RivCo Sheriff's Department Accused Of Sexual Assault Coverup: Report

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Three women this week are claiming the County of Riverside tried to pay them hush money to keep quiet about being sexually assaulted by a deputy corrections officer, their attorneys announced.

At a press conference this week, Civil attorneys Denisse Gastelum and Christian Contreras said they filed legal complaints against the county on behalf of two women who say Deputy Christian Phillip Heidecker sexually assaulted them between March and April of 2023, according to reports from KESQ.

An attorney for a third woman announced plans to file suit later this week, the Desert Sun reported.

Heidecker was arrested this month and faces 18 felony counts in connection with the sexual extortion of four women who were inmates in the Riverside Alternative Sentencing Program through the Coordinated Custody Management Unit in Banning, according to prosecutors.

Heidecker, 32, was booked on suspicion of multiple counts of extortion using a position of authority, attempting to sexually assault an inmate, and using a position of authority to commit sexual penetration against a victim's will, among other charges — all felonies. He has pleaded not guilty. According to jail records, his next court date was scheduled for Oct. 2. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

According to the women's attorneys, the county offered two of the women $1,000 a piece to keep quiet while they were still in county custody. A third was offered $2,000 for her silence and her signature, the attorneys told the Desert Sun.

The alleged victims could not verify the documents they signed for the county as they were not allowed copies, according to their attorneys.

The original investigation into Heidecker began Aug. 31 after sheriff's investigators were notified of possible crimes committed by an employee formerly assigned to the Riverside Alternative Sentencing Program in Banning. Inmates assigned to the program must wear ankle monitors to complete their court-ordered sentencing while confined to their homes. Investigators say they learned of allegations that a correctional deputy was extorting female inmates assigned to the home confinement unit.

While attorneys for the women referred to the payouts as bribes, Riverside County spokesperson Brooke Federico described them as "settlements."

Federico's released a statement saying that there was no clause in the women's agreements saying they needed to "stay quiet."

Federico added, "It is not uncommon to seek settlement prior to litigation to avoid the time and expense for both sides associated with lawsuits."

Read the full report in the Desert Sun and KESQ.