LOS ANGELES — In an unusual move, newly-appointed U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli—former Republican California Assemblymember—has offered a plea agreement in a civil rights case where a jury already convicted a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy of a felony, according to independent legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff.
The deputy was found guilty on Feb. 6, 2025, of using excessive force on a woman while responding to a reported robbery. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the deputy shoved the woman to the ground, assaulted her, and pepper-sprayed her twice.
Detailing the incident, Cuniff reports that on June 24, 2023, the victim was outside a WinCo grocery store when the accused, believing she and another bystander matched the suspect description, arrested the bystander. The victim, who was filming the encounter on YouTube Live, was told to stop recording before the deputy allegedly slammed her to the ground, pressed his knee into her back, and pepper-sprayed her in the face—twice.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, under Essayli, has now moved to “strike the jury’s findings,” potentially reducing the sentence from a maximum of nine years to as little as probation, if U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson accepts the prosecution’s recommendation. However, Judge Wilson retains discretion and can still factor in the jury’s felony conviction when issuing the sentence, according to Cuniff.
The victim’s attorney, Caree Harper, criticized the plea offer. “I’m appalled at the notion that the new administration thinks they can overturn a lawful jury verdict,” she said, though she also expressed “faith in Judge Wilson.”
Last month, Judge Wilson rejected the defense’s motion for acquittal, citing “sufficient evidence” from the jury. In an April 18 ruling, Wilson also noted that prosecutors presented body-worn camera footage and demonstrated that the deputy’s use of force violated Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department policy—an assertion the jury could reasonably rely on to conclude that the use of force was objectively unreasonable.
Following Essayli’s takeover of the case, three assistant U.S. attorneys previously assigned to the prosecution withdrew from the case and removed their names from the court record—an unusual move, according to Cuniff.
Meanwhile, some law enforcement organizations, particularly in Southern California, expressed concern over the conviction. They argue it could deter officers from using force, citing, for example, a boycott by 20 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s stations of the annual Baker to Las Vegas law enforcement relay, Cuniff reports.
However, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, who fired the deputy in 2023, called the officer’s conduct “disturbing” during a press conference at the time.
Cuniff also reported that the victim has settled her civil lawsuit against the former deputy, his partner, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for $3 million, pending approval by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 19 before Judge Wilson.
