Former Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Gilbert Michel will be sentenced next week.
Michel, if you remember, was caught in an FBI sting inside Men’s Central Jail in 2011.
At the time, the FBI was investigating multiple reports of what sounded like credible accounts of inmates being brutalized by deputies, or observing others being brutalized, to the point that “there appeared to be a pattern,” as Assistant U.S. Attorney Liz Rhodes explained during one of the government’s criminal cases against former sheriff’s department members.
But such allegations are tough to prove. “Inmates could be discredited,” Rhodes pointed out. “And the jails were controlled by the very people the FBI wanted to investigate.”
So the feds launched a number of quiet strategies, one of which was an undercover sting involving inmate/informant Anthony Brown, who said that he knew deputies who would bring in contraband in return for money.
And so it was that deputy Gilbert Michel was paid by a supposed Brown confederate, but in fact an undercover FBI agent, to bring a cell phone to Brown inside Men’s Central Jail, in return for a cash bribe. For additional money, Michele continued to charge Brown’s new cellphone.
A week or so later, the cell phone was discovered by a deputy in a routine search, Brown was found to be a federal informant, all hell broke loose, and the feds pounced on Michele who eventually made a plea deal with the government in return for his cooperation.
Now it remains for him to be sentenced.
The question is, will he get more or less time than the 0 to 6 months that has been offered to former LA County Sheriff Lee Baca in return for his plea deal.
The prosecution has asked for four months of home confinement citing a great many factors including his cooperation, his important and affecting testimony “against more senior deputies, sergeants,
lieutenants, and ultimately the Under-sheriff of his former department. The government believes that his testimony was important to securing those convictions.”
Baca, just to remind you, is due to be sentenced on July 11. Paul Tanaka is due to be sentenced on June 27.
FORMER LA COUNTY SHERIFF BACA SAYS “NOT AFRAID OF JAIL,” STANDS ON RECORD “PROUDLY”
And on the topic of Baca’s sentencing…..
“I’m not afraid of jail. I’m not afraid of anything.”
(By the way, we think Baca meant “prison,” not “jail,” a distinction one would think he’d have mastered by now. But, no matter.)
That’s what former LA County Sheriff Lee Baca told the Jewish Journal’s Ryan Torok in an interview published last week, which took place after the former sheriff was honored at a celebratory breakfast by Congregation Bais Naftoli for “his years of friendship to the Jewish community.”
Some of the notable quotes from Baca’s post-breakfast interview with Torok are as follows:
“I’m one that believes if you know how to suffer properly, you don’t suffer at all. I’m an individual who does not suffer because of mistakes. I’m someone who learns from mistakes. … I’ll stand on my record proudly, anywhere, whether it’s in the free world or in jail.”
“I’m not asking for forgiveness for the mistakes that I’ve made. I’ll let God decide to forgive me. I can serve time, I don’t care what the circumstances are, I’m not afraid of that, because I know who I am, I know why I do what I do and I know the people who work for me know that I love them…And I love my critics, as well.”
Torok also writes that, regarding the multiple former department members who have been convicted on charges related to abusing jail inmates or jail visitors, Baca said “that jailing deputies will not solve the problem of inmate abuse.”
Alrighty then. Good to know.
THE LASD AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE WERE INVESTIGATING BACA AND BISHOP TURNER—AND FOUND NOTHING TO SEE
Last week there was one more Lee Baca-related story that you should not miss.
This intriguing story, by ABC7’s investigative producer Lisa Bartley, revealed that both the LA County Sheriff’s Department and the LA District attorney’s office were investigating Baca and his former paid buddy, Bishop Edward Turner..
Turner, to remind you, was one of the former sheriff’s four “civilian field deputies,” and had a county-paid salary of $114,584 a year, a county-paid car, and a deputy sheriff assigned to him as his part-time aide, and other perks. In return for the taxpayer-supplied salary and goodies, Turner was tasked with a list of slightly fuzzy responsibilities, prominently including “constituent outreach” (which sounds a lot like year-round campaigning, but no matter), and facilitating some drug prevention programs.
In 2013, Bartley and ABC7 reported on various extravagantly questionable activities engaged in—or allegedly engaged in—by Turner while he was on the LASD payroll.
The ABC7 investigations evidently triggered investigations by the sheriff’s department, and subsequently the DA’s office, into possible criminal wrongdoing by Baca and Bishop Turner. Then, a few weeks ago, writes Bartley, the DA’s office concluded there was nothing shady going on after all—a conclusion that seems to bring up as many questions as it attempts to put to bed.
The District Attorney’s office “Charge Evaluation Worksheet,” released last month and obtained by producer Bartley, makes for fascinating reading. (You can find it here.)
But to better appreciate the DA’s report, it will help to have a refresher on ABC7’s 2013 investigations, which looked at the activities of Baca’s field deputies in general, and turned up a bunch of curious facts about Turner in particular:
1. For example, ABC7 reporters learned that Turner was the landlord for property across the street from his South LA Church, the Power of Love Christian Fellowship, and it turned out that one of Turner’s tenants on the property was a marijuana dispensary, at a time when Baca had been vocally against medical marijuana dispensaries.
When asked about the dispensary—which is illegal in that it is not one of the 134 dispensaries then sanctioned by LA’s Measure D—-Turner claimed he didn’t really know anything about the operation, or its illegality. However, when ABC7 talked to the dispensary’s owner, the man said he walked the rent check across the street to Turner’s church every month.
2. In addition to his church, Turner was running a nonprofit organization called H.O.P.E. for Life. ABC7 tried to look into the organization’s financials, which, due to its tax exempt status, should have been publically accessible. They found that H.O.P.E. for Life had its nonprofit status revoked in 2009 for its failure to file the proper yearly disclosures with the IRS.
This information was problematic for the LASD because Baca had repeatedly raised money for H.O.P.E for Life with the department’s yearly “Multi-faith Prayer Breakfast,” an event that many upper-level department supervisors were reportedly strongly urged to attend. Yet, ABC’s report found that was not at all clear where the money for the LASD-sponsored event(s) eventually wound up—all of which suggested fraud.
3. Then, weirdest of all, Bartly and ABC7 obtained a highly suggestive sheriff’s department incident report, circa 2005 involving a mysterious package addressed to Turner’s church containing large amounts of cash.
Here’s what reporter Marc Brown reported in 2013:
We also had questions about a 2005 sheriff’s department “incident report.” A package that was addressed to Turner’s Power of Love church was intercepted by a sheriff’s department narcotics team. The package contained $84,020 in cash.
Detectives wrote in their report that based on their expertise, that the cash was the “direct proceeds from the sale of controlled substances, or illegal narcotics.”
“I was totally appalled and upset about that situation,” said Turner.
According to the report, Turner called a detective and said he wasn’t expecting a parcel and didn’t know anyone in New York who would send him a box of money.
In 2013, WitnessLA spoke to then-Baca spokesperson, Steve Whitmore, who told us that the sheriff was “taken aback” by news of the marijuana dispensary.
Whitmore also said that Baca moved quickly to cancel all future donations to Turner’s non-nonprofit.
About the box of cash, Whitmore said that the matter had been “fully investigated” by the department, and that, despite the fact that the package was addressed to Turner’s church, “they couldn’t connect the package to Bishop Turner.”
“But we’re still going to look into all that again in our investigation.”
And while, indeed, there were two investigations into Turner and the drug money-–one in 2005, and one after the ABC7 reports—the handling of said investigations have raised some concerns.
Most troublingly, a number of present and former LASD officials—including former undersheriff Paul Tanaka—have suggested, or outright stated, that Lee Baca spiked the 2005 investigation into Bishop Turner and the mystery drug money.
Yet when the department—and subsequently the DA’s office—decided to look into whether or not the the former sheriff had actually shut down a criminal investigation into his pal Bishop Turner’s activities, according to Bartley, at least two of the most crucial LASD players in that alleged drama declined to talk to ICIB, the LASD’s internal criminal investigative arm, or anyone else, about the 2005 Turner investigation, and why it was closed.
Yet, instead of pushing further with those important potential witnesses, the DA’s report repeatedly floated a rumor that then candidate for sheriff, Robert Olmsted, started the rumor about the spiked 2005 investigation to discredit Baca whom he was challenging politically.
However since, thus far, there are multiple instances in which Mr. Tanaka and/or Mr. Baca have been accused of triggering retaliatory IA investigations against people with whom they disagree, and shutting down or minimizing investigations into the actions of people whom they favored, and exactly zero instances that we know of where Olmsted has been accused of retaliatory witch hunts, or the like, we found this tack on the part of the DA’s report to be….perplexing.
Anyway, read Bartley’s report, and then read the DA’s report, and let us know what you think.
Lee Baca photo by Saxon Brice
Well, if Baca is going around giving speeches doesn’t sound like his Alzheimer’s defense is going to work? 84K in cash and couldn’t find any wrongdoing? As far as retaliation cases all they had to do was go to fed court and ask why millions had been paid out for RETALIATION. I hate bring up Pat Gomez, but, I read the depos. EXECUTIVES perjured themselves!
In the mirror our Leroy sees the New Adam, but doesn’t seem to realize the image staring back is Narcissus. Judge Anderson, here lies a man who never encountered a non sequitur he didn’t embrace, a care free man who knows how to ‘suffer’ properly (and wants to prove it to you), a fearless man who rivets his brilliance and ‘noble thoughts’ on us like a poet’s conspicuous door knocker overcompensating for what God has failed to provide. My ol’ ‘pal’ Leroy ‘Incoherent’ Bacca has chosen to saddle-up his mule and is riden’ dirty to the bitter end.
LASD Executives have perjured themselves in MANY employee retaliation cases.
The fact that the “suspects” (Baca / Tanaka / etc) refuse to cooperate does not make them innocent. It just delays the inevitable.
Research all LASD “family” (employee) retaliation cases. Millions of tax payers dollars that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor’s have spent, so that their corrupt LASD executives could destroy the most ethical LASD employees for “sport”.
Who knew that telling the truth to a law enforcement, and public trust entity, would be a career and life-ending “violation”.
Here’s hoping that in the end, the truth will come out.
Santa’s helpers have discovered this recent conversation recorded by our Federal friends in the office of Sheriff McDonnell at the Hall of Justice involving the Sheriff and his top executives.
Sheriff McDonnell: Neal, you asked for this meeting, what’s it all about?
Undersheriff Tyler: Well Sheriff, I wanted us all to discuss our policy on bringing “comfort animals” in to the workplace.
McDonnell: Do we have a policy?
Tyler: No sir, but maybe we should discuss what our policy should be.
McDonnell: I would think that is something that the EPC could wrestle with and I can approve it. I can’t get involved in every…
Tyler: I agree sir, but this “issue” might be something we want to talk about above the Chief level because one of our Chiefs has had a complaint filed against him for bringing an animal to work and claims it is his “comfort cat.”
Assistant Sheriff LaBerge: Kelly?
Assistant Sheriff Harrington: Yeah?
LaBerge: Welcome to the LASD!
nervous laughter
McDonnell: Ok, let’s hear it.
Tyler: Well sir, Labor Relations got an anonymous call. I’ll let Richard take it from here – he’s the one who has the “Steamer” laying on his desk.
McDonnell: “Steamer”?
Tyler: Yes sir, following up on how Santa puts it, a “Hot Steaming Turd”.
McDonnell: Ok, Richard, let’s hear your “Steamer”.
Assistant Sheriff Barrantes: Well sir, I got a call from Labor Relations about this anonymous call regarding Warren Asmus bringing his Siamese cat to work and also bringing it to various staff meetings. It seems he allows the cat to have free roam around Court Services Headquarters and during meetings he allows the cat walks around the conference table and it often rubs up against various participants.
McDonnell: And someone is complaining?
Barrantes: Well, yes sir, the one call they got was from someone who is allergic to cats and was afraid to bring it up to Chief Asmus. The person also told LR that other people in the office are unhappy about having to put up with the cat but did not want to complain for the same reason.
McDonnell: Did you talk to Asmus?
Barrantes: Yes sir, he said it is his “comfort animal” and the cat allows him to “bleed off” some of the tension he faces every day.
Tyler: Tell him the rest, Richard.
Barrantes: Ah..well I also talked to some people over there and they tell me that he sits at his desk all day petting “Yoda” while conducting business and often praises the fact that “Yoda’s” two differently colored eyes perfectly match the decor in his office.
Assistant Sheriff Rogers: That reminds me of something that I heard a couple of years ago. Didn’t he have the carpet changed in his office just because it didn’t match his furniture?
Barrantes: Well, ah yeah he did when I moved out of that office.
Rogers: I heard the “old” carpet was perfectly good, but he didn’t like the color.
Assistant Sheriff Harrington: You’re saying he spent TAX PAYER’S MONEY to change the carpet in his office just because it didn’t MATCH his furniture?
Barrantes: Ah….yeah, I recall that he did.
Assistant Sheriff LaBerge: Again, welcome to the LASD!
nervous laugh
Tyler: No wonder we can’t stay on budget when we have people spending money on ridiculous stuff like that.
LaBerge: No problem Neal, he covered it with a dozen or so CARP shifts by his people!
laughter
Tyler: Back on point, this goes beyond someone being allergic to Warren’s cat. What if the next call Labor Relations gets is from someone who wants to bring THEIR comfort animal to work?
LaBerge: We’d have to figure out what bathroom they would have to use – male, female or “Gender Neutral”!
laughter
Rogers: That reminds me of something else I’d heard a few years ago.
LaBerge: Does this top Asums’ carpet?
Rogers: I think so and it kinda ties both subjects together. This one involves one newly promoted Commander by the name of Larry Waldie – he of the high standards of morals and virtues. It seems Commander Waldies first assignment was as the Commander at Pitchess Honor Rancho. He decided he need a puppy to roam his empire at the “Ranch” and, well, the puppy did what all puppies do – all over the office. Commander Waldie did not think it was in his new job description to clean up after the “farm animals” and informed his secretary that he felt it WAS indeed part or HER job description. It turns out the secretary had been up there for a number of years and had seen number of these freshly minted Commanders come and go. As I hear it she told Commander Waldie exactly what he could do with his puppy poo.
laughter
McDonnell: Some people NEVER learn and from what I’ve heard of Waldie, he never did.
Harrington: I’m new, but I’ve already heard a LOT about this Waldie guy.
LaBerge: Believe me, you’ve only heard the tip of the iceberg and the more sleazey, it more likely true. Remind me to tell you about his proclivity for massage parlors out in the San Gabriel Valley.
laughter
Harrington: I don’t know Baca either, do you think he has Alzheimer’s?
Barrantes: No, if anything he’s just off his meds, like during his first election.
Harrington: What happened then?
Barrantes: Well, he was running against the old – and I do mean old – Sheriff Block and had qualified for the November runoff. All of a sudden he gets second thoughts and tells the media he doesn’t know if he wants to run against Block in November.
Rogers: I remember that! Stonich, Waldie and all of Baca’s backers on the Department had a melt-down saying “How could he do this to US?” They were worried about their careers.
Barrantes: That’s right. Well, they didn’t know what to do and someone came up with the idea of taking him to Hawaii, flying in a shrink and filling him full of psychotropics. They were desperate but the problem was that they didn’t have any money – of course they wouldn’t spend any of their own! Up jumps Lt Paul Tanaka – a relatively small player in that circle at the time – who magically procures money from his “sources” in “Gardena”. So off they go to Hawaii, Baca gets the “help” he needed and comes back and won the election.
LaBerge: Thanks to Block taking a header in the bathtub and killing himself!
long silence
Harrington: I know, “Welcome to the LASD.”
laughter
Barrantes: Anyway, Stonich and his boys pretty much kept Baca on his meds for all these years and Tanaka became a key insider in the Baca camp. Maybe this time Baca has conveniently decided to fall off the meds just as he’s about to see Judge Anderson for sentencing.
LaBerge: Maybe he jacked himself up on pills for that Bais Naftoli affair.
Barrantes: Yeah, he let his huge ego overcome his “game plan” to dupe the judge. It may come back to bite him.
LaBerge: He’ll probably be “off” his meds at his sentencing.
Barrantes: Yeah, he’s using the “Cosby Defense”.
Rogers: What’s that?
Barrantes: Haven’t you seen news coverage of Bill Cosby’s arriving for court these day’s? He looks like a 200 year old Uncle Remus!
laughter
Barrantes: Baca’s going to make Cosby look look like he’s jacked up on Meth! He’ll be arriving in a wheelchair with drool running down the side of his chin, mumbling the words to “La Bamba”!
laughter
McDonnell: Nice graphic Richard! OK, let’s get back to this damned “Steamer”. Neal?
Tyler: Yes, sir. The question is: What do we do with the “comfort animal” at Court Services Headquarters? Richard, did Asmus seem set on continuing on bringing the cat to the office?
Barrantes: I didn’t press him, but I think so. I went over there to talk to him and he had that damn “Yoda” in his lap the whole time petting it. I think it’s like a security blanket or something.
LaBerge: A SECURITY BLANKET! Just let me say: William Tom Frank are we coming to?
nervous laughter
Rogers: We could kidnap it, skin it and then he could lay it on his precious “carpet” and call it his “Comfort Mat”!
laughter
McDonnell: Tom! Let’s get serious!
Rogers: Sorry sir! Iiiit’s Todd, sir.
McDonnell: Who?
Rogers: Never mind.
Tyler: I think Richard needs to address it directly with Asmus. Get rid of “Yoda”, it sets a bad example and just leads someone else wanting to bring their “comfort animal” to work.
LaBerge: Oh, I can hardly wait for one of my patrol people wanting to bring their rottweiler along with them in the radio car as THEIR “comfort animal.”
Tyler: Oh my, another civil suit waiting to happen!
Barrantes: Or one of my Metro Link Deps working a train with their “comfort” boa constrictor wrapped around their arm.
Harrington: Or one of my…
McDonnell: We get the message. This could get out of hand real quick. Richard, get a “boa constrictor” hold around Asmus’ neck and tell him that damned cat has got to go or it is going to end up as K9 chow. If he doesn’t get the message, tell him he won’t have an office to worry matching furniture.
long silence
McDonnell: Now, is there anything else?
LaBerge: Well, yes sir. I wanted to report on our activities in Anaheim last week at the Trump Rally.
McDonnell: Good! Maybe for once we can discuss God damned police work! Go ahead.
LaBerge: For the most part our people were held in reserve, but the security was well organized and they had plenty of troops on hand from a number of agencies. Mr Trump came out after the rally and thanked a number of our people for being there. That was very nice of him, usually these dignitaries just get in their lemos and drive off.
McDonnell: I guess he’s pretty good about that. He seems very appreciative of cops.
LaBerge: Yes sir, he had a peculiar question of our troops though.
McDonnell: What’s that?
LaBerge: Well sir, he saw Undersheriff Tyler standing over by the Command Post and asked our folks if they knew where he got his hair cut…………………..
Celeste: As you know IAB and ICIB have long been used as tool for retaliation against employees. An unbiased Internal Investigative Unit free of political interference is critical to any law enforcement agency. Sadly, that had not been the case for many years now. Previous Captains at both units that circumvented the process need to be identified and exposed. Qid pro quo is alive and well in the Department as evidenced by the promotions of previous IAB Captains to Commander and Chief positions. Keep up the good work!
Additionally, IAB/ICIB have historically been used to circumvent administrative and criminal investigations involving high ranking members of the Department. Being told who you can interview and what questions you may ask tends to hinder investigations. Bishop Turner is just one example.
The disturbing pattern here is the Jackie Lacey District Attoeney’s Office. She is an entrenched member of the Los Angeles County and California State ” Political Machine.” This machine picks winners and losers for all critical political offices. Lacey has “DA Rejected” all political based cases referred to her for prosecution. If the Tanaka case was sent to her with all the existing evidence, I guarantee you it would have been Rejected due to Insufficient Evidence. Baca got away with everything because of Lacey. The LASD cases sent to her office were Rejected. Why do you think the FBI and DOJ stepped in? Because the corruption, abuse and coverup was being facilitated by Jackie Lacey.
Now if the Los Angeles media desires to really be watch dogs, they need to step away from the dinner table of The Machine and follow the lead of Lisa Bartley as she appears to be the only mainstream journalist who has the stones to shine any light into the political corruption of Los Angeles County. EVERYTHING the darling “Progressive Sheriff Baca” and his evil son, Paul Tanaka, were doing was happening in the open. The Times and virtually every news organization around simply turned their head. Now the reports clearly show what we have known all about with those two, they are sewage. Both of them are about to be flushed. Don’t be surprised if the FBI hangs around Los Angeles for a while longer, the scent of widespread corruption is in the water and they smell it.
I will say it again –
The revelations of sudden onset Alzheimers disease,
the “Cool Hand Luke” i can carry the weight of ten men on the chain gang tough talk –
we are watching Lee Baca walking the tight rope trying to make it to the other side without falling into the crocodile pit.
As of 6:00a.m.EST this morning,
Ex-Sheriff Leroy D. Baca is now worth more dead than alive.
I’m curious about the identity and fate of the two individuals who were active members of the LASD and refused to be interviewed by ICIB. How is this possible? I wonder what would happen if I refused to be interviewed by ICIB or IAB?
@LATBG Are you really a department member, or are you a poser who throws acronyms around to feign department knowledge and affiliation? Maybe you’re just one who went through your career and don’t know that ICIB doesn’t compel suspect or witness personnel to submit to interviews. And comparing ICIB to IAB is apples to oranges.
Fuzz: I would imagine ICIB could compel the aforementioned individuals under Lybarger to be interviewed or face discipline for insubordination. They could also be subjected to discipline administratively for any violations of policy. I think LATBG’s point is the rules don’t always apply those in position of power and authority.
Actually, Lybarger is used by IAB to compel criminal suspects into providing administrative statements that can’t be used by ICIB and the DA.
But I do get the point of what you guys are getting at. I am a bit tired and distressed about our willingness to air our dirty laundry on a social justice warrior’s blog, which plays right into their liberal agenda and makes us less safe in the jails and on the streets. I don’t want to debate that conclusion, as every deputy reading this knows I’m right.
Fuzz. Must respectfully disagree. Without this ‘social justice warriors blog” both Baca and Tanaka would still be in power. The Internal mechanisms designed to prevent abuse of power within the organization do not work. Where you lie on the food chain determines the outcome. This blog gives a voice to those unjustly abused by the system and provides accountability to the Department. Just one social justice warrior’s opinion.
Bishop Turner drove a very nice blk crown victoria and expected VIP service at the Fleet garage. Also Check out Chester Chong and his brother Andrew registered as Reserve Dep’s out of the airport narco unit who drove very nice Code 3 equipped crown vic’s under Baca?Tanaka’s reign!
Tough Guy Lee Baca not afraid of his six months. Ask him about the Friday afternoon the day the Feds called and he was in his office with a pacifier for 3 hours while another department member calmed him down. Remember when asked if he was running again after his 1500 dollar a plate event that nobody showed up to?? He boldly stated, “I’m a fighter.” The following Tuesday the stepped down. Please Leroy, you may be able to fool a few people who still hold you in high esteem, but you’re not fooling anyone with a badge. Soft tank, K-9 red wristband, or maybe even the old tank at HOJJ (you guys know the one). Your choice Leroy.
Bishop “I have no idea who sent me this box of cash, what, there’s a marijuana dispensary in my property across the street from my church, please don’t step on my 1000 dollar ostrich shoes, and yes, it is an Armani suit, thank you for the County car and paycheck for nothing” Turner.”