East Contra Costa police officer hit with four felony charges as part of massive criminal investigation into 12 current and former cops

PITTSBURG — Within the first submitting from a federal and state prison investigation right into a dozen Bay Space regulation enforcement officers, the Contra Costa District Lawyer on Thursday charged an ex-Pittsburg officer with illegally possessing and promoting two assault rifles.

Armando Montalvo, 28, was charged with 4 felonies for allegedly possessing two AR-15 rifles and promoting them to 2 people. The charging paperwork declare the transactions occurred in November 2019, however authorities say the crimes weren’t found till this 12 months when Antioch and Pittsburg officers got here beneath investigation for alleged civil rights violations involving makes use of of pressure.

Montalvo was sworn in as a Pittsburg officer in 2015. He resigned from the division on July 8, in response to the Contra Costa DA’s workplace, after being positioned on administrative go away in reference to the investigation. In 2021, his final full 12 months as an officer, he acquired $146,434 in wage and advantages, in response to public data.

Authorities have secured an arrest warrant for Montalvo, who is anticipated to show himself in. His lawyer couldn’t instantly be reached for remark. A Contra Costa choose set Montalvo’s bail at $200,000.

The costs are solely the newest accusations in opposition to Contra Costa regulation enforcement officers involving unlawful firearm exercise. In August, then sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Buckley was fired and arrested for allegedly falsifying experiences to steal AR-15s from a court docket proof locker. He has not but been charged. Final Could, a sheriff’s volunteer was charged with possessing assault weapons and unlawful manufacturing of a firearm after it was found he’d taken 1000’s of gun elements and ammunition from the police gun vary the place he volunteered with out objection of sheriff staff.

In the meantime, the FBI, Contra Costa District Lawyer and U.S. Lawyer’s workplace proceed to analyze alleged civil rights violations and prison conspiracies mentioned to contain 11 present officers and one former policeman. The previous policeman, Tim Manly, labored for each Antioch and Pittsburg departments, a number of regulation enforcement sources mentioned.

The allegations in opposition to Antioch officers embrace potential conspiracies to assault folks by way of use of pressure, together with canine bites, sources have mentioned. Two K9 officers, Morteza Amiri and Nicholas Shipilov, are amongst these positioned on go away. A number of regulation enforcement sources say Amiri is a high-profile topic within the investigation. A grand jury has been convened and is anticipated to determine whether or not to indict the officers in coming weeks.

Already, federal and native prosecutors have dismissed dozens of prison circumstances, together with felons in possession of firearms, that relied on the testimony of Amiri and different officers. Of the 11 officers beneath investigation, eight are from Antioch and three from Pittsburg.

Throughout the Antioch police division’s ranks, there’s nonetheless hope or maybe denial that the majority — if not all — of the eight officers beneath investigation shall be vindicated and returned to work. Some privately say the probe reeks of politicization; others say they’re specializing in doing their job and distancing themselves from their eight colleagues who’re on indefinite go away. There’s pressure, unease and a concern that the investigation could develop to incorporate others, in response to sources who spoke to this newspaper however weren’t licensed to publicly remark.

Antioch police interim Chief Steven Ford introduced a variety of reform measures in September, together with a assessment of K9 use and a reformatting of the division’s cellphone insurance policies to make sure they’re used just for employment functions. A number of the proof collected in opposition to the officers contains textual content message conversations surrounding use of pressure incidents, authorities say.

In an announcement asserting the fees, the Contra Costa DA’s workplace mentioned it “is not going to be commenting on this case because it’s a part of an ongoing prison investigation.”

Pittsburg police issued a short public assertion saying the division “has and can proceed to cooperate with all outdoors businesses” however that it may well’t remark additional out of respect for the DA’s investigation.