Ismail J. Ramsey, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California
Former Antioch police officer Morteza Amiri has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for civil rights violations, falsification of records, and wire fraud offenses. Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White issued the sentence following two trials that led to Amiri's convictions.
In August 2024, a jury found Amiri guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to a scheme involving a fraudulently obtained university degree. In March 2025, another jury convicted him of deprivation of rights under color of law and falsification of records connected to a July 2019 arrest.
"Amiri misused his police dog to inflict unnecessary and excessive force against a victim and cheated his way into a pay raise," said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian. "These crimes are appalling in themselves, but even more so that they were committed by a police officer."
FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani added, "Amiri betrayed the public’s trust, abused his authority, and violated the civil rights of a person he was sworn to protect."
Court documents revealed that on July 24, 2019, Amiri used excessive force during an arrest involving A.A., resulting in injuries after deploying his K-9 unit unnecessarily. He later shared images of the incident with colleagues and falsified reports about being alone during the arrest.
The investigation also uncovered that Amiri participated in obtaining fraudulent degrees for financial incentives from police departments by hiring someone else to complete coursework at an online university.
In addition to prison time, Judge White sentenced Amiri to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution payments totaling $13,706.
This case is part of an ongoing investigation into the Antioch and Pittsburgh police departments resulting in charges against multiple officers for various offenses including excessive force and fraud.
