{"id":24791,"date":"2016-06-27T15:03:03","date_gmt":"2016-06-27T22:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=24791"},"modified":"2016-06-27T15:03:03","modified_gmt":"2016-06-27T22:03:03","slug":"former-second-command-l-sheriffs-department-sentenced-five-years-hindering-federal-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=24791","title":{"rendered":"Former 2nd in Command at L.A. Sheriff’s Department Sentenced to Five Years for Hindering Federal Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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A federal judge on Monday sentenced the former second-in-command in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to five years in prison for obstruction of justice in connection with trying to hinder an FBI investigation into misconduct and corruption in the jail, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Percy_Anderson_District_Judge\"
U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

U.S.\u00a0District Judge Percy Anderson<\/strong> sentenced the 57-year-old Paul Tanaka<\/strong>, of Gardena, and ordered to pay a $7,500 fine. \u00a0Tanaka will begin serving his sentence on Aug. 1, according to authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

So far, an FBI investigation into the jails has resulted in 21 convictions\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In sentencing Tanaka, Judge Anderson recounted Tanaka\u2019s career at the LASD, his role in the scheme to obstruct justice, and \u201cthe incalculable harm you have caused this community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While he was the assistant sheriff in charge of the jails, Tanaka \u201cperpetrated an environment of excessive deputy conduct,\u201d according to Judge Anderson, who said Tanaka\u2019s actions led directly to an increased number of use-of-force incidents against inmates at the jails. <\/span><\/p>\n

The obstruction of justice scheme was designed \u201cto derail the federal grand jury investigation\u201d and constituted \u201ca gross abuse of the public trust,\u201d the judge said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tanaka \u00a0left the Sheriff’s Department in 2013 when he was the undersheriff.<\/span><\/p>\n

During his time as an executive, defendant threatened to discipline\u00a0supervisors who frequently referred deputies to Internal Affairs, transferred captains who tried to reduce deputy abuse and break up cliques, instructed deputies to work in the \u2018gray area\u2019 of law enforcement, and expressed his desire to gut Internal Affairs,\u201d prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed with the court. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tanaka\u2019s \u201cactions caused deputies to believe that they could act with impunity, which, unfortunately, they did much too frequently,\u201d prosecutors stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the five-year prison term, which Tanaka was ordered to begin serving on August 1, Judge Anderson ordered the defendant to pay a $7,500 fine, according to authorities.<\/span>
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