LOS ANGELES
A federal jury this afternoon returned guilty verdicts against three deputies with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department who violated the civil rights of a visitor to the Men’s Central Jail by beating him while he was restrained with handcuffs, according to officials.
After a one-week trial, the jury found deputies Fernando Luviano and Sussie Ayala, as well as former Sergeant Eric Gonzalez, violated the civil rights of the victim in 2011 when they beat the man and caused bodily injury.
The jury also determined that all three defendants falsified records when they prepared reports about the incident.
Ayala and Gonzalez were additionally convicted of conspiring to violate the victim’s civil rights by using unreasonable force.
As a result of today’s convictions, Ayala and Gonzalez face a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison, and Luviano faces up to 30 years. United States District Judge George H. King, who presided over the trial, is scheduled to sentence the three defendants on Nov. 2.
Two other defendants who were named in a federal grand jury indictment in late 2013 – Pantamitr Zunggeemoge and Noel Womack – previously plead guilty and are pending sentencing.
The FBI investigated this case, involving corruption and civil rights abuses at county jails in downtown Los Angeles. With today’s verdicts, 14 current or former members of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department have now been convicted of federal charges.
Attorneys for the three defendants urged jurors in their closing statements to dismiss prosecutors’ claims as untrue, the Los Angeles Times reported in May.
According to the newspaper, one of Carrillo’s hands had been freed for fingerprinting, the attorneys argued, and he immediately began swinging the dangling restraints like a weapon.
Although the force the deputies used on Carrillo was “ugly and unfortunate,” Ayala’s attorney, Patrick Smith, told the jury it was necessary and “for legitimate law enforcement purposes,” the LA Times report stated.
The evidence presented at trial indicated the following facts, authorities stated:
The victim, Gabriel Carrillo, and his girlfriend went to the jail to visit the woman’s incarcerated brother on Feb. 26, 2011.
Both visitors were in the possession of cell phones, which is prohibited under jail rules.
When the phones were discovered, the victim was handcuffed and brought into an employee break room, where he was beaten and sprayed with a burning agent similar to pepper spray, officials stated.
The victim was later transferred to the hospital by paramedics.
Following the incident, officials said Gonzalez instructed Zunggeemoge how to write a report that falsely described how the victim swung his left elbow and struck Zunggeemoge, which prompted the use of force against the victim.
Subsequent reports by other defendants also falsely described how the victim attempted to escape from the break room.
( TV News Earlier Reports on FBI Investigation)