On April 27th, Diana Teran, a senior advisor to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, surrendered to local police and was released on a $50,000 bail. Teran had been charged with 11 serious offenses by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, pertaining to her alleged unauthorized use of records of 11 officers while working at the sheriff’s office in 2018 and carrying them over to her role at the district attorney’s office in 2021.
Bonta, appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021, emphasized in a statement that no one is above the law. He underscored the obligation of public officials to serve California and its people with honesty and integrity, stating that the California Department of Justice will fight to protect the state’s residents and hold wrongdoers accountable.
Teran’s lawyer, James Spertus, has denied the allegations, asserting that the charges stem from her duties within the scope of her work, particularly with regards to the “Brady List,” a public database of allegations of misconduct against police officers. He argued against the legitimacy of the charges in such circumstances.
In response, Gascón’s office issued a statement neither directly addressing the accusations nor serving as a defense for Teran’s actions, but confirming cooperation with the investigation and standing by Teran’s actions.
Gascón highlighted an agreement he established upon taking office to uphold the legal obligations outlined in the “Brady rule” (referencing the 1963 Supreme Court decision in Brady v. Maryland), which mandates prosecutors to disclose evidence favorable to the defendant’s case, including past law enforcement misconduct. He affirmed his commitment to this agreement.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Spertus indicated that the investigation into Teran was prompted by complaints from former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Villanueva seemingly confirmed this during a livestream on April 24th, recounting his 2019 warnings to the FBI and the Justice Department, expressing concerns about what he termed a “massive data breach” involving Teran.
Before becoming a prosecutor, Teran practiced law for over three decades, initially as a constitutional policing advisor for law enforcement and subsequently as an advisor at the Inspector General’s office overseeing law enforcement agencies. In 2019, Teran joined the Office of the Public Defender for Los Angeles County as the law enforcement accountability advisor.
Teran entered Gascón’s office in early 2021 as a special advisor and later took charge of the Justice System Integrity Division, responsible for prosecutorial decisions concerning law enforcement officials.