Former Antioch police officer found guilty, taken to jail
Antioch K9 Officer Morteza Amiri and his K9, Purcy. Photo: Antioch FB post
ANTIOCH, Calif. - A former Antioch police officer who a jury found guilty last week was ordered into custody.
A federal jury on Friday found Morteza Amiri guilty of depriving a person of civil rights when he illegally released his K-9 on a man and falsifying reports, but acquitted him of conspiring with other police officers to commit violence, the East Bay Times reported.
Then, on Tuesday, Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ordered Amiri into federal custody, although he will wait in Santa Clara County jail until his sentencing in June, which is when he will later be transferred to a federal prison, the East Bay Times reported.
During the hearing, the East Bay Times reported that the judge called out the "savagery of the attack" and Amiri’s "celebratory" text messages afterward, in which he laughed at the man’s pain and talked about steps he took to avoid going to "court" and defending the bite.
Amiri faces up to 10 years in prison for the deprivation of rights count and up to 20 years for the falsification of records, as well as 20 years in the fraud case.
Because of sentencing guidelines, however, he will most likely be given a much lesser prison term.