SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A former Yuba City police officer has pleaded guilty to federal programs bribery in connection with a drug trafficking scheme, federal authorities announced.
Harminder Phagura, 36, of Yuba City, pleaded guilty to one count of federal programs bribery, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, while he was employed as a Yuba City police officer, Harminder Phagura exchanged sensitive information gained from his official position and exchanged it for money. Co-defendant Gursharan Phagura transmitted this police-only information to a government source, who was posing as a cocaine trafficker.
During the investigation, on July 29, 2014, federal agents observed Gursharan Phagura meet with Harminder Phagura in a Yuba City Police vehicle. At the same time, Gursharan Phagura and the government source were exchanging text messages regarding the state of police presence in the area. Agents then caused an alert to be transmitted on the Yuba City Police Department’s dispatch system. Within a few minutes, the government source received text messages indicating, in coded language, that law enforcement was in the area.
Over the course of several undercover operations, the government source paid a total of $6,000 for the information. The Yuba City Police Department receives grant funds from a Federal program.
‘It’s profoundly troubling when sworn personnel use their training and expertise to flout the law, rather than uphold it,’ said Ryan L. Spradlin, the special agent in charge who oversees HSI’s enforcement activities throughout northern California. ‘As the charges in this case make clear, no one is above the law, least of all law enforcement. This plea is gratifying for the HSI special agents and other investigators who worked tirelessly to see justice served.’
Harminder Phagura faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 14, 2016. He is currently out of custody on a $100,000 bond.
Related Federal Cases
- Claudio Rene Sunux, Methamphetamine Smuggling and Bribery, California 2023 · Iowa
- Gentry Debord, Bribery, California 2017 · North Carolina
- Christopher Guilford, Tax Refund Scheme, California 2025 · Virginia
- Frank Hamilton, SBA Scam, California 2023 · Texas
- Amy Evangelista, Tax Return Fraud, California 2023 · California
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Public Corruption|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
