Under a plea deal, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca pleaded guilty to a federal charge of lying to investigators, and will spend no more than six months in prison, if he serves any time at all.
In 2010, a grand jury began an investigation into corruption and abuse at the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. Since then, the U.S. Attorney's Office has charged 18 former and current deputies with such crimes as obstructing justice, beating inmates, bribery, and conspiracy, NBC Los Angeles reports. Baca previously claimed he had no knowledge of abuse at any county jails, deputies intimidating an FBI agent outside of her home, or a coordinated effort by deputies to keep an FBI informant from testifying to a grand jury. NBC Los Angeles reports that for two weeks in 2011, deputies moved an informant around to different jails using a false name every time so the FBI couldn't find the informant and have him or her testify.
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