CIM Officers and Sergeant Get Verdicts Overturned

CIM guards get verdicts overturnedBy Rod Leveque, Staff Writer LOS ANGELES – A federal judge overturned guilty verdicts Monday against three Chino prison guards accused of assaulting inmates and conspiring to cover it up…Thomas Ramos of Montclair, Hector Flores of Whittier and Robert McGowan of Apple Valley were each convicted Oct. 15 following a trial in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. Prosecutors alleged McGowan pulled two handcuffed prisoners from a van May 9, 2002, and allowed them to freefall to the ground outside a housing unit at the California Institution for Men. The incident followed one earlier that day in which inmates threw a jacket over the head of an officer and beat him. Prosecutors alleged all three men then lied about the encounter to either superiors or a grand jury. (DailyBulletin.com) Here’s a copy of CCPOA’s memo on the decision: This afternoon, Judge Manual Real of the United States District Court in Los Angeles overturned the jury guilty verdicts and exonerated CIM officers Rob Mcgowan, Hector Flores, and Thomas Ramos. The US Attorney has 30 days to appeal Judge Real’s decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. LDF Counsel Paul DePasquale represented Rob McGowan; LDF Counsel Joel Levine represented Hector Flores; and Thomas Ramos was represented by Paul Goyette. Congratulations to all involved. This a huge victory for justice in a matter that should never have been tried as a federal civil rights criminal case.