SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A former Bay Area sheriff’s deputy will spend 15 months in federal prison for his role in a scheme to arrest men for drunken driving to help their ex-wives’ divorce and custody cases.
The Contra Costa Times (bit.ly/1e8DBEb) reports that an emotional 50-year-old Stephen Tanabe was sentenced Wednesday for multiple felonies including conspiracy and extortion.
The former Contra Costa County deputy was paid by private investigator Christopher Butler to arrest two men outside bars in elaborate stings known as “Dirty DUIs”.
Authorities say Butler was hired to tarnish their images. Butler, who testified against Tanabe, is currently serving a prison sentence for drug dealing.
Butler was the center of a corruption scandal resulting in convictions of Bay Area police officers from four agencies, including the former head of a drug task force.
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Information from: Contra Costa Times, https://www.contracostatimes.com
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