OAKLAND
-- A former Danville police officer and Contra Costa sheriff's deputy pleaded
not guilty in federal court Friday to new felony charges related to a purported
scheme to set up men for drunken-driving arrests, according to court records.
Federal
prosecutors in April obtained a superseding indictment that doubled the number
of felony charges against Stephen Tanabe to eight. The 49-year-old Alamo
resident now faces four counts of wire fraud and "deprivation of honest
services" in addition to his previous charges related to conspiracy and
extortion by a police officer.
Tanabe's
attorneys maintain that he is innocent and will continue to fight the
accusations.
Prosecutors
say former Concord private investigator Christopher Butler paid Tanabe in
cocaine and a handgun to arrange DUI arrests on men whose spouses were seeking
leverage in divorce and child-custody cases.
Butler
admitted as much in court earlier this month after pleading guilty to seven
felonies for crimes that included stealing and selling drug evidence with
disgraced Central Contra Costa Narcotics Enforcement Team Cmdr. Norman Wielsch,
who is awaiting trial.
Tanabe's
new charges are supported by text messages between Tanabe and Butler during the
suspected drunken driving setups in which female employees of Butler would ply
the targets with alcohol at local bars, according to the latest indictment.
Prosecutors
quote Tanabe writing, "I thought I worked that off last night," and
Butler writing, "They are up + heading for the door," and "He's
wasted."
A
third former officer, Louis Lombardi, has been sentenced to three years in
prison for his role in the CNET scandal. Lombardi pleaded guilty to stealing at
least $40,000 in cash, as well as guns, jewelry and other property, while
executing search warrants as a San Ramon police officer and as an agent for
CNET.
Had enough?
Write to the Speaker of the House, U.S.
House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and demand federal hearings into
the police problem in America. Demand
mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike rule on abuse, and a permanent DOJ office on Police Misconduct.