Two men from Los Angeles have confessed to their involvement in a corruption scandal centered around the illicit sale of counterfeit law enforcement badges. Colin Gilbert, 80, fessed up to lying to federal agents, and Akiva Grunewald, 45, admitted to bribing a tribe chief's palm with 20 grand to get his badge, according to the Justice Department's report yesterday.

Gilbert and others recruited wealthy individuals to pay somewhere between $5,000 and $100K, sometimes disguised as donations, in exchange for membership in the Manzanita Tribal Police Department. The buyer's primary motivation for obtaining the badge was to carry a concealed firearm without a permit.

Meanwhile, Grunewald, who was under the influence of oxycodone and had a collection of firearms, got pinched while strung out and stashing guns in his car. 

Anthony Reyes Vazquez, 51, from Oxnard, had earlier confessed to stealing more than $300,000 while serving as the head of the Manzanita Tribal Police from 2012 to 2018. He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in San Diego to one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. 

Federal prosecutors in October 2021 secured a guilty plea from Anthony Reyes Vazquez, 51, of Oxnard, who admitted to stealing more than $300,000 while serving as the head of the Manzanita Tribal Police from 2012 to 2018. Vazquez sold counterfeit badges to customers who paid large sums of money to join the Manzanita Tribal Police Department and receive benefits like carrying concealed firearms, which are only granted to law enforcement personnel.

The FBI's offices in LA and San Diego, with assistance from the Culver City and Los Angeles Police Departments, untangled this web of deceit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Frances S. Lewis of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section handled the cases in court.