LOS ANGELES (AP) - Prosecutors say a retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s lieutenant has been charged with tipping off massage parlor employees about raids in exchange for sex.
The district attorney’s office says David Smith is expected to be arraigned Friday on obstruction of justice charges. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney who could comment.
Prosecutors say Smith would say he was conducting inspections at massage parlors in West Hollywood but paid for sex at the parlors in 2016 and 2017. They say he also received gifts from an employee at one of the shops.
Prosecutors say that in exchange, Smith would check to see if there were any plans to raid the parlors.
He’s also accused of tipping off the shop owners when police would be near their stores.
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