Justice Department probing California jail snitch scandal
SANTA ANA, Calif. — The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday opened an investigation into a long-running scandal over the use of jailhouse informants in Orange County, California, federal authorities said.
The civil pattern-or-practice investigation will look into allegations that county prosecutors and sheriff’s officials used jailhouse snitches to get information from defendants in violation of their constitutional rights, the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles said in a statement.
The probe will also examine allegations that prosecutors in the Southern California county failed to turn over required evidence to defense attorneys.