Gascon's Controversial Aide Faces Felony Charges, Deepening Scandal

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon's right-hand woman, Diana Teran, is facing 11 felony charges, including misappropriation of confidential information about deputies. The allegations raise questions about Gascon's leadership and the ethics of the district attorney's office.

Teran, who worked closely with Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, is accused of accessing a sheriff's office database and taking information with her when she left to work for Gascon.

According to the California Attorney General's Office, Teran allegedly used the improperly obtained data to assist criminal defendants and stifle line prosecutors under her.

"She illegitimately accessed the officers’ files while with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department," said Tatiana Chahoian, a deputy district attorney who has accused Gascon of sending an armed investigator to intimidate her. "Then she came to the district attorney's office and used all that information against the officers."

In one case that Chahoian prosecuted, she said a woman who took a felony plea deal after breaking another woman's clavicle in a road rage fight was involved in a separate use-of-force incident with the deputy while holding her baby.

Teran allegedly withheld the entire case file as well as video evidence from the DA's office, including Chahoian, who was handling the proceedings. In bodycam video that Sheriff Robert Luna later released, a DUI suspect can be seen arguing with deputies who pulled her boyfriend over in a DUI stop and found the infant without a car seat or seat belt.

"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," wrote John McKinney, a veteran L.A. deputy district attorney.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1963's Brady v. Maryland case that prosecutors have to disclose "material evidence" that could help a defendant's case. However, it is not clear whether all information taken from the sheriff's office by Teran met this standard.

"No one is above the law," said Attorney General Rob Bonta. "Public officials are called to serve the people and the State of California with integrity and honesty."

The Association of Deputy District Attorneys has criticized Gascon for his policies and the actions of his staff. "Her case is in its nascent stages," wrote Ryan Erlich, vice president of the group. "But it is not too early to ask Gascón and his inner circle some key questions, beginning with 'what did the District Attorney know and when did he know it?'"

Gascon has defended his Brady policy and said he would cooperate with state investigators.

"When I took office, we developed a protocol that ensured we complied with our constitutional obligations under Brady, which requires us to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence to the defense, a category that includes law enforcement’s prior misconduct, while simultaneously complying with state and federal law around privacy," he said. "I stand by that protocol."