Former Police Officer pleads guilty to accepting $ 14,000 in bribes in pot trade case

A corrupt California police officer guilty of taking bribes created a web of lies and deceit worthy of a Breaking Bad episode.

On September 7, Rudolph Petersen, 34, pleaded guilty to federal bribery for accepting at least $ 14,000 in cash from a drug dealer in exchange for escorting massive shipments of cannabis and other drugs and searching a police database alleged informers to provide the smuggler information, according to a press release from the US Department of Justice.

Petersen, who served as the Montebello Police Department for about four years, requested and received several large sums of money from an alleged gang member and drug dealer according to his consent form. Prosecutors say Petersen has admitted taking a total of $ 14,000 in bribes since 2018 – mostly for transporting a weed-filled U-Haul and tracking down people suspected of collaborating with other police officers.

Peterson was the man inside who had access to sensitive information about pleading deals and the people involved.

According to federal prosecutors, a drug trafficker identified only as “Co-Intrigue 2” told Petersen he would be “put on his payroll” during a dinner in 2018 and gave him $ 500 through a middleman.

“Three months later, Petersen – who was armed and wearing a guard uniform that resembled an official police uniform – successfully escorted a white U-haul truck with allegedly illegally grown marijuana from Fontana to a location on California State Route 60 near Rowland Heights, ”says the report. “Petersen returned to Co-Intrigue 2’s apartment, who handed him a paper bag with $ 10,000 in cash. Petersen admitted to having accompanied at least one additional delivery of medication for Co-Schemer 2. “

Petersen also admitted escorting at least one other drug shipment, prosecutors said.

In addition, Petersen admitted using a law enforcement database to gather information about a person Co-Schemer 2 referred to as the “tip” who allegedly helped law enforcement intercept a shipment of cocaine.

For a bribe of $ 500 to $ 1,000 per database search, Petersen provided information about the “tailor” person to Co-Schemer 2, as well as information about others who were also suspected of snooping.

Police say co-investor 2 paid Petersen $ 1,000 in September 2020 to see if any tracking devices found in vehicles he and another co-investor were using were being used by any state or federal law enforcement agency were used. Petersen admitted taking at least $ 14,000 in bribes.

US District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. has scheduled a conviction hearing for January 11, 2022, with Petersen facing a maximum legal sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

Homeland Security Investigations is investigating this matter. US Assistant Attorney Ian V. Yanniello from the International Narcotics, Money Laundering and Extortion Division is pursuing this case.

More alleged bribes in the cannabis industry in central California

Unfortunately, Petersen’s case isn’t the only one in central California when it comes to corruption by law enforcement and other rulers such as public officials.

In February 2019, the FBI investigated whether officials in Sacramento, California were accepting bribes in exchange for favorable treatment for applicants for licenses to operate cannabis businesses in the city.

Sacramento officials investigated how cannabis business owner Garib Karapetyan and his staff managed to acquire eight licenses to operate pharmacies in the city – a third the number of retailers.

One of Karapetyan’s partners, Ukrainian businessman Andrey Kukushkin, was one of four men charged by federal prosecutors for participating in a scheme.

Even President Donald Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani was implicated in the case at one point or another. Two other defendants, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, are also Rudy Giuliani’s employees.