San Diego, California
United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced that Juan Hurtado Tapia, a uniformed officer of the San Diego Police Department, was arraigned in federal court in San Diego by United States Magistrate Judge Leo S. Papas on a criminal complaint charging him with misuse of his status as a law enforcement officer to obtain and pass sensitive information to associates who were involved in drug trafficking crimes.
Mr. Tapia was arrested by FBI and DEA agents on September 2, 2008.
The complaint alleges that during the course of a long-term drug trafficking investigation being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the San Diego Police Department, investigating agents became aware in May 2008 that the targets of their investigation were in contact with Juan Hurtado Tapia, a patrol officer employed by the San Diego Police Department.
According to the complaint, information obtained through court-authorized wiretaps uncovered that Tapia was utilizing his position as a law enforcement officer to run criminal history checks on behalf of people involved in illegal drug trafficking. The complaint further alleges that Tapia passed on to those same individuals specific sensitive information regarding the then-ongoing drug investigation that he had obtained through the course of his official duties.
The individuals to whom Tapia passed the information were arrested in July 2008 and have since been charged along with several others in the Southern District of California in a criminal indictment in Case No. 08CR2642JAH.
Tapia is scheduled to be in court next on September 16, 2008, before Magistrate Judge Papas for a preliminary hearing.
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