West
'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
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)
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“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)
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)
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)
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.
“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.
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San Francisco, CA
San Francisco mayor says he convinced Trump in phone call not to surge federal agents to city
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie told CBS News Friday that he was able to convince President Trump in a phone call several months ago not to deploy federal agents to San Francisco.
In a live interview with “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil, Lurie, a moderate Democrat, said that the president called him while he was sitting in a car.
“I took the call, and his first question to me was, ‘How’s it going there?’” Lurie recounted.
In October, sources told CBS News that the president was planning to surge Border Patrol agents to San Francisco as part of the White House’s ongoing immigration crackdown that has seen it deploy federal immigration officers to cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans and most recently, Minneapolis.
At the time, the reports prompted pushback from California officials, including Lurie and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
However, shortly after that report, Mr. Trump announced that he had called off the plan to “surge” federal agents to San Francisco following a conversation with Lurie.
“I spoke to Mayor Lurie last night and he asked, very nicely, that I give him a chance to see if he can turn it around,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post on Oct. 23. The president also noted that “friends of mine who live in the area called last night to ask me not to go forward with the surge.”
“I told him what I would tell you,” Lurie said Friday of his October call with Mr. Trump. “San Francisco is a city on the rise, crime is at historic lows, all economic indicators are on the right direction, and our local law enforcement is doing an incredible job.”
Going back to the pandemic, San Francisco has often been the strong focus of criticism from Republican lawmakers over its struggles in combatting crime and homelessness. It was voter frustration over those issues that helped Lurie defeat incumbent London Breed in November 2024.
Lurie, however, acknowledged that the city still has “a lot of work to do.”
“I’m clear-eyed about our challenges still,” Lurie said. “In the daytime, we have really ended our drug markets. At night, we still struggle on some of the those blocks that you see.”
An heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune, Lurie also declined Friday to say whether he supports a proposed California ballot initiative that would institute a one-time 5% tax on the state’s billionaires.
“I stay laser-focused on what I can control, and that’s what’s happening here in San Francisco,” Lurie said. “I don’t get involved on what may or may not happen up in Sacramento, or frankly, for that matter, D.C.”
Denver, CO
Here’s how the NFL typically handles the top seeded team’s Divisional Round schedule
As the number one seed in the AFC, the Denver Broncos could end up playing on either Saturday or Sunday. It all comes down to which teams win during Wild Card weekend.
Head Coach Sean Payton was asked about the potential Divisional Round schedule and he said nothing is finalized. However, the NFL has been known to follow a certain schedule that could end up with the Broncos playing on Saturday if either the Buffalo Bills or Los Angeles Chargers win on Sunday and they’d play the following Sunday only if they had to wait until Monday for the outcome of the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers game.
The other thing with that extra week off is about preparation. One of the better questions the media asked of Payton on Friday was whether or not they do more advanced scouting on potential opponents they have not yet played this season.
“Look, there are four options,” Payton said. “One is in the division. We’ve played one two years in a row—or it feels like that with Houston. Buffalo. We’ll break down kind of all four and then look at… We’ll have personnel reports on the four… You do have enough time to look at third down, look at personnel packages, study situational football. I think that’s pretty common when you look at playoff history. A lot of times, you end up with a division team sometimes in the first round. I know that’s happened a number of times over the years with me. It’s hard to gauge how these other games are going to go not having spent much time looking at New England. [We’ve] seen Jacksonville. It’s one of those where you just watch them. You’re working while you watch them. You’re working on each plan, and then you go from there.”
I came away feeling like Payton and the Broncos know two of their potential opponents fairly well. The other two will get some high level review, but nothing super deep as there just isn’t enough time. That is saved for this coming week when the opponent is finalized.
Payton and his staff have some great experience coaching in the playoffs, so this young Broncos team should be well-prepared for their football game.
Frankly, I like the idea of the Broncos getting their game out of the way early. Give Payton and his staff an extra day to begin the prep work needed for the AFC Championship game provided they come out with a win in the Divisional Round.
Seattle, WA
Seattle Seahawks land 2 players on list of potential salary cap cuts in 2026
No matter how the playoffs go for the Seatte Seahawks, general manager John Schneider and his team are looking at a very busy offseason ahead.
In addition to their usual preparations for the 2026 NFL draft, Seattle has a ton of important players who are about to become unrestricted free agents. That list includes special teams superstar Rashid Shaheed, running back Ken Walker and defensive standouts Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen and Coby Bryant.
It’s going to be really difficult to keep that entire group together, even with a lot of cap space projected to be open in 2026. The Seahawks may have to create room with some salary cap casualties after the season is over.
On that note, Over the Cap has listed a pair of Seattle players as potential cap casualties. Let’s review both of them.
OLB Uchenna Nwosu
Coming in at No. 46 on OTC’s list is veteran edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu, who has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit just over $20 million. Nwosu has been valuable when he’s on the field but he’s also missed a ton of time due to injuries and it will be difficult to justify his cap hit with so many other players to pay.
Seattle can save a little over $11.5 million if they cut Nwosu, before June 1 or after. However, they would also take on a dead money hit north of $8.5 million, which takes a lot of the flavor out of those cap savings.
In 45 games with the Seahawks, Nwosu has tallied 19.5 sacks, 52 QB hits, 24 tackles for a loss, five forced fumbles and eight pass breakups.
That’s a lot of good production across the board as an all-around defender, but he’ll turn 30 years old before next season is over and there are a lot of mouths to feed for Mike Macdonald’s defense.
Over the Cap projects there’s a 58.5% chance that the Seahawks will wind up cutting him. Our best guess is that will be the case, especially if they want to pursue someone like Maxx Crosby on the trade market.
K Jason Myers
The only other Seahawks player who made the list (at No. 77) was placekicker Jason Myers, where the team has an interesting choice to make.
Myers has been around since the 2019 season and he’s come through for them more often than not. In 117 games he’s converted 200 of 232 field goal attempts, coming out to 86.2%. On extra point attempts he’s gone 292/307 for 95.1%.
Those are very solid numbers for an NFL kicker, and when you have a solid option at this position you don’t mess with it.
Another factor working in Myers’ favor is that Seattle really can’t save all that much money by cutting him. According to OTC’s numbers the Seahawks would create $5.1 million in cap room by cutting him, with a dead money hit of $1,875,000.
Five million might get Seattle a decent backup for their interior offensive line, or another contributor to Mike Macdonald’s defense. It’s not enough to really move the needle for this roster, though.
OTC gives it a 52.5% chance that Myers will get cut, but we don’t see that happening. If they want to lower his cap hit, the Seahawks can create a little over $3 million for 2026 with an extension. That’s the only move they should be looking to make at this spot.
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