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Hochman Blasts Gascón Over Allegations of Criminal Acts by Assistant D.A. Teran
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney General Nathan Hochman, who is seeking to unseat District Attorney George Gascón in the Nov. 5 run-off, has lambasted his election rival in connection with the prosecution by the state Attorney General’s Office of Assistant District Attorney Diana Teran on 11 felony counts.
She was charged Wednesday with repeated unauthorized accessing of confidential data concerning sheriff’ deputies and using the information she gleaned. Teran is thought to have downloaded the information in 2019 while a deputy public defender and using it after being transferred to the District Attorney’s Office after Gascón took office.
Hochman commented :
“This is just the latest example of Gascón’s demonstrated record of poor judgment and lack of leadership in running the District Attorney’s Office. Promoting Teran to assistant district attorney, ironically in charge of ethics and integrity, even occurred despite legitimate objections from many experienced prosecutors.
“Those objections included Teran being paid by the Public Defender’s Office at the same time she worked for the DA’s Office and Teran suppressing a declination of a police officer’s abuse case to influence the 2022 L.A. County sheriff’s race.”
Allegation in Lawsuit
It is alleged in a lawsuit that Teran directed lawyers in her office to delay announcing a decision not to bring excessive-force charges against a Wrongdoing deputy sheriff until after the 2022 election in which then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva was seeking reelection on the theory the decision would be beneficial to him.
A felony complaint was filed Wednesday afternoon charging violations of Penal Code §502(c)(2). It provides that a person who “[k]nowingly accesses and without permission takes, copies, or makes use of any data from a computer, computer system, or computer network, or takes or copies any supporting documentation, whether existing or residing internal or external to a computer, computer system, or computer network” is guilty of a public offense.
Although it has been publicly alleged that Teran peeked at records relating to Villanueva, that is not charged in the complaint. It refers to “SHERIFF’S DEPUTY DOE 1” through “SHERIFF’S DEPUTY DOE 11” with no mention of the sheriff.
Bail was set by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin S. Rosenberg at $50,000.
Gascón’s Comment
Gascón said in a statement:
“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. I stand by that protocol.”
Brady v. Maryland is a 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
The district attorney continued:
“While we cannot comment on specific personnel matters, we will comply with any investigation from the Attorney General’s Office. I remain committed to upholding transparency and ensuring police accountability within Los Angeles County.
“These principles are paramount to the integrity of our work and the trust of the community we serve. We will address this matter with the utmost seriousness and diligence to uphold the values of justice and fairness.”
The District Attorney’s Office has three assistant district attorney spots, one of which is vacant. Teran and Assistant District Attorney James Garrison report to Chief Deputy Joseph F. Iniguez, who holds the No. Two position in the office.
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