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In a significant case of alleged police corruption in California, federal authorities recently charged 10 current and former Antioch and Pittsburg police officers with a broad range of offenses. The charges include civil rights violations, cheating on training classes, and falsifying official reports to cover up their actions.
The most severe and disturbing charges involve "injure, oppress, threaten and intimidate citizens of Antioch," and are filed against two current and one former officer from the Antioch Police Department. This development comes at a time when the department is already facing scrutiny due to a scandal involving racist text messages exchanged between officers and growing complaints of excessive force from residents.
FBI Special Agent In Charge Robert Tripp emphasized that no one is above the law and that any breach of public trust is absolutely unacceptable. The three Antioch officers, Morteza Amiri, Devon Wenger, and Eric Rombough, are accused of planning violence against specific individuals, collecting "trophies" related to their crimes, and reveling in the aftermath of certain alleged offenses according to the Mercury News. They are also charged with falsifying official reports to justify their violent actions and cover their tracks.
An NBC Bay Area report states that the FBI raid, which arrested officers, came after an 18-month investigation into an alleged criminal network. The arrests have been described as "the beginning of the end of a long and arduous process" by Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe, who has been advocating for police reform in the city.
The four separate federal indictments issued by a grand jury in San Francisco detail various schemes, with each officer being charged with different offenses. Among the charges are conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and obstruction related to an ongoing homicide and attempted murder investigation.
Additionally, Amiri, former Antioch Community Service Officer Samantha Peterson, and several former Pittsburg officers were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud for cheating during training courses. These courses were required for the officers to qualify for pay raises. The wire fraud charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years, as do the falsification of evidence charges, while the deprivation of rights charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.
In response to the charges, the Antioch Police Officers Association released a statement expressing their sadness and commitment to providing quality service to the citizens of Antioch, as well as supporting their members during this challenging period.
This scandal has not only led to the city allocating millions for attorneys to review thousands of criminal files for potential dismissal but also sparked civil rights lawsuits and civil rights investigations by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. In an attempt to hold the police department accountable, a civil rights lawyer has filed a federal class-action suit to force oversight on the department. As a result of the investigations, several high-ranking Antioch officers have retired, including Police Chief Steven Ford, and a new interim police chief is being sought.
Antioch Acting Police Chief Joe Vigil called the arrests "disheartening" and emphasized that any officer who breaks public trust must be held accountable. Longtime civil rights attorney John Burris, who filed a lawsuit against the city's police department earlier this year, called the indictments a "good first step towards cleaning up this department" and a validation of the concerns raised by residents over the years.
Below are the Indictments:
- 23-cr-00269 AMO 08162023 indictment (Amiri, Rombough, Wenger)
- 23-cr-00268 HSG 08162023 indictment (Harris and Wenger)
- 23-cr-00267 YGR 08162023 indictment (Manley)
- 23-cr-00264 JSW 08162023 indictment (Berhan, Amiri, Theodosy, Peterson, Mejia-Orozco, Rodriquez-Jalapa)
