Former LA County Sheriff Lee Baca Convicted In Jail Corruption Case

The former sheriff of Los Angeles County has been convicted for his role in a scheme to block an FBI investigation into mistreatment of inmates in his jails.

For 15 years, Lee Baca led the nation's largest sheriff's department. He was among the most powerful law enforcement leaders in the country.

Part of Baca's job was to oversee the jails, where there were allegations of deputies beating inmates, including those in handcuffs.

The FBI started investigating civil rights abuses, but those efforts were blocked in 2011 when the sheriff's department discovered a cellphone the FBI had given an informant.

Deputies hid an inmate informant from the FBI. Later, they approached an FBI agent at her house and threatened to arrest her. Prosecutors said Sheriff Baca led the conspiracy.

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