Connect with us

West

'Woke' California prosecutor 'ironically in charge of ethics' charged with felonies

Published

on

'Woke' California prosecutor 'ironically in charge of ethics' charged with felonies

Left-wing Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon’s right-hand woman is facing nearly 11 felony charges after state prosecutors say she helped herself to confidential information about 11 deputies as far back as 2018 and took it with her when she left the sheriff’s office to work for the DA three years later.

Diana Teran is accused of accessing a sheriff’s office database about its deputies when she worked there and then taking that information with her to the district attorney’s office to work for Gascon, who was elected on an anti-police platform. Under Gascon, she “impermissibly” used the improperly obtained data to assist, according to the California Attorney General’s Office.

During a controversial tenure in the DA’s office, she allegedly used some of that information to help criminal defendants and stifled line prosecutors under her.

A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital that the case had been referred to the state attorney general’s office due to a conflict of interest, indicating Teran remained the leader of the office’s ethics and integrity unit for months despite an investigation into her own conduct. In that role, she was in charge of divisions that prosecuted misconduct allegations against police and other public officials.

TOP ADVISER TO LEFT-WING CALIFORNIA DA CHARGED WITH NEARLY A DOZEN FELONIES

Advertisement

Diana Teran, the former head of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office’s ethics and integrity unit, is pictured in an April booking photo after her arrest on 11 felony charges for allegedly taking and/or misusing data on sheriff’s deputies without authorization. (Los Angeles County)

“She illegitimately accessed the officers’ files while with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,” Tatiana Chahoian, a deputy district attorney who told Fox News Digital in March that Gascon sent an armed plainclothes investigator to intimidate her at her home after an unrelated whistleblowing incident. “Then she came to the district attorney’s office and used all that information against the officers.”

In one case that Chahoian prosecuted, she said a woman who took a felony plea deal after breaking another woman’s clavicle in a road rage fight was involved in a separate use-of-force incident with the deputy while holding her baby.

Teran allegedly withheld the entire case file as well as video evidence from the DA’s office, including Chahoian, who was handling the proceedings. In bodycam video that Sheriff Robert Luna later released, a DUI suspect can be seen arguing with deputies who pulled her boyfriend over in a DUI stop and found the infant without a car seat or seat belt.

Deputy Los Angeles District Attorney Tatiana Chahoian found herself in hot water after an interview with FOX 11 Los Angeles in which she blew the whistle on a memo about how to prosecute street racing and street “takeover” cases in the county. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)

Advertisement

KENTUCKY DAD HACKS HAWAII TO FAKE DEATH RATHER THAN PAY 6-FIGURE CHILD SUPPORT DEBT

“The mother who was punched was a violent person and involved in multiple incidents,” Chahoian said. “But Teran wanted to screw over the deputy, so she made sure no one in the DA’s office had access to the actual video, including me, the assigned prosecutor.”

James Spertus, Teran’s attorney, previously told Fox News Digital he expected to clear his client and that the attorney general’s allegations would turn out to be a “very embarrassing” failure.

“I want the world to know that the AG’s office will face a very quick and expeditious loss on this sort of thoughtless legal theory that an official can be prosecuted for doing an official act,” he said. “It’s just really something that you wouldn’t expect in law enforcement today.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a news conference at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Feb. 23, 2022. Bonta’s office has filed 11 felony charges against a top Los Angeles deputy district attorney who was the head of the county’s ethics and integrity unit. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Advertisement

The allegations against Teran are believed to involve her alleged misappropriation of “Brady” material – information about police misconduct that must be turned over to defense attorneys.

“The controversy deepens now with allegations that Teran illegally introduced sensitive information into DA databases — information that she and Gascon knew would inevitably be shared with defense attorneys,” John McKinney, a veteran L.A. deputy district attorney who unsuccessfully ran to unseat Gascon in the recent primary election, wrote on X. “This alleged breach, committed by someone entrusted to uphold the highest legal standards, represents serious criminal acts and shows a void in judgment and leadership by Gascon.”

The Supreme Court ruled in 1963’s Brady v. Maryland case that prosecutors have to disclose “material evidence” that could help a defendant’s case, according to experts at Cornell Law School.

But that doesn’t mean they have to hand over all unflattering information about a given officer connected to a criminal case, and some of the information taken from the sheriff’s office is believed to have included unfounded or unsustained allegations.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon (Myung Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/File)

Advertisement

The criminal complaint accuses Teran of taking, copying or making use of data on 11 Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies without authorization.

“No one is above the law,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, in a press release. “Public officials are called to serve the people and the State of California with integrity and honesty. At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to fight for the people of California and hold those who break the law accountable.”

The Association of Deputy District Attorneys, the county prosecutors’ union that has been openly critical of Gascon over his policies, slammed Gascon in a statement posted to its website.

“Her case is in its nascent stages,” the group’s vice president, Ryan Erlich, wrote. “But it is not too early to ask Gascón and his inner circle some key questions, beginning with ‘what did the District Attorney know and when did he know it?’”

The charges against top Los Angeles DA official Diana Teran allege she stole information on 11 deputies and “impermissibly” accessed it years later. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)

Advertisement

The union also noted that another top Gascon aide, Joseph Iniguez, allegedly threatened an officer who arrested him on a public intoxication charge in 2021 and that Gascon’s three years of leadership have cost the county millions in civil cases. The union named both Iniguez and Teran in a lawsuit in 2022, alleging they both directed subordinates to break the law.

Rank-and-file prosecutors appeared to welcome the charges on social media.

“Have fun with your friends in prison, D!” Chahoian wrote.

Jonathan Hatami, another deputy district attorney who attempted to primary out Gascon, wrote that the charges against Teran show the DA’s leadership “is not right or fair.”

“And, it is also illegal,” he added.

Advertisement

“This is just the latest example of Gascon’s demonstrated record of poor judgment and lack of leadership in running the district attorney’s office,” Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor who is running as an independent to unseat Gascon in November, told Fox News Digital. “He promoted Teran to his No. 3 in command, ironically in charge of ethics and integrity, despite legitimate objections from many experienced prosecutors.”

Gascon, in a statement, defended his Brady policy and said he would cooperate with state investigators.

  

“When I took office, we developed a protocol that ensured we complied with our constitutional obligations under Brady, which requires us to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence to the defense, a category that includes law enforcement’s prior misconduct, while simultaneously complying with state and federal law around privacy,” he said. “I stand by that protocol.”

Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

West

US appeals court strikes down California’s open-carry ban in major Second Amendment ruling

Published

on

US appeals court strikes down California’s open-carry ban in major Second Amendment ruling

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A federal appeals court on Friday struck down California’s ban on openly carrying guns across most of the state.

In a 2–1 decision, the San Francisco-based Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled California’s ban on open carry in counties with more than 200,000 people — covering roughly 95% of the state’s population — violates the Second Amendment, according to Reuters.

U.S. Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, writing for the majority, said the ban conflicts with the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which requires gun regulations to be consistent with the nation’s “historical tradition of firearm regulation,” Reuters reported.

NRA SUES CALIFORNIA OVER BAN ON GLOCK-STYLE FIREARMS: ‘VIOLATES THE SECOND AMENDMENT’

Advertisement

U.S. Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke appears in a video released by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals March 20, 2025.  (9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals/Handout via Reuters)

“The historical record makes unmistakably plain that open carry is part of this Nation’s history and tradition,” VanDyke wrote. “It was clearly protected at the time of the founding and at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

VanDyke also noted that California previously allowed residents to openly carry holstered handguns for self-defense without penalty until 2012.

CALIFORNIA’S CRACKDOWN ON ‘LESS-LETHAL’ WEAPONS SPARKS 2A LAWSUIT TARGETING NEWSOM ADMINISTRATION

A pistol is concealed in a belt. (iStock)

Advertisement

“That changed only when California enacted its urban open-carry ban barely over a decade ago in 2012,” he said. “In doing so, California joined a tiny minority of states to have adopted such severe restrictions on open carry.”

The decision overturned part of a 2023 ruling by a lower court that had dismissed a lawsuit filed in 2019 by gun owner Mark Baird, while rejecting his challenge to open-carry licensing in smaller counties, according to Reuters.

FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULES CALIFORNIA AMMUNITION BACKGROUND CHECKS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

A retail store in San Ramon, Calif., July 21, 2019.  (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Advertisement

In October, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other gun groups said they were suing California over the state’s ban on Glock-style guns with features known as switches that allow them to be converted to fully automatic weapons.

The NRA was joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, Poway Weapons & Gear, and two NRA members in challenging the state’s ban.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

San Francisco, CA

Philadelphia Eagles to play San Francisco 49ers in NFL playoffs. Here’s what you need to know.

Published

on

Philadelphia Eagles to play San Francisco 49ers in NFL playoffs. Here’s what you need to know.


The Philadelphia Eagles will begin the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round next weekend at Lincoln Financial Field. 

The Birds (No. 3 seed) had a chance to earn the No. 2 seed with a win, but lost to the Washington Commanders in the regular season finale. 

Here’s what you need to know about the matchup vs. the 49ers and more.

Which day will the Eagles and 49ers play?

The date and time of the wild-card round matchup between the Eagles and 49ers have yet to be announced, but playoff games are scheduled for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 

Advertisement

Two games will take place Saturday, three will happen Sunday and the final first-round matchup will be on Monday night. 

Eagles and 49ers postseason history

The Eagles and 49ers have only met twice in postseason history, most recently in the NFC championship game in the 2022 season. 

The Eagles won that game, 31-7, before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. In that game, the 49ers were decimated at quarterback as Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson suffered injuries

After Johnson exited, Purdy returned to the game in the third quarter, but he was unable to throw the football beyond a few yards. The injuries to San Francisco’s quarterbacks led to the NFL approving a rule change that allows teams to play an emergency quarterback if the starter and backup are injured.

The Eagles are 1-1 vs. San Francisco all-time in the playoffs. Philadelphia’s loss to the 49ers in the playoffs happened in the wild-card round in 1996.

Advertisement

The title game in the 2022 season between the Eagles and 49ers started a rivalry that boiled over into 2023.

In 2023, the 49ers traveled to Lincoln Financial Field in Week 13 and dominated the Eagles, 42-19. The loss started the infamous collapse for the Eagles to end the season as the Birds lost six of the final seven games, including the playoff exit vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

The loss to the Niners in the 2023 season also featured Eagles security chief Dom DiSandro and then-49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw being ejected from the game after a scuffle on the sideline.

The Eagles and 49ers haven’t played each other since the 2023 season. 

How the Eagles and 49ers got here

The Eagles went 11-6 in the 2025 season and won the NFC East for the second consecutive year, which ended a 20-year stretch of the division not having a repeat winner.

Advertisement

The Niners had a chance to earn the No. 1 seed, but fell to the Seattle Seahawks Saturday night. The 49ers finished the year with a 12-5 record to earn the No. 6 seed.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Denver, CO

Broncos clinch AFC’s No. 1 seed, home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs

Published

on

Broncos clinch AFC’s No. 1 seed, home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs


DENVER — The Broncos have checked off their second goal of the season.

Denver officially clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with Sunday’s 19-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

As the top seed, the Broncos will receive a first-round bye in the 2025 playoffs and will host their first playoff game of the year in the Divisional Round on Saturday, Jan. 17 or Sunday, Jan. 18 at Empower Field at Mile High.

The Broncos, the lone team in the AFC to receive a first-round bye, will host the lowest remaining seed in the AFC playoff field in the Divisional Round. Denver’s possible opponents for its playoff opener include the Texans, Bills, Chargers and the yet-to-be-determined winner of the AFC North. If the Broncos earn a win in the Divisional Round, they would also host the AFC Championship Game.

Advertisement

Denver finished the 2025 regular season with a 14-3 mark, which is tied for the most regular-season wins in franchise history. The Broncos earned the No. 1 seed over the Patriots (14-3) due to a better record in games against common opponents.

The Broncos are the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the first time since 2015, when they went on to win Super Bowl 50. Denver has earned the No. 1 seed for an AFC-best ninth time, and two of the Broncos’ three Super Bowl titles have come after earning the No. 1 seed. The Broncos advanced to the Super Bowl in six of the eight previous seasons in which Denver earned the top seed in the conference.

Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton has now led teams to the No. 1 seed on three occasions in his career, and he is one of five coaches to lead two different organizations to a No. 1 seed.

Bo Nix, meanwhile, became the fourth quarterback in franchise history to lead the organization to a No. 1 seed — joining Ring of Famers John Elway, Peyton Manning and Craig Morton.

Learn more about playoff tickets and suites by visiting DenverBroncos.com/Tickets

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending