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LA Police Informant Released in Controversial Case
LOS ANGELES, July 24 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - After nearly three years behind bars, former Los Angeles Police officer Rafael Perez, the key informant in a Los Angeles police (LAPD) corruption scandal, was released from prison Tuesday morning.
On Monday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry ruled that Perez should be released after serving a portion of the five-year sentence he received as part of a plea bargain because of good-time and work-time credits.
"The defendant is a notorious individual who for obvious reasons would be better off serving his parole outside the state," the judge added however.
According to Department of Corrections spokeswoman Margo Bach, Perez, 33, was placed on parole after being discharged from the California Correction Institute in Tehachapi.
Prosecutors objected, asking how Perez could be entitled to work-time credits that allowed him to be released from prison before ending his sentence if he was housed in a county facility instead of a state prison.
However, Perry said that despite what prosecutors said, the court's reading of the rules was correct, and that Perez should not have to suffer for the misinterpretation of prison rules by the prosecution, both the defense and judge said.
Perry said that all parties involved in the case incorrectly assumed when Perez was originally sentenced that Perez would receive those credits while he stayed in the country facility instead of a state prison for helping in the LAPD corruption probe.
In 1998, Perez was arrested for stealing eight pounds of cocaine from an LAPD evidence facility, the event that started the corruption scandal in the department's troubled former anti-drug and anti-gang division.
In more than 4,000 pages of testimony, Perez described how he, with other officers in the Rampart Division's anti-gang unit, routinely fabricated arrest reports, planted guns and drugs on suspects, beat suspects in custody and, in some cases, shot unarmed, innocent people.
The scandal has led to more than 100 criminal convictions being overturned.
Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections, said that it is better for Perez to spend time out of the public eye. "It is no secret that Mr. Perez's life could well be in danger if certain parties or individuals know where he is, so we keep that secret," said Heimerich.
He also noted that prison officials rarely divulge information about former inmates once they have been paroled.
"People gain a few more rights than they had as inmates, and one of those is the right to privacy," added Heimerich.
Winston Kevin McKesson, Perez's attorney, praised Perry's decision to set Perez free.
"I feel honored to be part of the justice system that includes Judge Robert Perry," said McKesson. "He is one of the very, very few people throughout this whole process who has kept his eye on justice as opposed to what is politically correct."
McKesson also said that Perez has changed while serving his sentence, and that he hopes to spend time reuniting with his family and doing "good deeds" for the community.
However, prosecutors announced Monday they will appeal Perry's ruling on the grounds that he exceeded his authority. It is possible that Perez may have to spend more time in custody if the district attorney is successful in an appeal.
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