The Los Angeles County district attorney's office is expected to file criminal corruption charges next week against two LAPD officers, including one who faces separate allegations of attempting to frame a defendant in a pending third-strike murder case in the San Fernando Valley.
In what would be the first such filings since the city's worst-ever corruption scandal broke in September, Det. Brian Liddy and Officer Paul Harper are expected to face charges of perjury and falsifying arrest reports in connection with a 1996 gun planting case, sources from the district attorney's office said Wednesday.
Prosecutors have to move against Liddy and Harper by April 24 because the statutory deadline on the alleged crime is about to expire, sources said.
According to prosecutors, the officers planted a handgun on Allan Lobos, resulting in his arrest and conviction. The conviction was overturned earlier this year because of the alleged misconduct.
In addition to the pending charges in the gun case, prosecutors are continuing to investigate Liddy, Harper and numerous other officers as part of their probe into what they believe was a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy within the LAPD.
Charges against other officers may be filed soon, as prosecutors seek to beat the statute of limitations on alleged crimes, sources added.
According to investigative documents obtained by The Times, Liddy and Harper are implicated in a number of cases involving police crimes and misconduct. Over the past several months, prosecutors have successfully moved to overturn criminal convictions against three defendants who allegedly were victimized by Liddy or Harper. Neither officer could be reached for comment Wednesday.
Liddy, in particular, was described by ex-officer-turned informant Rafael Perez--the man at the center of the scandal--as being a crooked cop who routinely helped plant evidence, make false arrests and fabricate police reports.
Liddy, who once worked in the same anti-gang CRASH unit as Perez, was transferred to the Devonshire Division, where he was assigned to homicide. Currently Liddy's integrity is under question in a pending murder case in which he was one of the lead investigators. The defense attorney in that case has charged in court papers that Liddy fabricated police reports and witness statements in an attempt to frame a man for a slaying last July 5 in Canoga Park.
