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Former Sheriff Lee Baca Now Faces Up To 20 Years In Prison

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Lee Baca holds a press conference in 2007. (Photo by Chad Buchanan/Getty Images)
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Days after withdrawing his guilty plea, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has been indicted on more charges and now faces up to 20 years in prison.The L.A. Times reports that Baca, who stepped down in 2014 amidst an investigation of abuse and corruption in the Men's Central Jail, has been indicted by a grand jury on one count of conspiracy to obstruct a federal grand jury investigation, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making false statements. If convicted of all charges, the former sheriff faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

On Monday, Baca withdrew his guilty plea to one charge of lying to investigators after a judge rejected the deal he struck with federal prosectors, saying the 6-month sentence he was set to receive was too lenient.

In June, former undersheriff Paul Tanaka was given a five-year sentence for his role in the coverup surrounding the abuse in the Men's Central Jail.

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