The right-hand woman of far-left Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon is facing 11 felonies over accusations that she abused her position dating back to 2018.
State prosecutors have accused Diana Teran of accessing a database from the sheriff’s office that contained information about deputies while she was working there. She is accused of then taking that information with her as she moved over to the DA’s office under Gascon, who won election after campaigning on a platform that was anti-police.
The Attorney General’s Office in California said that Teran “impermissibly” used the data that she obtained improperly to assist Gascon.
She’s alleged to have used some of the information she took to help criminal defendants as well as stifle some of the prosecutors who served under her.
A source within law enforcement commented to Fox News Digital that this case was referred to the state attorney general’s office because of a conflict of interest. What this indicates is that Teran was still the leader of the DA’s ethics and integrity unit for many months, even as the investigation into her conduct was ongoing.
While serving in that role, Teran was responsible for some divisions that prosecuted allegations of misconduct levied against public officials and police officers.
Apparently, Gascon sent an investigator who was armed and wearing plainclothes to her home to intimidate her after a whistleblowing incident that was unrelated. That is according to Tatiana Chahoian, who serves as a deputy district attorney general.
As she told Fox news Digital:
“She illegitimately accessed the officers’ files while with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Then, she came to the district attorney’s office and used all that information against the officers.”
James Spertus, who is serving as the attorney for Teran, said previously that he expected that his client would be cleared of the charges, saying that ultimately the allegations that have been put forth by the attorney general would end up being a failure that’s “very embarrassing.”
He said:
“I want the world to know that the AG’s office will face a very quick and expeditious loss on this sort of thoughtless legal theory that an official can be prosecuted for doing an official act. It’s just really something that you wouldn’t expect in law enforcement today.”
It’s believed that the allegations levied against Teran involve her misappropriating “Brady” material. This includes information regarding police misconduct that defense attorneys must be given.
On the social media platform X, Gascon’s former challenger in the most recent primary election, John McKinney, wrote:
“The controversy deepens now with allegations that Teran illegally introduced sensitive information into DA databases — information that she and Gascon knew would inevitably be shared with defense attorneys. This alleged breach, committed by someone entrusted to uphold the highest legal standards, represents serious criminal acts and shows a void in judgment and leadership by Gascon.”
Legal experts have said that prosecutors must turn over all “material evidence” that could help a defendant’s case, as the Supreme Court ruled in the landmark 1963 case Brady v. Maryland.
