Top adviser to leftist DA George Gascón — his ADA of ethics and integrity operations — hit with 11 felony charges
A top adviser for Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón was slapped Wednesday with 11 felony charges over her alleged "repeated and unauthorized use of data from confidential, statutorily protected peace officer files."
Diana Teran, Gascón's assistant district attorney of ethics and integrity operations as well as his designee on immigration policy issues, has long been suspected of unlawfully downloading confidential L.A. County Sheriff's Department files in 2018 while still an LASD employee.
Teran allegedly yanked data on 11 sheriff's deputies in concert with L.A. County Inspector General Max Huntsman's office, the outfit tasked with oversight of the sheriff's department.
According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Teran "impermissibly used that data" after joining Gascón's team in January 2021.
Former Undersheriff Tim Murakami told KABC-TV in 2019 that Teran, who previously served as a constitutional policing adviser for the LASD, downloaded the confidential records for Huntsman and the Office of the Inspector General just days before former LASD Sheriff Alex Villanueva was sworn into office.
The downloads reportedly first came to light in civil litigation between the county and the LASD over Villanueva's rehiring of Deputy Caren Carl Mandoyan, who had previously been canned for alleged domestic violence and stalking.
According to a declaration by an LASD detective filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, Teran accessed the records through what is known as the Personnel Review Management System on Nov. 28, 2018, downloading "78 documents from 22 unique LASD employee case files."
Among the documents Gascón's future ally allegedly absconded with were "14 documents, totaling approximately 2000 pages, from case files related to Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Additionally, Ms. Teran downloaded documents from the case files of at least eight current and former LASD executives."
Huntsman claimed that his office had the legal right to inspect the files, noting, "We're required to keep them confidential — so we don't put out confidential information — but we're allowed to see the whole picture, so we can get a good view of things, and that includes the sheriff department's personnel records."
Huntsman further suggested that the files mentioned in the detective's declaration were of interest because they had been designated as secret, reported the Los Angeles Times.
Murakami disagreed, stating, "That code doesn't give him [Huntsman] free rein to look at anything."
"The problem with him is that he's actually violating the law. He may think he's doing a good thing, but you can't violate a law in order to enforce a law," added the former undersheriff.
The LASD launched a criminal investigation into Huntsman and Teran, suggesting they were looking at possible "Conspiracy, Theft of Government Property, Unauthorized Computer Access, Theft of Confidential Files, Unlawful dissemination of Confidential Files, Potential Civil Rights Violations, and Burglary."
The AG's office evidently figured there was something to the allegations.
Each of the 11 felony counts Teran now faces is punishable by up to three years in jail and a maximum fine of $10,000.
"No one is above the law," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. "Public officials are called to serve the people and the State of California with integrity and honesty."
Teran's attorney James Spertus echoed the OIG's years-old claims when asked about the charges, telling the Los Angeles Times, "They're charging her for doing something within the scope of her employment, that she has a duty to do."
Spertus suggested that the investigation into Teran was prompted by a complaint by Villanueva, who reportedly referred to Teran's downloads this week as as "massive data breach."
Gascón said in a statement obtained by the Times, "I remain committed to upholding transparency and ensuring police accountability within Los Angeles County."
Teran started off in Gascón's office as a special adviser. She went on to deal with prosecutions of police and attorney misconduct. Just recently, Gascón — whom hundreds of thousands of L.A. County residents have desperately attempted to remove from office in multiple recall efforts — promoted Teran to assistant district attorney.
Nathan Hochman, the candidate looking to beat Gascón on Nov. 5 in the L.A. County District Attorney race, wrote Wednesday night on X, "Did Gascon know about the AG Investigation BEFORE he promoted Diana Teran to Assistant DA in charge of ethics and integrity on Jan 4, 2024?? If so, he should resign immediately for such leadership malpractice. If not, he's so asleep and unaware of what's going on around him that he should resign or that reason as well."
Hochman highlighted Gascón's apparent reliance on Teran, suggesting this development "is yet another sign of Hasco's poor judgment and failed leadership.
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