San Jose police union executive charged with distributing opioids
San Jose police union executive charged with distributing opioids
The executive director of the San Jose Police Officers Association was charged with distributing opioids, according to federal officials. The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday said the U.S. Attorneys Office has charged a civilian, Joanne Segovia, 64, with ordering thousands of opioid and other pills to her home between October 2015 and January of this year.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The executive director of the San Jose Police Officer's Association was charged with distributing opioids, according to federal officials.
The U.S. Attorney's Office on Wednesday charged Joanne Segovia, 64, with ordering thousands of opioid and other pills to her home between October 2015 and January of this year.
Investigators believe she used both personal and work computers to then distribute them across the U.S.
KTVU has learned Segovia is on paid leave in her executive position with the police officer's union.
Segovia had no lawyer on record listed in her court file. KTVU reached out to Segovia by phone and email but did not hear back.
She is alleged to have smuggled the opioids from foreign locations including; Hong Kong, Hungary, India, and Singapore. According to a criminal complaint she smuggled them in as wedding party favors, makeup, chocolate and sweets.
Officials began intercepting these packages as early as 2019 and found the contents were illicit substances including Tramadol and Tapentadol. Officials said certain parcels were worth thousands of dollars.
The complaint alleges Segovia used the encrypted communications app, WhatsApp, to arrange shipments with someone from a phone that used an India country code.
Segovia is alleged to have used her office at the police union as a means to distribute the substances.
The complaint alleges she continued to order controlled substances even after being interviewed by federal officials in February 2023.
The police officers union in a statement said no one at the union had prior knowledge of Segovia's alleged acts.
"The Board of Directors is saddened and disappointed at hearing this news and we have pledged to provide our full support to the investigative authorities," Tom Saggau, an San Jose Police Officers Association spokesperson said.
One of Segovia's neighbors said they were completely taken aback.
"I would equal that to you know, your neighbor Mr. Rogers is a serial killer. You know? Totally stunned," said Chris Noller.
Segovia is supposed to appear in U.S. District Court in San Jose before Magistrate Judge Virginia K. DeMarchi on Friday.
KTVU's Henry Lee contributed to this story.