4 more police officers to be fired in California sex-crimes scandal

Four more Bay Area police officers will be fired as a result of an investigation into allegations made by a teenage sex-trafficking victim who said she had sex with dozens of law enforcement officers.

Richmond City Manager Bill Lindsay Sunday said the four officers will be fired after a city investigation found “documented misconduct” between the officers and the victim. Five other officers will be reprimanded.

The Oakland Police Department and other Bay Area law enforcement agencies came under scrutiny in June after 19-year-old Jasmine Abuslin said she had sex with multiple officers, some while she was underage.

Four Oakland police officers were fired and seven others suspended without pay in September.

The allegations led Bay Area prosecutors to file criminal charges against five different officers from other agencies. Some of the charges included lewd conduct, engaging in prostitution, providing a minor with alcohol, failing to report child abuse and felony oral copulation with a minor.

One Oakland police officer, Brian Bunton, was charged with obstruction of justice. He was accused of leaking information about planned prostitution raids to the teenager in exchange for sex.

Richmond Mayor Tom Butt said in an email that he cannot disclose what type of misconduct led to firing the four officers, but Sunday’s disciplinary actions were harsher than what the city announced last month when the investigation concluded. At that point, the city had planned to fire only one officer.

Other heads rolled as news of the scandal broke this year: Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent resigned the same weekend Abuslin gave a televised interview detailing some allegations.

After Whent resigned, two acting police chiefs were appointed to head the department but were subsequently fired within nine days. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf chose to put the department under the authority of civilian City Administrator Sabrina Landreth.