The hammer finally dropped on nine Bay Area law enforcement officers who were arrested by FBI agents Thursday morning in connection to an 18-month investigation.
The FBI’s raid targeted current and former Antioch and Pittsburg police department officers. More than 100 FBI agents were deployed to make the arrests. They apprehended the officers in Hawaii, Texas, and across the San Francisco Bay Area.
Nine of the accused officers are currently in custody with no bail. A 10th officer’s arrest is still pending.
A 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, a source told KRON4.
Thursday’s FBI arrest operation raid was given a green light after a federal grand jury handed down four indictments charging 10 police officers with a wide range of crimes.
Grand Jury’s Indictments
- Indictment 1: College degree benefits fraud
Six officers “claimed they earned college credits toward degrees, when in fact, they hired people to take classes and exams for them,” U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey said. The officers conspired to defraud their own police departments, without putting in work attending classes, Ramsey said.
- Indictment 2: Steroid drug dealing
Two Antioch police officers charged in the second indictment were identified as: Daniel James Harris and Devon Christopher Wenger. The duo was charged with conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, possession with intent to distribute steroids, and destroying evidence.
- Indictment 3: Obstruction of a federal investigation
One Antioch police officer, Timothy Allen Manly Williams, was charged with destruction of evidence, obstruction, falsification of records, and deprivation of rights under color of law.
- Indictment 4: Deprivation of rights
Three Antioch police officers allegedly committed “a disturbing litany of civil rights violations. The defendants boasted about their illegal use of force in text messages,” Ramsey said.
The officers are accused of collecting trophies from shooting scenes, writing racist text messages, excessively deploying K9 units to attack suspects, using a 40mm launchers as “punishment,” and intentionally leaving their body-worn cameras off.
“The officers had no interest in de-escalating to avoid violence. They collected as mementos spent ammunition from their attacks on the people of Antioch.
R&I~Smit