LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County sheriff’s lieutenant filed a lawsuit Monday alleging sheriff’s officials targeted him with a trumped-up criminal investigation as retaliation after he made a campaign donation to one of Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s political challengers.
In the lawsuit filed Monday in L.A. County Superior Court against the county, Villanueva, and other sheriff’s officials, Lt. Joseph Garrido claims his $1,500 donation to retired Cmdr. Eli Vera’s campaign led to him being the subject of a bogus criminal probe into whether he misused his department-issued vehicle.
Garrido also alleges in the lawsuit that a coveted assignment that had been offered to him was rescinded because of his support for Vera.
