Three Los Angeles police surrender, face criminal charges in corruption probe

April 25, 2000
Web posted at: 2:56 a.m. EDT (0656 GMT)

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LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Three police officers have surrendered and face criminal charges in connection with an investigation into alleged corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department.

The three surrendered after the first criminal charges related to the Rampart corruption investigation were filed Monday against Sgt. Edward Ortiz, Sgt. Brian Liddy and Officer Paul Harper.

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According to the complaint, Ortiz and Liddy were charged with filing a false report. Harper was charged with perjury. All three were charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, authorities said.

More than two dozen officers have been fired, relieved of duty, or have quit as a result of the corruption scandal and at least 70 are under investigation, CNN has learned. More charges are expected to be filed against other officers in the next few weeks.

The FBI and the Justice Department are also investigating allegations against LAPD police officers.

Ortiz, Harper and Liddy were to be "arrested, booked and arraigned like any other defendant," Los Angeles District Attorney spokeswoman Victoria Pipkin told CNN.

By late Monday night, all three officers had surrendered. Ortiz surrendered at 5:30 p.m. EDT, while both Harper and Liddy turned themselves in to police at 10:30 p.m. EDT, according to Ed Funes, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Funes also told CNN that all three men posted bail and are not in custody.

All three officers are former members of an elite anti-drug unit operating out of the Rampart division.

Pipkin said the charges are related to an arrest in 1996 of suspected gang member Allan Manrique Lobos, who was later convicted of felony gun possession.

The Los Angeles District Attorney asked that the conviction be thrown out in February after determining the case was based on falsified evidence provided by former Officer Rafael Perez.

Barry Levin, an attorney representing Sgt. Ortiz, said, "We look forward to clearing Sergeant Ortiz's name through the judicial system."

He also added, "Whether or not we feel we can get a fair trial in Los Angeles is another issue."

The police corruption scandal emerged after former Officer Rafael Perez confessed to participating in or witnessing criminal behavior in the department's Rampart Division in exchange for a plea agreement with government prosecutors following a cocaine theft conviction.

Producer Stanley Wilson and correspondent Charles Feldman contributed to this report.

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The Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles County District Attorney
United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California
Federal Bureau of Investigation

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