by Thomas Buckley at californiaglobe.com
n what can only be called a stunning development, especially considering their close relationship, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed 11 felony charges against Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon’s chief of ethics and integrity Diana Teran.
According to a release from Bonta’s office, Diana Teran, a Deputy District Attorney, has been charged with “11 felony violations of Penal Code section 502, subdivision (c)(2), alleging repeated and unauthorized use of data from confidential, statutorily-protected peace officer files. Penal Code section 502, subdivision (c)(2) prohibits the use of data from a government computer system without permission. “
In other words, Teran illegally – allegedly – looked into officer personnel files and then apparently improperly used said information in court or before a trial.
“No one is above the law,” said Bonta. “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 felony complaint for Teran’s arrest – it is unknown at this moment if she has been arrested, turned herself in, etc. – states 11 times that Teran “on or about April 26, 2021” – when she was already with Gascon’s office, though she could have been technically “on loan” from the public defender’s office – she worked there, too, though her status is a bit unclear – “did knowingly access and without permission take, copy or make use of data” regarding a “sheriff’s deputy.”
Teran joined the office a month after Gascon was elected, and her “LinkedIn” resume lists time with the sheriff’s office, the county, and the public defender’s office.