Nine current and former police officers in the East Bay face federal charges after a raid Thursday by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
The FBI’s roundup of officers from the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments come after an 18-month investigation into an alleged criminal network.
At least seven defendants appeared in court last Thursday for their arraignments. The charges are wide ranging, including conspiring to distribute narcotics, altering and falsifying records of a federal investigation, wire fraud where officers allegedly defrauded money from the police department, civil rights violations and obstruction of justice.
The sweeping investigation began in early 2022 as a narrow probe into officers who allegedly cheated on college tests to obtain salary raises. FBI agents dug into the cheating scandal and opened a “Pandora’s Box” of unethical and criminal behavior among officers.
Here’s a list of the current and former officers who appeared in court:
Morteza Amiri, Antioch police officer
Patrick Berhan, former police officer
Ernesto Mejia-Orozco, former Pittsburg police officer
Samantha Peterson, former Antioch community services officer
Brauli Rodriguez-Jalapa, Pittsburg police officer
Eric Rombough, Antioch police officer
Timothy Williams, former Antioch and Pittsburg police officer
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