LOS ANGELES COUNTY—On Wednesday, April 24, the Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon’s office announced that criminal charges have been filed against Assistant District Attorney of ethics and integrity, Diana Teran. She is facing 11 felony charges, Attorney General Rob Bonta, indicated in a press release that Teran stands accused of accessing and collecting data from a government computer without permission. The private information she was found to have repeatedly used was “confidential and protected by statute peace officer files.”

“No one is above the law. Public officials are called to serve the people and the state of California with integrity and honesty. At the California Department of Justice, we continue to fight for the people of California and hold those who break the law accountable.”

Prior to serving as the Assistant District Attorney of ethics and integrity, Teran was part of District Attorney George Gascon’s executive management team as a special advisor to the D.A. on post-conviction review.

Reports indicate that Teran allegedly accessed said files while she was working as a peace officer for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) in 2018, as a constitutional policing advisor. According to the Attorney General’s office, Teran may have used the data obtained in this position after going to the Attorney General’s office in 2021.

Gascon, who is up for reelection in November, made the following statement:

“When I took office, we developed a protocol that ensured we complied with our constitutional obligations under Brady, which requires us to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence to the defense, a category that includes law enforcement’s prior misconduct, while simultaneously complying with state and federal law around privacy.

I stand by that protocol. While we cannot comment on specific personnel matters, we will comply with any investigation from the Attorney General’s Office. I remain committed to accountability within Los Angeles County. These principles are paramount to the integrity of our work and the trust of the community we serve. We will address this matter with the utmost seriousness and diligence to uphold the values of justice and fairness.”