail.
Ex-Undersheriff Paul Tanaka could face up to 15 years in federal prison after being found guilty of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Tanaka, 57, helped orchestrate efforts to hide a jail inmate after deputies discovered he was an FBI informant, prosecutors said. Tanaka, who is also mayor of Gardena, played a key role in sending sergeants to intimidate an FBI agent in the case and threaten to have her arrested.
Corruption went all the way to the top of the nation’s largest sheriff’s department. Former Sheriff Lee Baca, who abruptly retired in 2014 after 18 deputies were indicted, pleaded guilty in February to lying to investigators. He faces up to six months in prison when sentenced next month.
The conviction of Tanaka after about two hours of deliberations marks the end of the wide-ranging probe that took agents and prosecutors years to complete, said U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker.