Sheriff Alex Villanueva is being investigated by the Los Angeles District Attorney‘s Office for allegedly trying to extort money from his deputies. The District Attorney’s Agency has received a tip about this video, as stated by Tiffiny Blacknell, a spokeswoman for the office.
“We are giving careful consideration to the situation. We have begun an official investigation with our [PID] team. Unfortunately, we are unable to elaborate at this time.” The Public Integrity Division (PID) was established to handle allegations of wrongdoing by public authorities, including both elected and appointed officials.
The investigation is based mainly on the video in which Villanueva was captured
In the video, Villanueva is seen in civilian clothes and asks for campaign donations of “$20 to $1,500″ from the department’s deputies. This message is for deputies,” Villanueva says in the video. “Whoever you want to be, Sheriff is entirely up to you. Anything you can do to aid in spreading our word would be greatly appreciated.”
Villanueva began his appeal to the Sheriff’s department’s deputies by explaining that, despite having the backing of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, he had not been provided with a “substantial” campaign fund. While running for office in 2018, he said that ALADS established an “independent expenditure committee” to help fund his campaign.
They have abandoned the membership, as Villanueva put it.