LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca personally ordered a high-profile, out-of-jurisdiction criminal investigation at the behest of Guess Inc. co-founder Georges Marciano, who alleged that employees embezzled millions of dollars from the company, according to a report published by the Los Angeles Times on Friday, January 14.
The investigation, which was given “special” status and investigated for over a year, ended with no wrongdoings found. Baca has said he probed the case, which ordinarily would have been within the jurisdiction of the Beverly Hills Police Department, because Marciano reported the allegations directly to him.
Testimonies, law enforcement records and interviews have also revealed that Marciano personally contributed $100,000 to two of Baca’s charities after the launch of the investigation.
A judge in the civil proceedings of the case ordered Marciano to pay employees $260 million in damages for the unsubstantial claims. Audits indicated that no money was stolen in the time frame of the investigation, and evidence showed that the $1.4 million allegedly stolen from employees was likely used by Marciano for lavish, brief trips for foreign Au pairs.
Baca has stated that he had no prior knowledge that accounting audits showed no stolen money when he started the investigation, and that he believed the magnitude of Marciano’s claims justified his actions. He has also stated that his relationship with Marciano was not a factor in the case. Baca has not commented on donations and political contributions.
The Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review announced on the same Friday that it will look into Baca’s investigation. The OIR, an oversight organization that monitors the L.A. County Sheriff’s department, is already looking into a similar probe launched by Baca on behalf of Beverly Hills real estate magnate and philanthropist Ezat Delijani.
