National

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputies Found Guilty in Jail Beating

Published

9 years ago

June 25, 2015

This undated evidence photo provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office shows a mug shot of Gabriel Carrillo taken by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and a sergeant were found guilty Wednesday, June 25, 2015, in the backroom beating of Carrillo, a jail visitor who fellow guards testified already was handcuffed on the ground and covered in blood. (U.S. Attorney’s Office via AP)

AMANDA LEE MYERS, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were convicted Wednesday in federal court in the beating of a bloody, handcuffed jail visitor and an attempt to cover it up.

Sgt. Eric Gonzalez and deputies Sussie Ayala and Fernando Luviano were found guilty of deprivation of civil rights and falsification of records in the 2011 beating of Gabriel Carrillo. Gonzalez and Ayala were also convicted of conspiracy to violate constitutional rights.

The three face at least six years in prison when sentenced Nov. 2.

“An individual who carries a badge and a gun and who uses their authority and power to violate people’s constitutional rights — as was the case here — is one of the worst kinds of criminals and should be brought to justice,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Lizabeth Rhodes, one of the three prosecutors on the case.

The convictions were the latest in a federal investigation of civil rights abuses and corruption at the nation’s largest sheriff’s department.

Nearly two-dozen members of the department, including the former second-in-command, have been charged with crimes ranging from beatings to obstruction of justice.

As a court clerk read the verdicts Wednesday, Gonzalez put his head in his hands.

Defense attorneys said they will appeal the verdicts. “I believe very much in my client’s innocence,” said Patrick Smith, who represents Ayala.

The deputies had said Carrillo had only one cuff on and they had to use force to control him when he became combative.

Jury foreman Tony Tran said he was convinced the trio was guilty after seeing photos that showed bruises and indentations on Carrillo’s hands, proving he had been handcuffed during the beating.

“It was very apparent to all of us that they were guilty,” said Tran, 35.

Tran said he was also swayed by two other jail guards who turned on their colleagues.

Deputies Noel Womack and Pantamitr Zunggeemoge reached plea agreements with prosecutors just before trial and testified that Carrillo was handcuffed the entire beating. They said everyone agreed to tell the same lie about what happened.

Joseph Avrahamy, Gonzalez’s attorney, said their testimony was a tremendous blow to the defense. He added that Womack and Zunggeemoge only pleaded guilty and agreed to testify to get lighter sentences for themselves.

In his plea agreement, Womack described a culture of excessive force and cover-ups at the visitation center of the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles.

Womack said Carrillo, who had been at the jail to visit his brother, was not only handcuffed but also face down on the ground and bleeding during the beating. Carrillo had been detained on suspicion of sneaking in a prohibited cellphone.

Womack acknowledged unnecessarily punching Carrillo five times in the leg after hearing another deputy yell, “Stop spitting.”

“The punches were retaliation and intended to inflict pain, and were made because defendant Womack thought he could get away with such action,” according to Womack’s plea agreement.

When writing his report justifying the use of force, Womack knew he would have to lie and say Carrillo wasn’t handcuffed, according to the statement.

The statement blames much of the beating on Gonzalez, saying he directed deputies to “snatch up” and arrest anyone who looked suspicious. Prosecutors said Gonzalez urged deputies to use force on visitors who showed disrespect.

Gonzalez “encouraged and tolerated abuses of the law,” including unreasonable searches and seizures, unlawful arrests, unjustified force and falsified reports, according to the indictment.

Avrahamy said when Gonzalez took charge of the visitation center at the jail in March 2010, “the place was a mess,” with convicted felons and gang members being allowed to visit inmates against policy.

Gonzalez was cleaning things up by arresting prohibited visitors, Avrahamy said.

With the verdicts, 14 members of the department have been convicted of various charges, prosecutors said. Three deputies, all brothers, were acquitted of mortgage fraud.

___

Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAP

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Oakland Post: Week of October 30 – November 5, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of October 30 – November 5, 2024

Published

21 hours ago

November 1, 2024

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New Filing: Trump’s Attempts to Overturn 2020 Election Were Part of Private Scheme, Not Official Acts

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The filing reveals the extent of Trump’s interactions with figures such as attorney Rudy Giuliani and other senior officials, some of whose names were withheld. Trump persisted with a plan to undercut Joe Biden’s victory despite numerous warnings from people in his circle that his claims of a stolen election were untrue.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Jack Smith during a statement regarding the indictment of Donald J. Trump. (Wikimedia Commons)

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Special Counsel Jack Smith has delivered a powerful legal blow to former President Donald Trump, unveiling new evidence that the twice-impeached Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results were part of a private scheme rather than actions taken in his official capacity as president.

In a 165-page legal brief unsealed Wednesday, Smith provided new details about Trump’s behind-the-scenes maneuvers to subvert the election, including pressure campaigns targeting key officials, attempts to create false electors, and private discussions with his vice president, Mike Pence.

The filing reveals the extent of Trump’s interactions with figures such as attorney Rudy Giuliani and other senior officials, some of whose names were withheld. Trump persisted with a plan to undercut Joe Biden’s victory despite numerous warnings from people in his circle that his claims of a stolen election were untrue.

Smith’s brief is part of a broader strategy to prove that Trump can face trial for his actions, even after a Supreme Court ruling granted him immunity for official acts as president. The special counsel argues that Trump’s efforts to enlist Pence in blocking Congress’s certification of the election results were part of a private, illegal campaign to retain power, not part of his official duties.

“At its core, the defendant’s scheme was a private criminal effort,” Smith wrote in the filing. “In his capacity as a candidate, he used deceit to target every stage of the electoral process.”

The document provides new evidence of Trump’s attempts to sway election officials in critical swing states to alter the results in his favor. The brief quotes a lawyer advising Trump, who gave an “honest assessment” that his claims of widespread fraud would not withstand scrutiny in court. Yet, Trump dismissed the warning. “The details don’t matter,” Trump said, according to the filing.

Further, the brief recounts private conversations between Trump and Pence, in which Pence urged Trump to accept defeat and consider another run in 2024. Trump, however, expressed reluctance, saying, “2024 is so far off.”

Smith’s filing depicts Trump’s actions as part of a desperate and illegal campaign to remain in power after losing the 2020 election. The brief also points to Trump’s reliance on Giuliani and other private allies in his election subversion attempts, asserting that none of these efforts fell under the scope of presidential duties.

“The defendant asserts that he is immune from prosecution for his criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election because, he claims, it entailed official conduct,” the filing reads. “Not so. Although the defendant was the incumbent president during the charged conspiracies, his scheme was fundamentally a private one.”

A sealed appendix to the legal brief contains FBI interviews, search warrant affidavits, and grand jury testimony that might soon become public. Smith’s filing builds on the indictment released last year, expanding the evidence and reinforcing the argument that Trump’s conduct was criminal and not shielded by presidential immunity.

Smith concluded the brief with an explicit request to the court: “The government respectfully submits that the defendant’s conduct described in this motion is not subject to presidential immunity and that he should face trial for his private acts of subversion.”

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Special Interview: Rep. Barbara Lee Discusses Kamala Harris’ Plan for Black Men

On Oct. 16, California Black Media (CBM) spoke with Harris-Walz campaign surrogate, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), who shared more insights on Harris’ agenda and the importance of securing the Black Male vote. “She has said very clearly that she wants to earn the vote of everyone. And that means earning the vote of Black men,” said Lee of Harris. “She understands the systemic and historic challenges that Black men have. You haven’ t heard of a presidential candidate coming up with a concrete actual plan and policy agenda.” The agenda includes five focus areas based on insights she gleaned from hosting discussions with Black men during her Economic Opportunity Tour.

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

(File Photo) U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-13-Oakland) chides Justices on the Supreme Court of the United States for voting to strike down Affirmative Action. She is shown here speaking in front of the California Reparations Task Force in Oakland on May 6, 2023. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey. By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

Last week, the Kamala Harris campaign released its Opportunity Agenda for Black Men.

“She has said very clearly that she wants to earn the vote of everyone. And that means earning the vote of Black men,” said Lee of Harris. “She understands the systemic and historic challenges that Black men have. You haven’ t heard of a presidential candidate coming up with a concrete actual plan and policy agenda.”

The agenda includes five focus areas based on insights she gleaned from hosting discussions with Black men during her Economic Opportunity Tour:

Provide 1 million loans that are fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others disadvantaged groups to start businesses.
Champion education, training, and mentorship programs that help Black men get good-paying jobs in high-demand industries It will also develop more accessible pathways for Black men to become teachers.
Support a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and other digital assets so Black men who invest in and own these assets are protected.
Launch a National Health Equity Initiative focused on Black men that addresses sickle cell disease, diabetes, mental health, prostate cancer, and other health challenges that disproportionately impact them.
Legalize recreational marijuana and creating opportunities for Black Americans to succeed in this new industry.

“[Vice President Harris] knows that Black men have long felt that too often their voice in our political process has gone unheard and that there is so much untapped ambition and leadership within the Black male community,” the language in the agenda states. “Black men and boys deserve a president who will provide the opportunity to unleash this talent and potential by removing historic barriers to wealth creation, education, employment, earnings, health, and improving the criminal justice system.”

Diving into Harris’ agenda, Lee says, reminded her of her own record of supporting Black men over the years as an elected official. In the 90’s, she established the first California Commission on African American Males through which she pressured the state to address urgent economic, health and social challenges specific to Black men.

“No group of people are a monolithic group of people,” said Lee She’ s not taking any vote for granted. I’ve known her over three decades and I believe she is being herself. She’ s authentic,” Lee added.

Each of the 5 key points addressed in the Harris Campaign’s agenda, Lee says, has additional clauses that can potentially help Black men and their families thrive. This includes lowering rent; up to $25,000 in downpayment help for first time homebuyers; and cutting taxes for Black men in lower-wage jobs by increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit maximum to $1,500.

“I think the messages is one of empowerment for Black men — regardless of whether they’ re a blue-collar worker, if they’ re not working, if they’ re in business, if they’ re an entrepreneur, whatever background or whatever they’re doing or experiencing life. I think the authenticity of their experience can only be articulated through them,” said Lee.