Probe continues into Bay Area police officers' alleged threats into alleged pimp
VALLEJO, Calif. - Vallejo police are investigating two Bay Area police officers for alleged threats against an alleged sex trafficker who the officers say trafficked their daughter, an attorney familiar with the investigation said.
Richmond Police Chief Bisa French and Oakland Police Sgt. Lee French, who are married, are under investigation by Vallejo police for the alleged threats against Oho McNair, also known as Joe Goldman, attorney Mike Rains said.
McNair was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service for alleged sex trafficking, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marshals said last week.
The Frenchs allege that McNair trafficked their daughter, who was going to go to college this fall, Rains said. McNair was out of custody Tuesday, according to court records.
"We are conducting an investigation into an incident involving members of the Richmond and Oakland Police Departments," Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams said in a statement last week.
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"As the Chief of Police, when an incident occurs in Vallejo which involves police officers employed by another department, it is my responsibility to contact the employing department to inform them of accusations involving one of their members, so the employing agency can launch an internal affairs investigation," Williams said.
Oakland police said last Thursday they are conducting an "internal investigation into criminal allegations involving an OPD member."
"After being contacted by the Vallejo Police Department, OPD initiated an internal investigation into the criminal allegations being investigated by Vallejo Police," Oakland police spokeswoman Officer Kim Armstead said.
Rains, who frequently represents police officers in criminal cases, said he didn't think anything said by the Frenchs qualified as a threat against McNair.
The allegations against the pair of police officers were made by McNair's mother, and Rains believes that McNair is manipulating his mother and the officers' daughter.
The officers' daughter has filed restraining orders against her parents, which Rains said a judge has denied so far. A hearing on the matter is set for Oct. 25, court records show.
McNair was scheduled to be arraigned on pimping and pandering charges last week, but that didn't happen, Rains said. Court records show McNair's next scheduled court date is Monday in Oakland.
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Richmond Mayor Tom Butt said that, citing an email sent to him last Wednesday by the city manager, Police Chief Bisa French is on paid administrative leave "because of an unfolding family situation."
Acting Chief Louie Tirona said the city is hiring an outside firm to conduct an administrative investigation of Bisa French. Richmond police are not doing a criminal investigation, he said.
Neither Vallejo police nor the city of Richmond were releasing more information as of Tuesday about the investigations. Oakland police did not respond Tuesday morning to a request for more information.