PAUL TANAKA IS SUBJECT OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION, SAYS PROSECUTOR
On Monday in federal courtroom fifteen, it was a few minutes past 8 am, and Paul Tanaka had just taken the stand to finish up his testimony.
The former undersheriff had been subpoenaed as a witness for the defense in the trial of Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputy James Sexton, one of seven department members indicted for obstruction of justice for allegedly hiding federal informant Anthony Brown from his FBI handlers.
On Friday Tanaka was questioned by Sexton’s attorney, former U.S. Attorney, Thomas O’Brien.
Now it was time for cross examination, with Brandon Fox questioning Tanaka for the prosecution.
Fox’s first question was nothing that anyone expected.
“Mr. Tanaka, you are aware that you are the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation?”
Yes, Tanaka answered.
“And with your experience in law enforcement you’re probably aware that some cases are made from the bottom up.”
The defense objected before Tanaka got a chance to answer so the question was ordered stricken. Still everyone in the room had heard the words.
When the first group of 18 sheriff’s department members were indicted in December 2013, seven of them for the Brown issue, U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte gave the very strong impression that the obstruction charges would go higher up the food chain.
But then no new indictees ever materialized in the Brown matter. In the last few months, word began filtering around that no one else was going to be charged.
So when Assistant U.S. Attorney Fox asked those two questions, many of those in the audience took this to mean that the obstruction of justice probe was ongoing and the feds were looking seriously at Tanaka.
The view that the FBI and company were still actively probing was strengthened later in the morning when another higher up in the department, Captain Tom Carey, who had also been called as a witness, admitted that he was also the subject of an investigation for his part in the alleged hiding of Brown.
One wondered what the jury made of the two high level department members (although Tanaka is retired) who admitted to directing much of the Brown operation, but who are not indicted. While deputy Sexton, who was 26 years old in 2011 when Brown first got on the department radar, is sitting among his battery of lawyers, potentially facing time in a federal prison.
There was a lot more to this full day in court.
We’ll have a longer story tomorrow.
In the meantime, colleagues at the LA Times, KPCC and ABC-7 have stories that fill in the gaps.
Here’s a smart story by LA Times Cindy Chang and Victory Kim on the day in court’s biggest news.
Here at ABC-7, Miriam Hernandez interprets Monday’s testimony with Lisa Bartley producing.
And finally, Rina Palta’s take on the trial as it wraps up for KPCC FM.
It’s all good stuff, so be sure to read….watch….listen.
Closing arguments will take place Tuesday morning.
Then we wait for the jury verdict.
The trial of the other six Anthony Brown defendants begins on Wednesday.
Why isn’t Lee Baca being called in to answer or explain his involvement in this. He is/was the man in charge of LASD wasn’t he? Instead is allowed to retire with all his benefits and never have to answer to what he approved/ordered.
“Everyone” under the rank of sheriff gets fed to the FBI and he jogs off into the sunset?
Tanaka is finished! I predict he drops out within 2 weeks, due to the heat coming his way. His testimony will hang him, and the Feds are zeroing in!
What a telling picture. Methinks the man has lost some swagger. Not a good look. Strained and stressed — that creepy, furtive oh-s&*t-expression not even Botox can fix. Not a personal attack, just an observation.
Paul, and you think people should vote for you?
Has anyone else noticed tanaka supporters jumping ship and swimming to helmold’s ship and clinging on? Funny.
If anyone has a update of the Sexton trial please report. Thanks
Classic stupidity. Sounds like the Jon & Ken interview all over…
“You didn’t want your name on this policy, did you?” Fox asked.
“Uh… that’s what it looks like,” Tanaka said.
Classic!
Why would anybody jump ship and swim to Hellmold’s ship, to cling on. Hellmold was brought up on the Baca/Tanaka Team. You see what you get on Tanaka’s Team, and you want to join another team just like it. Sorry Folks if you want change, and you want Leadership, Bob Olmsted is the only one who continues to show that he is not in this for self interest.
Here’s an update on today’s goings on at the federal courthouse, and Rogers/McDonnell/Olmsted on Tanaka’s still being in the campaign… http://abc7.com/news/closing-arguments-in-deputy-corruption-trial/70485/
Who was working to hold the Sheriff responsible for his acts of commission and omission linked with deputy brutality in the jail?
That would be former jail inmates who undertook civil lawsuits for pain and physical damage inflicted by their jailkeepers.
Plaintiff attorneys chose a most difficult path – getting the courts to allow Lee Baca, a private individual to be held responsible for the actions of Lee Baca, holder of the elected Office of Sheriff of L.A. County.
They could have taken the normal route – simply sued the County(i.e. the taxpayers). Going after Baca himself entailed adding enormous legal challenges and years of time until the plaintiff would see his day in court.
The plaintiffs inclusion of Baca, the private individual, as a named defendant was challenged at every step along the way – up to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, who refused to open their door to Lee Baca. The Supremes refused to hear a challenge to the District Appeals court ruling that prevented Baca from being dismissed as a defendant.
The civil trial was held last year and the plaintiff prevailed – winning damages against L.A. County and Mr. Lee Baca, the private individual who held Office as L.A. County Sheriff.
However, at their next meeting, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors decided to tell the victim of deputy abuse that all their extra time and legal effort was for nothing.
The Supervisors simply reached in their bottomless wallet of taxpayer revenue and voted that we(the taxpayer) would write the $100,000 check which Lee Baca owed the plaintiff.
A few questions for anyone who knows:
1. can the BOS actually make us(the taxpayer) cover Lee Baca’s court bill? Does the court accept that?
2. When that $100,000 check clears – isn’t that equivalent to income paid by the County to Lee Baca, with all necessary taxes and assessments due and having the effect of raising the calculation of Baca’s retirement pension?
3. Does the Department of Justice have any interest to find out what, if any, negotiations took place off the record between Sheriff Lee Baca and members of the BOS?
4. and if those off the record negotiations resulted in a quid pro quo that has the BOS using taxpayer funds to cover any court damage rewards against Lee Baca in exchange for his resignation as Sheriff in accordance with a timetable suited to the needs of LBPD Chief McDonnell’s campaign managers?
#6…Propfet Mo’ Teff: Maybe the $100,000.00 former ALADS President took a few months was paid to Lee Baca. I sure hope not….but then again money is always being moved around from one bank account to the next.
I meant #9 re: Prophet Mo’ Teff. Sorry about earlier typo.
$100,000.00 is chump change to Alads, ask Floyd.
The individuals that funnel money thru Alads look at 100 G’s and laugh. Spending money that is not theirs is always funny.
#7 On The Patch: I don’t understand how you can say that Bob Olmsted is the only candidate showing integrity when he’s paling around with Gary Nalbandian, a long-time and frequently reported on Baca crony reserve who Sheriff Scott fired a few weeks ago for his corruption. Gary is literally shadowing him at his events. It’s unethical and hypocritical and ridiculous. And he’s doing it for the money. So enough with the Olmsted Sainthood business. We all owe Bob a debt of gratitude for blowing the whistle when he did because the purge we’ve seen, and continue to see, resulted from it. But as a candidate he has exhibited some pretty poor judgment. My vote is for McDonnell (and money isn’t, since he isn’t taking deputy donations–unlike Bob).
… IS THERE ANTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN… ARE WE A NATION OF MEN… A MEER MOB OF LAW-LESS FLESHLY… REVERBERATING THE WANTEN CRIES OF THE BARBARIAN LIKE … WE ONCE LAY CLAIM TO CIVILIZE… EDUCATE… EVEN JUDICATE… AND PERHAPS MAKE RIGHT… ….
WHAT COMES NEXT. ..SAD SAD SAD… I’M MOT CASTING STONES… I’M PLACING THEM ON THE MARKERS OF THEAMY GREAT AND VALLIANT. .NOBLE..HONEST. ..PERHAPS HUMBLE… MEN THAT ONCE MADE US ALL PROUD TO BELIEVE. .. AND STAND FOR SOMTHING…GOD HELP US ALL…
#13, shall we take a good look at billionaire Rick Caruso and his fundraising efforts on behalf of McDonnell? If you don’t like Nalbandian, Caruso and Kavanaugh (Hellmold’s billionaire) leave him in the dust. Oh yes, McDonnell is taking money from all the county and city special interests that are eager to get a slice of that $2.8 billion dollar budget, plus the $2 billion dollar jail construction bid.
Nalbandian, for whatever his sins may be in your eyes, remains a US citizen, LA resident, and vocal member of the Armenian community. He represents no threat to the integrity of the sheriff’s office and maybe you can explain to all of us how he gets money from a job that pays $1 a year. Caruso and Kavanaugh, on the other hand, will snap their fingers and make their candidates do back flips for them – money talks.
I’m starting to see a clear distinction between Olmsted and the other candidates. He represents a clean sweep of the department’s management, and that scares the living bejesus out of sitting captains, commanders, chiefs, and above. Their best chances of retaining their ill-gotten rank is with the other candidates, who will keep many of the cancerous elements of the Baca administration.
I hope the voters of Los Angeles County see that Tanaka is a bad choice for Sheriff along with every other candidate that is currently running for Sheriff…They are all part of this good old boy network that has infected our department…..Sheriff Mcdonald would be an outsider that the people of Los Angeles County could rely on to objectively clean up what was damaged by the other candidates.
LATBG: That’s ridiculous. Gary Nalbandian has been reported about in the Times and elsewhere for a decade for being a corrupt crony. Issuing fake IDs, bringing in dirty money, using the reserve program as a social society, etc, etc. And it’s not necessarily that he gives his own money; he’s a bundler of other shady rich guys’ money. Rick Caruso built some of the region’s most popular shopping malls and served with distinction as an LA Police Commissioner. Ryan Kavanaugh makes popular movies. There’s absolutely no comparison. Your argument sinks itself: if Olmsted is paling around with cronies the department just FIRED, it is mathematically impossible to claim he’s sweeping anything clean. We owe him a debt of thanks, yes. We don’t owe him, nor has he demonstrated the judgment to be, sheriff. Yes, there is money in politics. And yes, who you take money from matters. But who you spend your time with and are advised by matters more. I’ve been to a number of events and seen Gary and his shady pals right by Olmsted’s side. It speaks volumes.
I think your histrionics speak volumes. Nalbanian does EXACTLY the same thing as the billionaire boys club does, and he has been investigated ad nauseum only to find out he did nothing illegal. If you have evidence to the contrary, please share us the SH-AD 49, DA filing, conviction, anything of substance. Rumor doesn’t cut it.
Maybe you can explain how a reserve issues IDs, when that pertained to Personnel Administration? Maybe you can explain the dirty money Tanaka and Baca have been collecting all these years, extorting it from their own subordinates? Maybe you can explain the role Hellmold played in giving fake training credits to the special 99 reserves who did not earn their badges?
You can get more daring and try to explain the role Rogers played in covering up the sergeants test cheating scandal? Or perhaps we shall do the math on Hellmold’s claim he spent half his career on early morning shift?
I know Bob, as do many people who served the LASD with integrity, and he stands head and shoulders above the crowd.