San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe announced this morning (Dec. 16) that he is throwing out the timecard fraud case against deputy’s union president Carlos Tapia, who was arrested on the orders of Sheriff Christina Corpus.
Tapia was arrested and jailed on Nov. 12 on two charges alleging timecard fraud. Tapia posted $10,000 bail and was put on paid leave.
“We have concluded based on the follow-up investigation that no crime was committed by Deputy Carlos Tapia, that the complete investigation showed that there was no basis to believe any violation of law had occurred, and finally that Deputy Tapia should not have been arrested,” Wagstaffe said in a statement.
Carlos Tapia said yesterday that the union would be calling for a civil rights violation investigation. Tapia said the charges were “another attempt at retaliation from Sheriff Corpus.”
“When I received the call that he was being arrested, especially the day before his birthday, I almost didn’t believe it at first, I thought someone was playing a practical joke,” Carlos Tapia’s daughter Bella Tapia said.
Tapia’s arrest happened hours before retired Judge LaDoris Cordell released a report highly critical of Sheriff Corpus and her then-chief of staff, Victor Aenlle. The report revealed instances of intimidation, abuse of power, federal firearms violations and racist and homophobic slurs by Corpus.
The arrest of Tapia served as a distraction from the Cordell report.
“It speaks volumes, to not just the decision of the sheriff and her leadership team, but also what length they’re willing to go to to push their agenda forward and completely gaslight our community,” Supervisor Noelia Corzo said during a press conference this afternoon.
The Board of Supervisors has voted to call for Corpus’ resignation as sheriff. Since she has refused, the supervisors have scheduled a special election in March to ask voters to change the county charter to allow the supervisors to remove the sheriff.
“I also echo the calls for our sheriff to resign, she should have resigned months ago,” Corzo said.
Wagstaffe said the investigation was done by Acting Assistant Sheriff Matthew Fox who reviewed Tapia’s time cards. Fox said in his notes that more investigation needed to be done.
“Nevertheless, the assistant sheriff (Fox) reported that the sheriff’s office executive leadership directed that Deputy Tapia be arrested on Nov. 12, 2024, without that additional investigation being conducted,” Wagstaffe said in his statement today.
After the arrest, the DA’s office completed the investigation, which Wagstaffe said was around 150 pages long and found that the county’s contract with the deputy’s union gives Tapia, as president, time for his union work.
Wagstaffe said that Tapia’s agreement with the county as union president allows him to spend 75% of his work on union business. His investigative team found that it all came down to errors in time code and that Tapia worked the hours he said he worked, he just punched it in wrong.
“District Attorney investigators discussed with the acting assistant sheriff the additional information learned during the course of the District Attorney’s Office follow-up investigation,” Wagstaffe said in his statement. “The acting assistant sheriff (Fox) repeated several times that the follow-up investigation definitively established that there is no case against Deputy Tapia and he is not guilty of any criminal conduct.”
Wagstaffe said, “It is my conclusion that the evidence establishes without question that Deputy Carlos Tapia did not commit grand theft, theft by false pretenses or any sort of timecard fraud.”
Wagstaffe said there were clerical errors in the manner in which work hours were coded but nothing showing criminal intent or criminal conduct. Additionally, there was no monetary loss to the Sheriff’s Office by the miscoding.
Corpus responded today by saying a separate internal review of the case will occur “which is standard protocol when the arrest involves an employee. The internal review will be conducted by an independent third-party investigator to ensure it is a fair process.”
When Tapia was arrested, his union said it was an attempt by Corpus to retaliate against a critic.
“Sheriff Christina Corpus’ decision to arrest San Mateo (Deputy Sheriff Association) President Carlos Tapia has all the earmarks of whistleblower retaliation, particularly given that retired Judge LaDoris Cordell investigative report regarding the DSA’s complaints against civilian chief of staff Victor Aenlle is expected to be released in a matter of minutes,” the union said at the time of his arrest.
In September, Tapia’s union along with the sergeants union filed a complaint with the California Public Employment Relations Board, or PERB, over a change Corpus made regarding mandatory overtime deputies must put in. Last month, the union updated the PERB complaint to say that they were intimidated in doing their union work because of a threatening letter they received from Aenlle’s Los Angeles attorney.
The deputy’s union said in a statement today that they believe Corpus and Undersheriff Dan Perea are criminals.
The union said, “As acknowledged by both the investigating officer and the District Attorney, the investigation was minimal and not thorough. It was not conducted in accordance with Sheriff’s Office policy and procedure. And yet, despite all that, the order was still given to arrest Tapia.”
“We believe the arrest was nothing more than a criminal conspiracy committed by Sheriff Christina Corpus and her executive team. We demand that Sheriff Corpus, Undersheriff Dan Perea, and former Chief of Staff Victor Aenlle be investigated for their criminal conduct, at local, state, and federal levels,” the union said in its statement.
“We believe they are tyrants. They need to leave. Now,” the union said.
Several things added up are creating a very dysfunctional hostile work environment under this corpus team. At what point does she realize that it’s not in the best interest of San Mateo County to continue under her regime? No one is supporting her her entire department from deputies Sergeant captains the board of supervisors Congress, senators mayors of all asked her to resign. This is not what a Sound sheriff in any part of the country should act like. There is obvious misconduct and potential for criminal charges based on this alone then you add in 40 people interviewing saying they’ve been retaliated or witnessed misconduct sworn or not sworn there is obviously a huge dysfunction going on.
The state Attorney General definitely needs to be involved to save the county from any further lawsuits. Yikes.
I’m sure Dan noyse will say there were errors with DA investigation and the sheriff and cute little doctor Vicky are victims of a smear campaign. It will be fun to see what propaganda little doctor Vicky and Dan noyse come up with.
But for everyone that has a brain. The assistant sheriff had no probable cause to make the arrest and he admitted he was told by the executives (corpus, cute little doctor Vicky and borat) to make an illegal arrest by the 12th. lol. Those types of investigations take months if the person doing the investigation is competent. Plus clearly defined SO policy and procedure is to send investigation to DA for a real investigation.
Can’t wait for the next press release from the sheriff. I’m a victim, I’m a Latina and the ole boys network is fabricating this. lol. This is sooo embarrassing. Dan noyse, cute little doctor Vicky and the sheriff need to go away. It’s time. No more propaganda. Just facts please.
This just might send Corpus, Aenlle, Perea, Fox, and anyone else involved with the arrest, to Federal prison! This is going to be SO fun to watch!!!!
My faith is renewed . DA Wagstaffe ,please continue to investigate .I am very pleased to see justice for Tapia . His arrest was the epitome of retaliation and corruption .
No Sheriff is above the law . Sheriff Corpus used her power to retaliate and deflect from her and Aenlle’s crimes .
They are despicable.
Now , let’s take a look at Victor’s alleged time card fraud for the hours he needed for his reserve qualifications.
That will be a tough one to hang him on legally, as he wan’t claiming any pay for the hours he claimed. Reserves are only paid for a very few, select roles, and he hasn’t worked in any those functions. However, he has failed to reach his POST-required minimum hours for two consecutive years, and the County has referred that issue to the POST Commission, which is almost certain to de-certify him. His law enforcement career is effectively over, and that will bruise his over-inflated ego plenty. No more badge for the Cuban leprechaun…
You gotta know when to hold them know when to fold them know when to walk away no one to run epic advice from Kenny Rogers listen to a Corpus
Of course, Tapia was not guilty. Anyone with brain could see that based on the timing alone. This was a clear tactic by the Sheriff to deflect from Cordell’s report. A false arrest of a deputy because he was calling out the corruption by Aenlle. Did they really think they were going to get away with it? How many more lawsuits are coming because this insane Sheriff??
Now let’s wait and see the biased joke DAN NOYES and how he puts a spin on it. Have some integrity Dan.
So will the Sheriff ignore this? Send out an irrelevant memo? Or conjure up something to put on the news next week to bury this false arrest and point out a missing irrelevant page in the HR report?
What is it going to take for Corpus to admit she is wayyyy over her in incompetent latino female head ? What plan does Corpus have going forward? It seems very clear the respected road forward is to resign instead of wasting tax payer money and time on these immature public victim responses.
Imagine requiring everyone to believe the Aenlle and Corpus way to make the department change? The solo attempts to defy policies and procedures are the wrong way.
Noone elected Aenlle stop giving him any power – he has no title anymore let alone any qualifications to place him in the sheriff office.
Corpus, Fox and little Vicky ALL need to be arrested for falsely arresting Deputy Tapia. This is a Color of Authority Felony!!! Enough of these clowns! “I am a woman of color” “I am your Sheriff” “The good ole boys are doing this to ME” NOPE…you are a FELON and a LIAR!!!
I see a Band of Brother quote.
Colonel Sink: “This business with Winter’s court martial has been an unpleasant distraction.”
It seems to me that, California Penal Code (PC) 182 is the criminal law section that makes it illegal to be involved in a criminal conspiracy. Criminal conspiracy is considered to be a serious felony that can have severe consequences. Criminal conspiracy essentially occurs when two or more people agree to commit a crime, or to use illegal methods, to achieve a legal or illegal goal. The criminal conspiracy agreement can be inferred from the actions of the people involved, even if it is not explicitly stated. To prove a criminal conspiracy case, the prosecutor must essentially show that:
• The defendant intentionally agreed with others to commit a crime
• The defendant took an overt act to further the agreement
• The overt act took place in California
Someone can also be charged with conspiracy for planning to frame someone for a crime, even if the crime was never committed. These acts are undoubtedly willful misconduct within the meaning of the Government Code sections that call for the removal of elected and appointed officials; the Sheriff and her executive team are elected and appointed officials.
Mr. Wagstaffe’s team of investigators still has much work to do in regard to this despicable action brought against Mr. Tapia. A Grand Jury could include these allegations in an accusation returned after confirmation of the statements and details in the Cordell Report, as well as this follow through investigation by the DA.
Dan Noyes appears to have proclaimed this conclusion by the DA as, “A major loss for San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus.” Perhaps the understatement of the year.
Who is going to believe a deputy sheriff in court after this happened? Any credibility Corpus had is gone.
Stop the madness
Dan Noyes must have the day off. Plot twisting with the Sheriff to deliver completely unbelievable biased news. Good job sinking your careers Corpus and Noyes
The walls are closing in. Yet, her delusional arrogance keeps her around.
Unlawful arrest lawsuit forthcoming.
Corpus violated Tapia’s civil rights. I wonder what excuse she’ll have this time to cover her butt.
Ka-Ching! I think the jail will be re-named after Carlos Tapia as part of his $20Million settlement with the Sheriff and SMCo.
I have never heard Steve Wagstaffe give such an amazingly definitive statement regarding a case submitted to his Office for prosecution. Normally, it would be there is insufficient proof to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt. Here, he said THERE WAS NO CRIME. “Sheriff” Corpus and her remaining Command Staff the Aenlle should be very concerned criminal charges aren’t filed against them!
Dan Noyse should ask how Doctor Victor Anelle filed his taxes while Chief of Staff for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. The proof is in the pudding. Sheriff Corpus, her lover Doctor Victor Aenlle, Matt Fox and Dan Perea will likely be incited now and go for the dirt nap. Remember what happens in the darkness, always comes to light.
Well, I see another “Claim against the County” being filled out as we speak. The SS Corpus and her (remaining) crew of one and a half is rapidly sinking into the Sea of Incompetency, Dishonesty and Humiliation.
P.S. This decision by the DA’s Office might be the frosting on Corpus’s resignation cake.
This should be the end of Corpus. She needs to be frog-walked out of her office and locked up in jail. No law enforcement officer should be allowed to use their arrest powers to lock up their critics. If Wagstaffe doesn’t have her arrested, the FBI should do it immediately.
Well false arrest Fox and the conspiracy crew sure outdid themselves this time. At least Foxy had the common sense to cooperate with the investigation. Danny P and the Sheriff You Can Trust might be facing some tough times ahead. To any local or federal agencies looking to arrest them just remember they show up to work really late all the time and lock the doors to their offices. Also I don’t think the Sheriff will clear medical so be prepared to wait.
According to transparent California….”Sheriff” Corpus makes more than $700,000.00 in salary and benefits!!!! No wonder she is clinging on like a rat on a sinking ship. I hope she and her cronies look good in Orange jumpsuits cause that will be their well deserved wardrobe! She should be stripped of her retirement as well. They alllllll should.
A LAW ENFORCEMENT GANG is a group of peace officers within a law enforcement agency that engages in a pattern of behavior that violates the law or professional policing principles. Some examples of this behavior include:
-Discriminating against individuals based on protected categories
-Violating agency policy
-Unlawful detention or excessive force
-Falsifying police reports
-Fabricating or destroying evidence
-Targeting people for enforcement based on protected characteristics
-Theft
-Unauthorized use of alcohol or drugs on duty
California Penal Code § 13670 prohibits law enforcement gangs. In September 2024, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced a new policy that bans deputy participation in law enforcement gangs and hate groups.
Funny, Dan “used car salesman” Noyes left out the part of Victor’s post record that discussed his failing fto….twice. Ask yourself this, his record shows he went to a POST police academy but was never a sworn full-time peace officer, why? Multiple people here have discussed this. He also failed the background for San Mateo PD, which they fail to report on. Investigative journalists should INVESTIGATE, not block comments that are the truth.
And Tina the “Sheriff,” I wonder how many felony on-view arrests she’s made? I know the ballpark answer and it’s comical. Step down little princess and allow the men that hunt and work be in charge. I hear Tiffany’s is having a sale on necklaces, pearl ones in fact, unless you’ve already had several “gifts” from Victor.
Hey has anyone seen the news interview with Dan Noyes and the Sheriff after she spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on an organizational assessment and ignored the advice, kept Aenlle with more authority than his role was designed to do and Chris Hsiung left abruptly – oh that interview did not happen
Or the interview when Dan Parea was hired and informed her office a day after Hsiung left that a mystery new undersheriff appeared and had ironically completed a background check and had a uniform. Such an important role to fill and no interviews intentioned. Yea that abc interview didn’t happen. Corpus did say the new command staff was better than ever though
Or when she fired Ryan Monaghan abruptly after learning that Victor was upset that he participated in the investigation- somehow that firing was a long time coming? Wow that interview didn’t happen worh abcnews
What about all of those votes of no confidence?
Selectively biased notes and reporting going on in other parts of the world. Thank God we have the Palo Alto Post!
Corpus will conduct her own investigation? Who will she bring it to for prosecution since our county threw it out? The Hague International Crimes court?
Corpus and Vickie should be on Dr. Phil. As a woman, it pains me to see her being manipulated by this man. She’s lost everything, her career, her husband, kids…. She needs Vickie now financially, to help pay spousal support, child support and future losses from lawyer fees and lawsuits against her.
The investigation she announced in response to the DA’s decision, will be an “administrative” investigation to determine if any General Orders or Policies of the Sheriff’s Office were violated. Unlike a criminal investigation, an administrative investigation’s burden of proof is only a “preponderance of evidence.”
It’s not Vicky’s money though – it’s his wife’s!
This is very good news for this poor man and his family .
Keep fighting Tapia ,for your brothers and sisters. Real warriors persevere.
I could also not be more proud of our local leaders Corzo and Mueller. They have been steady and strong.
Sheriff Corpus has no business carrying the title of Sheriff , she should hang her head down in shame for allowing herself to be run her boyfriend ,who is an incompetent power-hungry, unqualified tyrant who has caused so much damage . She allowed this to happen to satisfy her selfish personal needs.
We the taxpayers have to pay for this train wreck and will be paying for it dearly. Wasted taxpayer funds that could’ve been used for good.
And why is Victor Aenlle’s name still posted on the sheriffs office website? Citizens of San Mateo County can’t have our local sheriffs office update the website with correct information on a website that WE pay for ? How is that helpful to have erroneous information posted by a position and an employee that have been terminated?
Again , WHY is Aenlle still up on the website ? That smug face that has caused so much damage . Frankly, it speaks volumes. It’s a big middle finger for those who uncovered the truth.
Interesting that Christina, Aenlle and Dan Noyes think they have stuff to unravel from this story and day by day week by week try to find a distraction technique. Unprofessional on all of their parts. This is so irresponsible, selfish and costing the county taxpayers MILLIONS of dollars and further lawsuits.
What exactly are you 3 trying to accomplish and prove? You are all friends and believe each other at the cost of hundreds of thousands of people. Now innocent hard working people like Tapia get falsely arrested and the narrative plot twist is in motion.
How pathetic and so so cruel. I hope 3 all take a good hard look at who you have become and stop this madness. Now Parea is further corrupting the SO and minority groups have joined into this false narrative. Just stop. Let the county recover and resign.
Never forget that Capt. Brian Philip quit, giving up his financial livelihood, instead of following VicTina’s unlawful order to arrest Tapia. That’s the high integrity caliber of a person that San Mateo County needs as Sheriff.
Ditto to the comment from Speaks Volumes. Why is Victor’s bio still on the website?Acting Assistant Sheriff Fox, Assistant Sheriff Monaghan, and Undersheriff Chris Hsiung’s bios were deleted immediately upon their departures.
I am curious why Victor does not have a Form 700 filed with the FPPC. That document would have contained information about Victor’s alleged outside employment.
Steve W stepped up and correctly claimed that arresting Tapia was a crime (or lack thereof, as in commission vs omission), it was. Yet *another* lawsuit against the County, if Tapia decides to pursue. How many $$ is the County on the hook for now ? Tapia, Phillip, 2 others. How many more ? 4 and counting. Oh and ask ATF or Cal DOJ on possession of silenced rifles by unqualified folks (no 2 week training class, no POST Certs) ? Ask Sgt XYZ at the Range how he was forced to supply them to Vic Tina. Typical.
Dan Noyes is doing the best work on this story. How is it that the Judge Cordell who did the report didn’t know the difference between Caldwell Banker and a Fortune 500 global real estate company? She thought the Fortune 500’s acronym was Caldwell Banker’s.. I don’t know if she did her own research but she was very sloppy and made many mistakes
So you believe 2 people over the 40 that talked to the judge? You believe that over 15 HR and whistleblower complaints should be ignored? You believe that Aenlle should be able to say whatever he wants, have as much authority and power that he wants and that there are no consequences for Aenlle ever? You believe that Corpus is impartial to Aenlle and doesn’t treat him any differently than anyone else? You believe all of the allegations were false?
Do you believe HR complaints should never be filed against Aenlle and that only sworn testimony is trustworthy for an HR complaint?
This is absurd. Of course there are missing pages it’s an HR investthat included people that witnessed the behavior. The report includes on duty and off duty former employees that are respected and honest people. The report obviously can be interpreted however you see fit but just because Aenlle and Dan Noyes decide to nit pick verbiage doesn’t make it incorrect. The CBRE contract is on the report also and you can look at that rather than spew falsehoods about a judge.
What a shame you can’t see past lies and corruption. There obviously is a major problem at the sheriff’s office and its not just a few. This situation and how Corpus has handled this situation have made the department dysfunctional and the county left torn apart. This is not community policing at all it is selfish and corrupt.
You believe the sheriff should be on a plane to hawaii and back with her impartial friend and that is acceptable? Obviously she treats Arnlle differently than any other employee and its unprofessional in the very least. Bad decisions bad judgment bad behavior. Any sheriff should know better and the county deserves better.
If this needs to be taken to a grand jury to prove this report further then what a waste of money and time.
Ahem! It’s Coldwell Banker. You are clearly not one to point fingers regarding accuracy, Mr. Sloppy Mistakes.
is coldwell banker the glaring issue that you are holding onto as a distraction to the MANY MANY MANY other issues pointed out? Sounds like you are grasping for something to discrete all of the disfunction identified. Did you look at the signed contract by the way and still see the mismanagement of funds because the protocol was not followed? This CBRE contract still was mismanaged and the property is still not being used at the cost of $35000 a month? sounds like a better point to look at- the contract is CBRE and the funds are still mismanaged.
Dan Noyes, the TV reporter and PR man for Christina Corpus, has repeatedly emphasized that Cordell’s report is flawed because Cordell didn’t include in her report every page Aenlle’s interview with Cordell. That’s a real reach on Noyes’ part. I would imagine he is like most TV reporters, who conducts long interviews and then includes maybe 30 seconds or a minute of them in the final report that goes on the air. If he interviews somebody for an hour, very little of that interview goes on the air. He picks out the most important portions of the interview and airs those. That’s what Cordell did too. Why is Noyes making this silly argument? Why is he so desperate to save Corpus and Aenlle?
Or like the ONE sided reporting Dan Noyes is doing on this story. Pick your own stories apart first Noyes.
THE CORDELL REPORT IS AN HR INVESTIGATION – all complaints IGNORED by CORPUS! Take it to court then it gets deposed and sworn testimony. Then what? Corpus will still convince herself all of these people lie? And then more than 40 complaints will be added to this mess. What a waste of time and money for Corpus to selfishly do this to the county. It is obvious Corpus has NO SUPPORT within her department and within the county.
There is a Sergeant that approved Tapia’s coding. There is an office Payroll Department of professionals that closely checks and re-checks the coding and makes changes and corrections all the time. Coding is a non-issue. Coding is not fraud or stealing money. Coding is a countywide number system and results in no personal benefit. False arrest is an issue of great magnitude that will now cost the taxpayer millions. If there was any question, a qualified, knowledgeable Sheriff would have known. We don’t have one.
Corpus was the one who was the Lieutenant for ten minutes in the Professional Standards Bureau, overseeing the Internal Affairs Division and Payroll Department and professes to know all things. A knowledgeable Sheriff would have done the “administrative” investigation first, not after her failed attempts to humiliate a Deputy Tapia by falsely arresting him and making him pay $10,000 bail. A knowledgeable Sheriff would have found it was a coding issue and no crime was committed. A mean, malicious, resentful Sheriff would have known that HER ORDER to arrest Tapia was nothing more than retaliation for him doing his DSA union duties … the same DSA union Corpus benefitted from throughout her career; the same DSA union that did not represent Aenlle when he failed Field Training (Patrol) in both 2014 and again in 2015 when his gold badge, ID and gun were removed (two times) and he was walked out of the building in shame.
In this case, an uneducated, vindictive administration was completely out of line ordering Tapia’s false arrest, and Corpus should be removed from office, prosecuted criminally and sued personally. Instead, she put the blame on a non-qualified, very recently appointed Assistant Sheriff Matthew Fox, her campaign manager’s husband, new to the department and acting on her orders while he himself was still learning how to do a Sheriff’s Office timecard. No, she blatantly blames it on the new guy, sayin she was “just going by what (she) was informed” … she is a ugly liar and an idiot and knows better! And NOW she’s going to do an internal investigation? Why would she push Fox to bring it to the District Attorney and not handle it internally as what it was . . . a coding issue? What a fool. Forget it Corpus. You cannot save face on this one!
Fani Willis, Pamela Price, and Christina Corpus are all powerful women in leadership postiions who stupidly pissed away their careers for romantic relationships. smh.
Never mix personal life with work life!
To prospective Assistant Sheriff’s, read these articles and do your homework. If you join Corpus’ Executive Team you’re joining a Law Enforcement Gang under SB 2, #7. If you enjoy your home, life partner, kids, and toys don’t do it because the potential risks of going to jail and/or prison is very likely to happen to you.
I knew Dan Noyes was a fraud when he advertised his interview with Aenlle as an “exclusive” … Of course the Daily Post had printed an interview with Aenlle a month earlier.
Brian Philip and Carlos Tapia have multi-million-dollar cases against the county. The unnamed employees who suffered from retaliation by Corpus and/or Aenlle could bring suits against the county. The supervisors, who ignored whistleblower letters sent directly to them, are also on the hook. It’s going to take a long time for the county to dig out of this.
More to come on this , Dan Noyes says in his biased one sides air time for Corpus and Aenlle. Anyone else wonder what the 3 of them are twisting around now. It has been about a week since their last scheme. They seem to think everyone forgets things in a week or so and then they can taint the views of everyone with their ideas snd witchhunts.