District Attorney George Gascon has criminally charged a Los Angeles County sheriff’s lieutenant as punishment after Gascon was criticized in the media over lax prosecution standards against international drug cartels, Sheriff Alex Villanueva says.
“Justice is supposed to be blind, but with Gascon in office, anything goes,” Villanueva said. “This appears to be happening because we challenged Gascon’s soft-on-cartel policies.”
Villanueva is referring to a Washington Examiner investigation that exposed a bevy of marijuana growers that seemingly operate with impunity in the desert region of Los Angeles County. The growers suck dry valuable water from wells to feed their thirsty crops in an era in which drought is devastating the state’s farming industry.
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Sheriff’s Lt. Howard Fuchs heads a task force aimed at shutting down the cartels, but he told the Washington Examiner that it’s difficult to convince Gascon to file any charges even though he has the evidence.
As a result, Fuchs says, Gascon charged him with two domestic violence charges two days before the one-year statute of limitations ended.
Although the charges are misdemeanors and likely carry no jail time, the fallout would cause Fuchs to lose his job because he would be prohibited from carrying a gun.
“Ironically, if a kid is walking around with a loaded gun, that’s OK because he can’t be charged under Gascon’s policies,” Villanueva said.
The sheriff is referring to a Gascon mandate that prohibits prosecutors from utilizing a state law that can tack on a gun possession charge to another crime, resulting in up to life in prison.
In one famous incident, that policy had deadly consequences when a gang member was given a plea bargain for a gun possession charge and released from jail only to shoot to death two police officers at a motel this summer, according to former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley.
Fuchs has been charged with spousal battery and false imprisonment against his wife, Denise. A crime report states that Fuchs retrieved his car from a Beverly Hills restaurant valet, but his wife refused to get inside and was followed by Fuchs. He allegedly grabbed her arm and told her to get inside, which prompted bystanders to call 911. His wife stated that she was not injured and did not want him prosecuted.
The case was submitted to the DA’s office on Sept. 21, 2021, but rejected on Jan. 22 for filing. Assistant Sheriff Holly Francisco investigated the incident, which was caught on a surveillance camera. She decided that no policies had been violated, and Fuchs returned to work on March 22, Villanueva said.
Fuchs is now on leave again with a court date of Oct. 3.
“This is going to cost me between $10,000 and $50,000 for my defense,” Fuchs said. “We have been married 32 years. She said she is not a victim, and the Beverly Hills detective did not call her for four months. At no time was [Beverly Hills police] concerned for her safety.”
Gascon’s office said in a written statement that any allegation of vindictive prosecution is absurd.
“No one is above the law and our office has followed the evidence. The LA County District Attorney’s Office takes allegations of domestic violence very seriously no matter the occupation and rank of the suspected perpetrator,” the statement said.
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Prosecutors did not initially file charges because Fuchs’s wife was uncooperative but recently viewed the videotape for the first time and determined that enough evidence existed to file charges, the office said.
