Former FBI Special Agent Sentenced in Bribery Scheme
A former FBI Special Agent is heading to prison for accepting bribes from an attorney linked to organized crime.
Babak Broumand of Lafayette, California, was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine and to forfeit $132,309 linked to the criminal activity.
“Today's sentencing of Mr. Broumand, a former FBI agent who abandoned his pledge to serve the American people in exchange for a lavish lifestyle, is gratifying and reaffirms the FBI’s commitment to weeding out corruption of public officials, including those from within,” said Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office Donald Alway.
Broumand worked as an FBI special agent in the San Francisco office from 1999 until 2018, when search warrants were served on his home and businesses. While at the FBI, he was responsible for national security investigations.
Prosecutors say that from January 2015 to December 2018, Broumand accepted “cash, checks, private jet flights, a Ducati motorcycle, hotel stays, escorts, meals, and other items of value from an organized crime-linked attorney.”
Prosecutors say both men worked to conceal the relationship and that in return for the bribes, Broumand ran law enforcement database inquiries in the FBI confidential database to help the lawyer and his associates avoid prosecution and law enforcement monitoring.
Specifically, he informed the attorney whether a particular person or entity was under criminal investigation and then warned he attorney to “stay away” from them.
He then allegedly wrote false reports to make it appears as if the database inquiries were legitimate.
The bribes totaled at least $150,000 in cash and checks, as well as accessories valued at more than $36,000. The bribes were deposited into accounts for Love Bugs LLC, a lice-removal hair salon business that Broumand and his wife owned.
“Not only did this one-time special agent put his self-interest above all else, but he also did so while providing support to other criminals who compromise public safety. I am grateful for our hard-working law enforcement partners, including the FBI, who worked to uncover this misconduct and brought this corrupt agent to justice,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.
The FBI, the United States Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General, and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.