Prosecutors to charge seven officers in Bay Area sex scandal

September 9, 2016

Prosecutors will file charges against seven current and former Bay Area law enforcement officers involved in a teen sex scandal, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said at a press conference Friday. The charges will consist of a range of felonies and misdemeanors. [ABC News]

Last year, Oakland police officer Brendan O’Brien committed suicde and left a note naming law enforcement personnel involved with the now 19-year-old daughter of one of the department’s dispatchers. O’Brien and three other officers allegedly had sex with the woman, who goes by Celeste Guap, before she turned 18.

The teen, who worked as a prostitute, said she had sex with about 30 law enforcement officials in Oakland and elsewhere in the Bay Area. At times, she traded sex for protection from arrest or tips about upcoming prostitution stings, Guap said.

Guap is currently in a jail in Florida. Guap traveled to Florida to enter rehab for drug and sex addiction, but she reportedly ran into a street and flashed drivers, then attacked staffers at the rehab center and bit a security guard on the arm. Officers arrested Guap for assault, and she allegedly tried to solicit them for sex.

O’Malley said Friday that she is waiting for Guap to return to California before filing charges against the officers. Prosecutors need the teen to testify in the case.

Three current Oakland officers, two former Oakland officers, one former Livermore officer and and one Contra Costa sheriff’s deputy are now facing charges. They are: Contra Costa sheriff’s deputy Ricardo Perez; former Livermore police officer Dan Black, Oakland police officers Brian Bunton, Giovani LoVerde and Warit Utappa; and former Oakland police officers Tyrell Smith and Leroy Johnson.

Earlier this week, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announced that four Oakland officers are being fired, seven will serve unpaid suspensions and another one will be required to attend training classes. Two Oakland officers previously resigned, and O’Brien committed suicide.

In June, the Oakland Police Department went through three chiefs in a period of 10 days after the allegations were first publicized. The turnover also came at a time when racist emails, which included discussions of the KKK, surfaced amid an investigation into the department.

One Livermore police officer resigned on Thursday. The officer, who had been on administrative leave, resigned after seeing the results of his police department’s investigation.