Snitch scandal that shook the county D.A., Sheriff’s Department comes to a close
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Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Jan. 22 and I’m Carol Cormaci bringing you this week’s TimesOC newsletter with a look at some of the latest local news and events.
A scandal involving prosecutors’ illegal use of jailhouse informants, which may have affected as many as 50 felony trials, has culminated with a settlement between the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the Orange County district attorney’s office and the U.S. Department of Justice, it was announced Friday.
This agreement was a long time coming, as the DOJ began probing the case in 2016 and in 2022 said its investigation found civil rights violations.
According to the Los Angeles Times article on the settlement by reporter Salvador Hernandez, it was a public defender, Scott Sanders, who accused the Sheriff’s Department of placing informants near defendants in order to solicit confessions out of them, even after they were already represented by attorneys.
At the time, Sanders was defending Scott Dekraai, the gunman behind a mass shooting in Seal Beach in 2011 who took the lives of his ex-wife and seven other individuals. Dekraai had already admitted to the crime when an informant was placed in a neighboring cell. Prosecutors were accused of keeping that practice — in Dekraai’s case and others — secret.
Furthermore, they were accused of hiding evidence of use of the informants and keeping exculpatory information from defense attorneys.
When the scandal was made public, both Sandra Hutchens, then-sheriff of Orange County, and then-Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas denied the allegations. Voters may recall that it became central to the battle between Rackauckas when he sought reelection in 2019 and Todd Spitzer, who won that race and now serves as the D.A.
The agreement reached between the DOJ and the O.C. Sheriffs Department “requires training, policy changes, documentation and audits to continue oversight over the use of snitches in jails. Federal prosecutors will also have access to the data to confirm whether the department has performed the required reforms,” The Times reports.
Jail informants in Orange County “must now be approved by the sheriff, and informants used in prosecutions have to be vetted by an internal review committee in the district attorney’s office,” according to the story.
Orange County Public Defender Martin F. Schwarz said he’s hopeful the new practices put in place as a result of the case will prevent further issues surrounding the use of jailhouse informants.
“Custodial informants are inherently unreliable, their testimony is one of the leading causes of wrongful convictions, and their use as witnesses in criminal cases should be evaluated at the highest levels,” he told The Times.
NEWS
• Following elections held a week ago Monday by their respective organizations, two new leaders of the local GOP and Democratic parties emerged. For its top job, the Orange County Republican Party tapped Will O’Neill, who last month finished his term on the Newport Beach City Council. Republicans trail Democrats in O.C. by about 40,800 registered voters, according to the county registrar’s office, so there is some ground to make up for that party. In an interview, O’Neill told the Daily Pilot he’s looking for grassroots leaders to help bring voters back into the fold. Orange County Democrats elected labor attorney Florice Hoffman (shown below) to lead them into the 2026 midterm elections. “Our main goal is to register, recruit and elect more Democrats in Orange County,” Hoffman told TimesOC. “There are different strategies for different parts of the county. Although there are many of the same issues across the county, the way people and candidates handle them are different.”
• While more critters living in the wild and affected by the L.A. fires are expected to be found needing care in the weeks to come, the first wave of wildlife refugees from the Eaton fire in Altadena are being cared for at Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach. Officials at the Pasadena Humane Society, which was inundated with animals after the fire broke out Jan. 7, reached out to the O.C. facility, which welcomed injured peafowls, rabbits, opossums and a raccoon. Also added to the mix was a mourning dove rescued from the Palisades fire. Meanwhile, an O.C. cat rescue group, nonprofit Friends of Normie, reported receiving 600 applications to foster felines displaced by the fires.
• Southern California Edison is taking heat of its own in the fallout from the Eaton and Palisades fires as investigators study whether or not power lines sparked either of them. Although SCE denies culpability, Edison International is seeing the suspicions reflected by investors. Also, the Newport Beach law firm of Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian has filed a mass action complaint against SCE regarding the Eaton fire on behalf of victims, the L.A. Times reported.
• The cities of Laguna Beach and San Clemente have both held wildfire preparedness meetings in response to the L.A. fires. In addition to announcing there was an ample supply of water to fight blazes in Laguna, as reported in last week’s newsletter, that city’s mayor also renewed a call to underground power lines in Laguna Canyon. The San Clemente City Council unanimously approved several measures aimed at clearing an overabundance of dry brush before a blaze ignites.
CRIME
• A 34-year-old man once convicted of attacking a girlfriend in Irvine was charged Thursday with sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on Jan. 6 in Newport Beach. Siamack Reza Yaghobi is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 6 at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.
• A convicted carjacker, Conor Bryan Verdun, was sentenced Thursday to 19 years in prison for keeping a girlfriend captive and attempting to kill her in Huntington Beach in 2022. Verdun pleaded guilty in October to attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, criminal threats and false imprisonment — all felonies.
LIFE & LEISURE
• A new, 8,000-square-foot assembly hall that was two decades in the making was recently dedicated at St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Costa Mesa. The building, which seats more than 300 people, is named for major benefactors Angela and Aris Stambolian.
• Hoag announced last week the receipt of a second $50-million donation from philanthropists David and Diana Sun through their foundation for the construction of the Sun Family Campus, in Irvine. “There’s a Chinese saying that talks about how individual grains of sand can be gathered to form a tower. Our gift is what we can give,” said Diana Sun. “Regardless of the amount, when many come together to give what they can, they can build something exceptional.”
• Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion reopened Saturday following a refurbishment project that took nearly a year to finish. L.A. Times features columnist Todd Martens had a preview of the opening and described all the changes to the attraction visitors to the park will find, including one that especially moved him. You can find his feature story on the updates here.
CALENDAR THIS
• “Symphonic Soul: A Celebration of African Artistry” will take place on Jan. 25 at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. For more information and tickets, visit pacificsymphony.org.
• Gnome Hunt returns to Oso Creek Golf Course on Saturday, Jan.25 . A unique evening outing can be yours this weekend at the 18-hole course, located at 27601 Casta Del Sol, Mission Viejo. Between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m., participants hunt for “gnomes” while riding in golf carts outfitted with flashlights and glow sticks. A dinner buffet and hot chocolate will be served before the hunt. The cost is $55 for adults and $48 for kids ages 5 to 12. To register, call (949) 470-4997 or email [email protected].
• Casa Romantica in San Clemente recently unveiled a new family-friendly exhibition organized by the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature called “Brian’s Magnificent Garden by Brian Lies.” Lies is an award-winning children’s author and illustrator. The exhibition runs through March 9.
Until next Wednesday,
Carol
KEEP IN TOUCH
I appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to [email protected].
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