28 February – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – A deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was convicted today of three federal criminal civil rights offenses for raping a woman, forcing another woman to perform oral sex, and fondling a third woman’s breasts, all while on duty.
Gabriel Gonzalez, 38, of Chino Hills, was convicted today by a federal jury in Los Angeles following a two-week trial.
The evidence at trial showed that Gonzalez pulled over one woman for an alleged traffic violation, drove her to a secluded location, and raped her. Gonzalez stopped another woman for jaywalking, drove her to an alley and forced her to perform oral sex. The evidence showed that Gonzalez stopped a third woman for an alleged traffic violation and fondled her breasts under the pretense of searching her for drugs.
Gonzalez, who was an eight-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department when he was suspended in August 2004, is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Christina A. Snyder on May 22. As a result of the two felony and one misdemeanor convictions, Gonzalez faces up to life in federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by attorneys from the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
