(KRON) — A former Antioch Police Division officer who allegedly collected “trophies” from crime scenes to show on his dwelling mantle pleaded responsible this week as a part of a plea deal.
Ex-APD police officer Eric Rombough pleaded responsible to conspiracy and deprivation of rights underneath shade of regulation, federal courtroom paperwork state.
Rombough was considered one of 10 present and former Antioch and Pittsburg cops who had been concurrently arrested in an FBI raid in the course of the summer season of 2023. Rombough and two of his fellow APD officers — Morteza Amiri, and Devon Christopher Wenger — had been accused of committing “a disturbing litany of civil rights violations” and utilizing extreme pressure, U.S. Lawyer Ismail Ramsey stated.
Rombough modified his plea from “not guilty” to “guilty” on January 14 to keep away from an upcoming trial starting in early March. His co-defendants, Wenger and Amiri, will stand trial.
Amiri a former Okay-9 unit officer, Rombough, a former SWAT workforce member, and Wenger, a patrol officer, used their personal cellphones to change textual content messages bragging about utilizing extreme pressure towards suspects whereas making arrests, in response to a federal grand jury indictment.
They collected “mementos … from their attacks on the people of Antioch,” Ramsey stated. “Rombough collected the spent 40mm munitions following each deployment and, instead of disposing or processing them, kept them for himself. (He created) a trophy flag … in which the munitions were used among the stars and stripes to commemorate his 40mm deployments,” the indictment writes.
Photographs of former Antioch Police Division officers Eric Rombough (left) and Morteza Amiri (proper) from the Metropolis of Antioch.
Earlier than Rombough grew to become a police officer, he was an expert soccer participant. He bragged about kicking the pinnacle of a younger Black man like he was scoring a purpose, courtroom paperwork state.
Even in instances when suspects instantly and peacefully surrendered, Rombough shot suspects with less-lethal 44mm munitions and Amiri deployed his Okay-9, in response to the indictment. Of their police stories, the officers untruthfully wrote that the suspects had resisted arrest, investigators stated.
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A sweeping investigation into ADP was performed by the FBI and Contra Costa County District Lawyer’s Workplace. In courtroom paperwork filed by CCCDAO, racists textual content messages exchanged between a number of officers had been revealed.
Rombough wrote a textual content message dated March 25, 2021, “Sooo many black people.” One other officer replied, “Bro. They all look the same.” Rombough replied again, “Tell me about it. I feel like I’m at the zoo,” in response to the DA’s report.
In a textual content dated Nov. 22, 2021, Rombough wrote, “I’m only stopping them cuz they black.” On January 24, 2022 he wrote, “Bottom line it doesn’t matter some gorilla killed another gorilla,” in response to the DA’s report.
Rombough joined the Antioch Police Division in early 2017 and he left the pressure after FBI brokers arrested him in 2023.
A sentencing listening to is scheduled for Rombough on April 22, when a decide will decide his punishment.
