A California former FBI special agent was found guilty Oct. 4 by a federal jury of accepting bribes from a lawyer tied to organized crime.
Babak Broumand, 56, of Lafayette, Calif., was found guilty of conspiring to accept at least $150,000 in cash bribes and other valuables in exchange for giving sensitive law enforcement information to a lawyer tied to Armenian organized crime, an Oct. 4 U.S. Department of Justice news release reported.
“By taking bribes and gifts from a person he knew was linked to organized crime, Mr. Broumand breached the public trust placed in him and violated his oath of office, something which simply cannot be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in the release. “The FBI’s agents and staff work tirelessly every day to keep us safe, and I am proud that they partnered with our office to ferret out this corruption.”
Broumand is guilty “of one count of conspiracy, two counts of bribery of a public official and one count of monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity,” according to the release. He faces a sentencing hearing Jan. 30, 2023.
"Broumand will face statutory maximum sentences of 15 years in federal prison for each bribery count, 10 years in federal prison for each unlawful monetary transactions count and five years in federal prison for the conspiracy count,” the release said.
Broumand plotted with the types of criminals he was supposed to investigate, Zachary Shroyer, special agent in charge of the DOJ Office of the Inspector General Los Angeles, said in the release.
“Today’s guilty verdict sends a clear message that no one is above the law, and any Department of Justice employee who participates in these types of schemes will be brought to justice,” Shroyer said, according to the release.
Although Broumand’s conviction “is a blemish” in the community, exceptional law enforcement professionals exist who uphold and defend the law, Mark Pearson, IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland special agent in charge, said in the release.
“I want to emphasize and highlight the exceptional professionalism, integrity and dedication demonstrated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation special agents, the Office of Inspector General, DOJ, the U.S. Attorney’s Office – CDCA and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, for their commitment to upholding the law and seeing that justice is sought in all cases regardless of a person’s affiliation,” Pearson said, according to the release.
