Jul 7, 2023 | Alert, In the News, Misdemeanor Verdicts, Press Release, Uncategorized, Verdicts
June 21, 2023
Oakland — A three-day preliminary hearing concluded Wednesday with Judge Clifford Blakely’s decision that there is enough evidence to try Phong Tran, an Oakland Police Department homicide detective, on a string of charges, including bribery and perjury.
Tran, a veteran officer, was arrested and charged with two felony counts of perjury under oath, as well as felony subornation of perjury under oath, one count of felony bribery of a witness and attempted bribery of a witness.
The original charges are connected to the murder investigation of Charles Butler, who was shot and killed in 2011, but prosecutors introduced evidence of a pattern of bribery and coercion spanning a decade. Judge Blakely admitted evidence from other investigations that established Tran’s pattern of behavior. Prosecutors detailed strikingly similar allegations, including fraudulent identification of suspects in exchange for cash payments and eliciting false testimony leveraging an excuse from criminal penalties.
Prosecutors allege, in Butler’s shooting, Tran attempted to coerce a woman to identify suspects in exchange for influencing a pending robbery charge against her son. Another woman, who testified at the preliminary hearing, claims Tran fed her details and paid her thousands of dollars to falsely testify she was an eyewitness to the murder.
Tran currently faces a maximum of six years and eight months in state prison. His arraignment to stand trial is scheduled for July 6, 2023.
“We commend and appreciate the witnesses who came forth in this hearing, who had the bravery and courage to stand up for justice,” said Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. “When we ask the witnesses to cooperate, we are asking you to tell the truth. We don’t want you to lie. We don’t want you to deceive the court. We don’t want you to do anything that undermines the administration of justice. My office is committed to serving survivors and victims, making sure that witnesses are protected and that witnesses can testify freely and truthfully in every case. I commend the team that has served the people of Alameda County, faithfully and diligently, in bringing this case forward. We are committed to looking back, sometimes 10 years, sometimes 50 years because justice does not ever have an expiration date.”
## Contact: Communications Director Traci Grant, traci.grant@acgov.org // 628-249-1288
Jun 28, 2023 | Alert, In the News, Misdemeanor Verdicts, Press Release, Uncategorized, Verdicts
District Attorney Pamela Price joins the Prosecutor’s Alliance of California, Moms Demand Action, Everytown for Gun Violence, Giffords Law Center, Brady Campaign and other gun reform advocacy groups in Sacramento
OAKLAND, CA – On Tuesday, June 27, 2023, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price joined the Prosecutors’ Alliance of California and gun reform organizations to speak in support of key gun reforms before the California Senate Public Safety Committee.
District Attorney Pamela Price urged the Committee to support Assembly Bills 732 and 733 (Fong), among other common-sense gun reforms. AB 732 helps take guns out of the hands of criminals by reducing the amount of time an out-of-custody defendant has to relinquish a firearm following a conviction, and requires the Department of Justice to provide local law enforcement agencies a monthly report identifying persons who have not relinquished firearms. AB 733 stops the sale of surplus guns to the public once used by law enforcement, ensuring the guns do not end up on our streets and that tax dollars are not used to subsidize the distribution of firearms.
“Studies show that our streets are safer when we reduce the number of guns in our community,” said District Attorney Pamela Price.
District Attorney Price also supported several other bills including AB 301 (Bauer-Kahan) which includes the purchase of body armor as a potential piece of evidence that may be considered in the issuance of gun violence restraining orders. Our office also spoke in support of AB 1089 (Gibson) which combats three-dimensional (3D) printed ghost guns by making it illegal to print, possess or distribute designs for a 3D printed gun and AB 1420 (Berman) to strengthen and improve oversight over gun dealers.
“There is too much gun violence in our community. Too often anger, resentment and unresolved mental health challenges meet and cause injuries or death to our community members. We must combat the influx of ghost guns, keep guns from those who cannot legally possess one, and support victims of gun violence,” added Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.
“I want to thank the members of the Senate’s Public Safety Committee for advancing AB 301, 732, 733, 1089 and 1420,” said District Attorney Pamela Price. “We are also extremely grateful for the numerous advocacy organizations that helped push for these urgently needed reforms.”
## Contact: Communications Director Traci Grant, traci.grant@acgov.org // 628-249-1288
Jun 23, 2023 | Alert, In the News, Misdemeanor Verdicts, Press Release, Uncategorized, Verdicts
Members of the District Attorney’s Office supported O’Malley’s re-election campaign during work hours, soliciting donations and using office equipment.
The Alameda County Civil Grand Jury investigation revealed a pattern of violations of County policies regarding election-related activities during former District Attorney Nancy O’Malley’s 2018 re-election campaign. The list of violations includes requests from Alameda County District Attorney’s Office staff for donations to support O’Malley’s campaign, attendance at campaign events, distribution of campaign flyers, and participation in photographs that staff believed were taken for use to support O’Malley’s candidacy.
The current District Attorney, Pamela Price, and the entire DA’s office were recused from the investigation. After interviews with more than 30 witnesses and a review of hundreds of pages of documents, the Grand Jury concluded that about 25 DA staffers used county-owned computers and the county-owned-and-operated email system to solicit funds for then District Attorney O’Malley.
The Grand Jury learned these emails were, sometimes, in coordination with police officer unions, in other cities and counties, to request attendance at campaign events and to discuss campaign strategy during the 2018 campaign for District Attorney.
Witness testimony revealed that policies regarding election-related behavior and County policies, including the Appropriate Computer Use Policy, and the Appropriate Use of Telecommunication and Information Technology Systems Policy, were either not well known or were ignored by DA staff in order to support O’Malley’s campaign. The Grand Jury also found that the prior administration led by Ms. O’Malley, despite knowing that employees acted in violation of County policies, did not hold anyone accountable for the misconduct. The new administration has 60 days to respond to the Grand Jury’s report.
“The Grand Jury uncovered behavior that is unacceptable and especially inexcusable for lawyers,” said District Attorney Pamela Price. “Our new administration will not make those same mistakes or violate the laws and policies ignored by the previous administration. We will not sacrifice our integrity or the public trust for political gain. In the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office of today, you can no longer prosecute the law and violate the law at the same time. While I was not part of the Grand Jury’s investigation, I agree with the Grand Jury – the residents of Alameda County deserve better.”
## Contact: Communications Director Traci Grant, traci.grant@acgov.org // 628-249-1288
