Former Livermore Police Officer in ‘Celeste Guap’ Sex Scandal Facing Multiple Charges

LIVERMORE, CA — A former Livermore Police officer is one of seven officers facing multiple charges in connection to the "Celeste Guap" sexual exploitation scandal.

In a news conference Friday, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley announced she would file charges against a Contra Costa County sheriff's deputy, a Livermore police officer and four Oakland police officers. Two of the officers have been charged with felony counts of oral copulation with a minor.

Dan Black, who resigned from the Livermore Police Department on Thursday, faces two counts of engaging in an act of prostitution and two acts of committing a lewd act in a public place.

“This incident does not accurately reflect the professionalism of the men and women of the Livermore Police Department who protect our community every day," Livermore Police Chief Michael Harris said in a statement following Black's resignation. "Now that this matter has reached a conclusion, we will move forward and continue to serve with honor and protect with purpose. I would like to thank our community for their continued support and patience as we completed this investigation.”

In arriving at the decision, O'Malley said she reviewed 150,000 pages of data dating back to January 2015, including thousands of pages of communications via Instagram, Facebook and text messages.

"We left no stone unturned in terms of the evidence," O'Malley said.

Other officers could face charges in Contra Costa County, San Joaquin County and San Francisco, she said. The expansive sexual exploitation scandal involves a woman who goes by the moniker "Celeste Guap," an apparent victim of sex trafficking since she was a minor.

O'Malley said her office conducted four interviews with Guap in the course of her investigation as well as with numerous law enforcement officers and other witnesses.

“There will be those who criticize our charging decisions. To those critics, I say that we maintain the highest level of professionalism when determining whether or not to file criminal charges against any person, whether a civilian or police officer. While I find much of the conduct we uncovered morally reprehensible and not befitting a sworn law enforcement officer, it is nonetheless outside of the criminal statutes,” O’Malley said in a statement.

Guap apparently had a relationship with Oakland police Officer Brendan O'Brien, who killed himself in September 2015 and left a suicide note implicating other officers in the scandal. Oakland police opened an internal affairs investigation and interviewed Guap for the first time a few days later.

Previous coverage:

• Livermore Officer In 'Celeste Guap' Sex Scandal Resigns: Reports
• Livermore Officer on Leave for Possible Involvement with Woman at Center of Sex Scandal
• Livermore Police Officer Named in Sex Scandal
• Contra Costa Co. Deputy Named In Sex Misconduct Investigation Resigns
• Law Enforcement Sex Scandal: DA Investigator Placed on Leave

On Wednesday, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and City Administrator Sabrina Landreth said that four Oakland police officers would be fired for their role in the scandal. They did not name the officers. The city's administrative investigation found that those officers had engaged in a litany of misconduct, including attempted sexual assault, engaging in lewd conduct in public, assisting in the crime of prostitution, assisting in the evading arrest for the crime of prostitution, accessing law enforcement databases for personal gain, being untruthful to investigators and failing to report a violation of law or rules.

Officers at other Bay Area law enforcement agencies have also been implicated in the case, including in the district attorney's office, where former Oakland police Capt. Ricardo Orozco was fired for contact with the woman.

Richmond police Chief Allwyn Brown said in August that an investigation of Richmond officers seemed likely to uncover department violations but no violations of law. Richmond police Officer Jerrod Tong was placed on leave in connection with the investigation in July after he was reassigned away from positions where he had any interaction with youth.

Lt. Andre Hill, a department spokesman, was also reassigned from his role as manager of the Youth and Special Services Division but remains on active duty with the department.

Guap, meanwhile, was flown to a Florida rehabilitation facility in August and was arrested for allegedly assaulting a guard on Aug. 29. She remains in jail under $300,000 bail, according to jail records. O'Malley said an outside agency, reportedly the Richmond Police Department, arranged to send Guap to the facility in Florida against the wishes of the district attorney's office. They are working to get her back to California and expect she will testify.

Livermore police officials are not giving additional comment on the case.

Bay City News contributed to this report.
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