The U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Francisco and the FBI are holding a joint news conference Thursday afternoon, where they are expected to announce the arrest of Antioch and Pittsburg police officers for civil rights violations.
Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe confirmed that multiple officers were arrested by the FBI on Thursday morning in a civil rights probe that started in early 2022.
“Today is a dark day in our city’s history, as people trusted to uphold the law, allegedly breached that trust and were arrested by the FBI,” Thorpe said in a statement. “As our city absorbs this tragic news, we must come together as one. Today’s actions are the beginning of the end of a long and arduous process.”
The FBI and Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office have both investigated the departments since early 2022. The state attorney general’s office opened its own probe earlier this year.
Among the allegations are chains of text messages sent between as many as 45 Antioch officers, using racial slurs and describing violence against suspects, and going as far as threatening Thorpe, who is African American. The N-word was used at least a dozen times, as were terms describing African Americans as “goriilas.”
The texts also described recently retired Police Chief Steven Ford, who is African American, in racially derogatory terms. They also contained homophobic slurs and suggested violence against unhoused people.
As many as 45 of Antioch’s approximately 100 officers were placed on leave because of the texts.
Messages left for the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments Thursday weren’t returned. The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office only confirmed there would be a press conference at 3:30 p.m. to announce “significant law enforcement actions.”
Some of the defendants named in the texts, including those convicted and accused of murder, have already had their cases overturned in court or are challenging their arrests as racially motivated and violations of the California Racial Justice Act.
Civil rights attorneys John Burris and Ben Nisenbaum have filed two lawsuits so far involving 13 plaintiffs accusing Antioch police of civil rights violations, among other allegations. The lawyers have said they’ve interviewed another “140 people who claim they also have been subject of multiple constitutional violations by Antioch police officers for years,” they said in a statement earlier this month.
Thorpe said Thursday the arrests are demonstrative of issues that have plagued the Antioch Police Department for decades.
“Seeking to reform the Antioch Police Department is not anti-police, it is pro our residents, and pro officers that have served and continue to serve with honor,” Thorpe said.
47 comments
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Witch Hunt.
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This is amazing race baiting by the media. I can only find write up talking about racist text messages. Not that they broke up a crime ring which is actually why they were arrested. Bush league. They should lose their journalisming license. Oh wait.
They used an FBI swat team to take down law-enforcement officers over text messages
This is crazy. I hope this is more than a text message story
Jay,
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It wasn’t just about text messages, charges include deprivation of rights, distribution, fraud, and obstruction.
Well, that is not what the constitution says. And if it was arrests made by these same officers, who is to say we can trust the record?
It’s rare to find anyone who actually understands the Constitution. I thank you for restoring my faith in the intelligent American rare as it may be.
@Black Knight
These are the CHARGES. We don’t know which specific episodes led to them. The only episodes covered by the press were the text messages. Which, if interpreted broadly, can be charged as “deprivation of rights”. And, if deleted by some officers, the very same text messages could be also charged as obstruction and fraud.
You may not see it as a problem, but for me there is a huge difference between thought and speech “crimes”, and real crimes involving property damage and bodily harm. Unfortunately, the former type is being prosecuted ever more zealously – just look at the Twitter meme conviction of Douglass Mackey. While the latter type is routinely downplayed or dismissed, especially if committed by a certain demographic. The latest example is Alameda DA’s office negotiating a plea deal with a career felon on pre-trial release with an ankle monitor, who was evading police and broadsided a car, killing a Livermore woman. Allegedly, he was offered only 2.5 years in jail.
To me this indictment of police officers screams of “thought and speech crime”. So far I haven’t seen any evidence to the contrary. But I may be wrong, and if you have any information suggesting that real crimes were committed, please provide links.
So were the Texts on THEIR PERSONAL CELL PHONES?? Because it was the LEFT who told us that the only thing that matters is if a person can do their job or not.
Also. Funny would the FBI, DOJ etc have ZERO interest in solving the crime in Antioch.
ANON,
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If the texts were created, received, and/or sent on their personal cell phones, while they were working, it is often, if not always, considered “creating a government document.” Almost all, if not all, government agencies have policies in place restricting the use of personal cell phones during work hours to avoid this very situation, among others.
I guess all the crime in Antioch is fiction made up by police officers. Who knew?
“Be glorified, our free Motherland,
Reliable stronghold of the people’s friendship!
The Party of Lenin – the strength of the people,
Leads us to the triumph of Communism!”
Looks like we got us a history buff. Fantastic.
Copied and pasted, but appreciate the sentiment.
Time to abolish the FBI, CIA, & NBA
I have no idea what the truth here is, but I trust none of the parties involved. And I have zero trust in the institutions to resolve this fairly and lawfully. Cops might be virulent racists, or the complaints may be trumped up. Throwing around the N word amongst each other is not a sign in their favor. Whatever the outcome, 50% of people will not believe it. If they are acquitted, the left will scream “institutional racism.” If they are convicted, the right will scream politicized witch hunt. Our instituons setting their credibility on fire for the last ten years is the reason no one believes anything anymore.
Sure would be nice to have some neutral institutions again.
There you have it.
Free speech is dead.
ABE,
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-3 were charged with civil rights violations for conspiracy against rights, deprivation against rights, and falsification of records.
-2 were charged with attempted possession, conspiracy, intent to distribute, and distribution of anabolic steroids and falsification of records
-6 were charged with fraud for paying others to take college classes for them, for which they recieved increases in pay and tuition reimbursement.
-1 was charged with falsification of records, obstruction, and deprivation of rights.
If this is accurate then the entire narrative that it is about text messages using derogatory words seems inconsequential. This sounds like the FBI busted a crime ring. Why isn’t that the story they lead with.
.. Because the liberal bay area’s buzz words “racism” and “racist”.
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The local media loves those words for ratings, viewership, and perpetuation of their left wing narrative.
@ AMATEUR TEACHER
Yellow Journalism
noun
Journalism that is based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration.
If it bleeds, it leads
English
Phrase
(Journalism, colloquial) Sensational, violent stories are to be prioritized.
Clickbait
noun
click·bait ˈklik-ˌbāt
: something (such as a headline) designed to make readers want to click on a hyperlink especially when the link leads to content of dubious value or interest
who got arrested for only texting ?
It was a perfect phone call frank.
No one is the short answer.
If you think they’re going to get the best and brightest to come working in Antioch and Pittsburg now, they’re kidding them selves. You will never get anyone who would want to come to work there ever again. Those cities will now be basically like the movie “The Purge.” If you live anywhere out there, you better sell your house and get the heck out. Things are about to get insane.
AMERICAN CITIZEN,
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Do you really think what the City of Antioch and the City of Pittsburg has had as city employees, up until now, from their City Council’s on down have been “the best and brightest,” because they haven’t been “the best and brightest,” far from it.
Why would the “best & brightest” ever have considered working in Antioch or Pittsburg in the first place?
Couldn’t be HAPPIER that I left Antioch years ago. I thank God every day.
Did they fly Reverend Al Sharpton in for the press conference? He’s usually front and center at these sorts of events.
I know this is a secondary concern, however it would be nice for Lamar to explain the plan to achieve a fully staffed, funded, and operational police department quickly. The East Bay is really turning to sh** so we really don’t have time for two years of focus groups and sensitivity training.
Here is a better explanations of the indictments that came out.
Indictment number 1
Alleges 6 officers were receiving education incentive pay that required a college degree. They are charged with paying someone else to do their school work. They did not earn the college degree they were being paid for. Theft/Fraud
Inditement number 2
The second indictment involves two defendants accused of conspiring to distribute steroids.
Indictment number 3
Alleges former a former Antioch police officer interfered with a wiretap investigation. On March 23, 2021, The Officer was assigned to a “wire room” where he was supposed to monitor communications between a target and others who contacted the target by phone. Using a coded message he warned the suspect they were being wiretapped and covered up his communication to the Suspect by using a “non-pertinent” classification to prevent the conversation from being recorded and falsified wiretap entry logs of the suspects calls.
Indictment 4
Alleges three officers of the Antioch Police Department of conspiracy against rights and deprivation of rights under color of law. 42 US Title 1983
So they broke up a crime ring. Now THAT is newsworthy.
I think of a crime ring as being composed of people whose primary income is from crime.
This on the other hand seems like cops that got too comfortable behind the shield of their bureaucracy.
Mostly petty crimes were committed here but tied together with ever popular insinuation of racism.
I don’t think anyone is in the right here.
There’s no place in Law Enforcement for racism and homophobia. Antioch is full of law abiding citizens and full of corrupt cops. I’m thankful for the oversight of the FBI and the leadership of Mayor Thorpe to bring a stop to this unlawful harassment of our black and brown brothers and sisters.
Just wear your seatbelt and your mask and you and your black and brown brothers and sisters will be fine.
The charges are:
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College degree benefits fraud
Conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids
Deprivation of rights
Obstruction
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Officers taken into custody include:
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Antioch Officer Morteza Amiri
Antioch Officer Eric Rombough
Antioch Officers Daniel Harris
Antioch Officer Devin Wenger
Antioch Officer Timothy Manly-Williams
Pittsburg Officer Patrick Berhan
Pittsburg Officer Brauli Rodriquez-Jalapa
Pittsburg Officer Ernesto Mejia-Orozco
Pittsburg Officer Amanda Theodosy
Antioch Community Services Officer Samantha Peterson
Not even one white name. So much for that
I have ZERO idea why the race of the City employee is germane to the indictments but a simple Google search will show that you are making several mistaken assumptions about surnames.
I suggest you Google Patrick Berhan, Eric Rombough, Devin Wenger, Daniel Harris or Amanda Theodosy who was not arrested but has a warrant for her arrest.
None of those are “saying bad words on your ohone”
The word is the Mayor is the problem.
This is not “civil rights violations”.
Not training police on the United States constitution is a civil rights violation.
Training officers that people who know their rights are “sovereign citizens” or right wing threats or trouble makers is a civil rights violation. Training officers VIOLATE our constitutionally protected rights is a violation. ACAB until they uphold our constitution.
It’s called “depravation of rights under color of law”
And all of you crybabies cheered for it during the COVID HOAX.
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Mayor Thorpe should resign because of failed leadership.
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It’s really pathetic that “words” are now criminal.
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Many Afr. Americans use the N-word all the time without criticism. Is that Black privilege? If so, then they are racists and hypocrites.
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Moving from a 2900 square foot home in Antioch to a 1400 square foot home in Clayton in 2003 was my smartest decision EVER………
Hasn’t the crime rate in Antioch just about tripled since this all started. They know there is not enough police officers on the street to stop the crime. Antioch PD needs help from outside sources until they can hire enough veteran police officers and new academy recruits.
Go out and buy yourself an air horn. That’s the progressive liberal Democrat governments answer to rampant crime.
Dang … wish I could speak freely … have a lot of truth bombs and critical input to this town square … but we have devolved to 1984 … maybe I should sling vaccines and buy some legacy media so I can talk.
Deeaaammm JoJo! ✌️Respect
Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton has indicted five Antioch and Pittsburg Police Officers for bribery and obstruction.
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