Former Sheriff Alex Villanueva Answers Questions About Deputy Gangs Under Oath

More than a year after leaving the department, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva testified about deputy gangs for four hours before the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission on Friday.

Throughout the tense and combative special hearing, Villanueva called other LASD officials liars, said the L.A. County Board of Supervisors is corrupt, and alleged that local news coverage about his time in office has been false or misleading.

About the testimony

Villanueva asked if he could make an opening statement because the commission has spent so many hours “bashing” him, but counsel Bert Deixler jumped right into his questions. 

Villanueva has long maintained that there are no deputy gangs, but he testified it’s no secret that subgroups have always existed in the sheriff’s department. 

Deixler showed Villanueva a Los Angeles Times article published Thursday that details a February 2022 incident with the Industry Indians, an alleged deputy gang based out of the City of Industry sheriff’s station.

When asked if deputies with numbered tattoos beating up teenagers, hurling homophobic slurs, and flashing a gun is the activity of a gang, Villanueva described it as “misconduct by deputies at a social event.”

Villanueva later questioned the paper’s legitimacy, saying “wait you’re talking about the L.A. Times and facts, they don’t go in the same sentence.”

Later in the hearing, Villanueva said he “couldn’t care less” about what's on deputies’ bodies as long as they follow department policy and there’s no allegations of misconduct.

He said they’d look into misconduct allegations when necessary, but Villanueva testified that there was no general investigation into deputy subgroups during his four years as sheriff. 

Deixler then pulled up a video of retired LASD Chief Matthew Burson announcing a “comprehensive investigation” into the Executioners and other deputy subgroups at a news conference from the Hall of Justice.

Under repetitive questioning, Villanueva said that investigation never happened, and he never informed the public that it didn’t.

He also said if the LASD were to fire every deputy with a tattoo without any evidence of misconduct, it would create a “public safety crisis” because there’d be no one left to patrol the streets. 

When asked if certain LASD employees were involved with deputy gangs, including Villanueva’s first chief of staff, Larry Del Mese, who admitted under oath he belonged to the Grim Reapers, he would always reply they were a “deputy sheriff.” 

Villanueva also said he didn’t ask Del Mese, or several other LASD officials, about their involvement with deputy gangs. 

When shown previous testimonies from LASD employees detailing deputy gang behavior, such as work slow downs ordered by the Banditos and the Executioners, Villanueva called them liars. 

Even after four hours under oath, the commission wasn’t done with Villanueva.

An image of a deputy gang tattoo shown to Alex Villanueva during his testimony. Villanueva said he couldn't care less about what's on deputies' bodies.

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The Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission

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Deixler asked if he’d come back to answer more questions about deputy gangs, and after some back and forth, Villanueva said he’d consider testifying again on March 6 or 7.

How we got here

Villanueva agreed to talk about gangs inside the sheriff’s department under oath last month after defying several subpoenas from the panel for years.

In a letter to the commission dated Dec. 13, his attorney said Villanueva is “very willing to testify before the COC.”

The letter didn’t say why he’s agreed to talk now, but the move came shortly after a judge scheduled a hearing to decide if Villanueva would have to comply and testify. He’s also currently running against incumbent Janice Hahn for her L.A. County Board of Supervisors seat.

When asked about his Board of Supervisors race during the testimony, Villanueva responded “that’s why I’m here.”

In an interview with ABC7 published Dec. 26, Villanueva maintained his position that “there are no deputy gangs.” He’s also downplayed the behavior, describing it as “subgroups of people that somehow occasionally engage in misconduct.”

However, an April 2023 report by a special counsel appointed by the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission painted a very different picture. It described deputy gangs as a “cancer” that “must be excised.”

The 70-page report, compiled from public hearings and dozens of interviews, said there’s at least half a dozen deputy gangs currently within the department that engage in excessive force, celebrate shootings, and create a climate of fear.

Villanueva dismissed the panel’s investigation when it was launched, calling it a “kangaroo court” designed to hurt his chances in his reelection race against Sheriff Robert Luna. Luna, who was a retired Long Beach police chief at the time, welcomed the report and campaigned on getting rid of deputy gangs.