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LA Deputy’s Badge for Sale
A former Los Angeles County deputy sheriff, Kenneth Collins, 50, of Chino, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana as part of an interstate drug trafficking scheme.
Collins, who separated from the LASD in late February, admitted to conspiring with at least two other individuals to accept cash payments in exchange for distributing large quantities of controlled substances and actively thwarting the enforcement of state and local law.
According to a plea agreement filed in federal court, Collins agreed to provide an armed escort for the narcotics and take calculated steps to prevent legitimate law enforcement from intercepting the shipments during an FBI undercover operation.
Collins pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Otis D. Wright, II, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for November 19, 2018. As a result of today’s guilty plea, Collins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, and he could be sentenced to as much as life without parole.
“Law enforcement officers are sworn to uphold the law, which is why we hold them to a higher standard of conduct,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “Deputy Collins didn’t just break the law, he trampled his oath by agreeing to sell his badge to assist drug traffickers.”
Collins had previously negotiated a cash payment of $250,000 for a transport with an undercover FBI agent posing as the partner of a wealthy investor financing a drug trafficking operation. Collins received $25,000 in cash for providing security in November 2017 for a shipment of what Collins believed to be six kilograms of methamphetamine, as well as marijuana and counterfeit cigarettes, from Pasadena to Las Vegas.
Collins admitted in court that he and his two co-defendants, David Easter, 52, of the Hyde Park District of Los Angeles, and Grant Valencia, 34, of Pomona, had provided security in November 2017 for the shipment. The two co-defendants were arrested in January with Collins after they arrived in Pasadena to provide security for the transport of nearly 45 pounds of cocaine and more than 13 pounds of methamphetamine to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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