{"id":11756,"date":"2015-05-05T12:32:30","date_gmt":"2015-05-05T19:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=11756"},"modified":"2015-05-05T12:32:30","modified_gmt":"2015-05-05T19:32:30","slug":"former-detective-sentenced-for-taking-a-20000-bribe-to-close-drug-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=11756","title":{"rendered":"Former Detective Sentenced for Taking a $20,000 Bribe to Close Drug Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

FRESNO, CA<\/strong>\u2014A federal judge sentenced a former detective with the Fresno Police Department’s Vice and Intelligence Unit t<\/strong>o two years in prison for agree close a drug investigation in exchange for a $20,000 bribe, officials s<\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii<\/strong> sentenced Derik Carson Kumagai,<\/strong> 41, of Fresno, on Monday to two years in prison for conspiring to commit bribery.<\/p>\n

The judge ordered Kumagai to turn himself to authorities on June 12 to begin serving his prison sentence, officials said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFormer detective Kumagai violated the trust given to him as a law enforcement officer,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner.<\/strong> \u201cHe will now spend time in federal prison for his corrupt conduct. It is an important mission of the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office to prosecute law enforcement officers and other public officials who abuse their official authority for their own personal gain. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute these cases.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In addition, co-defendant Saykham Somphoune,<\/strong> aka Oat, 41, also of Fresno, was sentenced to time served, which was 13 months in jail for his role in the bribery conspiracy.<\/p>\n

Both defendants \u00a0were ordered to pay $13,962 in restitution.<\/p>\n

Attorney E. Marshall Hodgkins, who represented Kumagai, said he wasn\u2019t surprised by the sentence, according to the Fresno Bee newspaper<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe evidence was pretty devastating,\u201d Hodgins said.<\/p>\n

Still, in a report to Ishii, Hodgkins argued for a lesser prison term for Kumagai, using sentences from similar cases involving law enforcement officials in other parts of the country, the Fresno Bee reported.<\/p>\n

Court records indicate the following facts and circumstances surrounding this case:<\/strong><\/div>\n
    \n
  • Beginning in April 2012, federal law enforcement agents were investigating a group of individuals that included Somphoune and one of his associates, for suspected cultivation and distribution of marijuana.<\/li>\n
  • In October and November 2013, Somphoune had a series of meetings with his associate, some of which were attended by Kumagai. At the time, Kumagai was a Fresno Police Department detective in the Vice and Intelligence Unit.<\/li>\n
  • During these meetings, the associate was told that he was under federal investigation, but that in return for a bribe payment, Kumagai could close the investigation and arrange to have the associate designated as a confidential informant for the Fresno Police Department.<\/li>\n
  • On November 6, 2013, the associate paid Kumagai approximately $20,000 cash.<\/li>\n
  • A few hours later, the associate signed documents to become a confidential informant for the Fresno Police Department.<\/li>\n
  • The defendants were arrested in March of 2014, and the associate never actually served as a confidential informant for the Fresno Police Department.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u201cSuch criminal activity tarnishes the reputations of the men and women in law enforcement who are committed to upholding laws that keep citizens safe,\u201d said Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Gliatta of the Sacramento field office of the FBI.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cWe and our law enforcement partners are committed to the identification and investigation of any such activity to ensure that those who corruptly abuse public trust are held accountable for their criminal activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cFormer police officer Derik Kumagai participated in an elaborate bribery scheme in which he utilized his position as a law enforcement officer for personal gain. This type of behavior from a public servant is not only illegal, but also appalling,\u201d stated DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Bruce C. Balzano.<\/strong> \u201cDEA will vigorously work to hold those accountable who abuse their position and violate the public trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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