This story first appeared in the Monday, July 7, print edition of the Daily Post. If you want all the important local news first, get in the habit of picking up the Post in the mornings at 1,000 convenient locations.
BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
Sheriff Christina Corpus delayed and interfered with investigations into her employees, including a deputy who let a teenager vape in a patrol car and a jail guard who forced inmates to dance “in degrading and provocative ways,” an attorney’s report said.
Another jail guard cupped his hand around an inmate’s neck in a video that “would likely shock the conscience of the public if seen,” according to the attorney’s report and a memo by Sgt. Joe Fava, who deals with internal affairs investigations.
The vaping incident was discovered in July 2024 when a detective was looking into a hate crime in Half Moon Bay involving a 14-year-old gang member, Fava said in a memo.
The detective downloaded the contents of the gang member’s phone and found a video of him smoking an electronic cigarette while sitting in the front seat of Deputy David Dominguez’s patrol car, Fava said.
Playing favorites?
Dominguez and his wife donated to Corpus’s campaign and was perceived as a “favorite” of the sheriff, according to a report by attorney Jan Little of Keker Van Nest & Peters, who looked into the sheriff for the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
Fava recommended the sheriff open a formal investigation into Dominguez, and Assistant Sheriff Ryan Monaghan agreed.
But instead, Undersheriff Dan Perea told Monaghan to see if the video could be withheld from the District Attorney’s office, Little’s report said.
Corpus and Perea finally approved an investigation into Dominguez four months later in December 2024. They broke with the standard practice of investigating misconduct internally and instead outsourced the investigation to a third party, Little’s report said.
Monaghan and Fava both said the investigation should’ve taken one or two weeks, the report said.
But as of May, no resolution has been reached nor discipline imposed, the report said.
The dancing incident in the jail happened in mid-2023 involving jail guard Alejandro Avendano, according to Little’s report and a related memo from Fava.
Avendano didn’t report another guard for forcing inmates to dance, and he was investigated and served with a letter of intent to impose a suspension, Little’s report said.
Two-year delay
Yet two years later, Corpus has yet to make a disciplinary decision and close the investigation, the report said.
Corpus previously supervised Avendano when she was a captain in Millbrae. She made comments that she didn’t believe that Avendano “would do something like this” and that it was “out of character,” Fava told Little.
In August 2024, Avendano was involved in a fight with a man named Ernesto Vargas while he was off-duty at Palm Park in Redwood City.
Vargas’s 4-year-old son spat on Avendano’s 4-year-old daughter, and Avendano threw Vargas to the ground and put him in a hold, Fava said.
Fava submitted a memo saying Avendano should be investigated, but Corpus waited until December 2024 when Vargas filed a civil rights lawsuit against San Mateo County.
Nine months later, and the investigation still hasn’t been completed, Little’s report said.
Trainee leaves gun in restaurant
Deputy Trainee Genesis Serrano left a gun at the Crepevine restaurant in Burlingame on Oct. 17 but hasn’t been disciplined, Little’s report said.
The Post reported on the incident at the time with information from Burlingame police.
Another incident involved jail guard Jose Martinez-Torres, who allegedly cupped his hand and then placed his forearm on an inmate’s neck in August.
“Martinez-Torres’ hand placement, which appears consistent with strangulation, would likely shock the conscience of the public if seen,” Fava said in a memo.
Fava recommended releasing Martinez-Torres because he was a probationary employee. But Corpus allowed him to stay in his position, complete his training and even gave him a performance award, Little’s report said.
Fava told Little that he often receives calls from citizens who have submitted complaints and are frustrated by the lack of resolution.
Other investigations have fallen apart because the sheriff took more than one year, beyond the statute of limitations in the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act, Little said.
“Corpus has failed to properly initiate, support, oversee, and conclude investigations into civilian, use-of-force incidents, and Internal Affairs investigations,” Little wrote. “These failures constitute a flagrant and repeated neglect of Sheriff Corpus’s duties.”
Would the correct term then be the Corpus Cartel (a combination of political groups for common action) for the cronies who are protected by, or closely associated with, the interference of lawful SMCSO operations? There is such a volume of wrongdoings by Corpus herself, not to mention the clear, repeated and documented escapades of her Undersheriff Dan Perea, that little else can be concluded. Most certainly, Dan Perea too, as an appointed public official, should have been the subject of the Civil Grand Jury’s §3060 Government Code (GC) investigation. Mr Wagstaffe, subsequent to the Criminal Grand Jury Investigation of the Corpus Cartel, please have the new Grand Jury conduct a §3060 GC investigation of Perea.
In the late 1990s, a major police corruption scandal within the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Rampart Division was the subject of much investigation and media coverage. The Rampart Scandal raised grave questions about the quality of supervision, accountability and discipline in LAPD. The Rampart Scandal also raised questions about the selection and training of LAPD personnel. Background investigations were found to be inadequate. Hiring practices and disciplinary investigations were insufficient and contributed to the corruption scandal. Multiple reports are available about the Rampart Scandal on line; they are quite educational. While the Rampart Scandal was worse and more far-reaching than what we have seen in San Mateo County (SMC), we are only beginning to uncover things in SMC.
Now it would seem that the Corpus Cartel has thrust the once honorable organization of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office into the the same muck pool of corruption, not to mention the depth of the civil liability that goes along with such corruption, as Rampart, at least to a degree. From Corpus’ unqualified contractor, who served as the de-facto Assistant Sheriff over Corrections (where untrained personnel supervised housing units), to Corpus’ personal dismantling of the Professional Standards Bureau personnel to permit inadequate and insufficient hiring as well as discipline of staff, San Mateo County has only just begun this E-Ticket ride. If each single incident uncovered this far in this article alone came with a civil suit payout of $1M (a super conservative estimate), where would the County be now?
Never ends…Corpus’ malfeasance and dereliction of duty are a daily occurrence, even though she doesn’t come into the office. Corpus will try and say she was never told about these events or try and somehow blame Sgt. Fava (who is a decent and committed member of the Sheriff’s Office). Corpus clearly doesn’t care about the Sheriff’s Office staff, the community, or even the incarcerated population she’s been entrusted to protect. To her, it’s all about a paycheck, which she’ll desperately need for attorney fees and the coming deluge of lawsuits against her (personally). As for the County of San Mateo… you’ll be writing a lot of checks too (courtesy of the tax payers) for all the carnage Corpus has caused and continues to cause.
There is a clear connection between Christy and the staff members who should have been disciplined, but have not.
Deputy Dominguez was a vocal supporter of Christy’s during her campaign. Despite receiving clear evidence that he committed a crime (contributing to the delinquency of a minor), Christy not only held off on allowing an investigation to move forward, but she awarded Dominguez the Deputy of the Year at a ceremony on October 5, 2024.
Deputy Sheriff Trainee (DST) Genesis Serrano was one of Matt Fox’s pet projects. DST Serrano was an explorer with the Daly City Police, which is where Fox worked for many years before joining the Corpus Cartel. Not only did Christy refuse to discipline Serrano (who was illegally carrying a gun when she left it at the restaurant), she kept her on the payroll after DST Serrano failed out of the academy for poor performance. Christy has insisted that Serrano be sent to the next academy, but is insistent that Serrano attend the academy at CSM rather than Alameda County. Why? It is well known that the CSM academy is so much easier than Alameda, thereby ensuring that Serrano will pass.
Christy has made it abundantly clear that she will retaliate (including illegally arresting) against those she perceives as the enemy, while holding her allies to a completely different standard. Just ask her about the DST who was finally failed out of the Alameda County academy due to “extreme concerns over safety” by the instructors, who refused to give the guy a gun for firearms qualifications.
Good on Sgt Fava for stepping up and showing integrity. Unfortunately for him, he is now the top Target for Corpus and Vicky since it’s the newest piece of more negative information within this corrupt cartel. Watch your back Sgt Fava because the Corpus Cartel has its eyes on you.
How much more blatant favoritism, turning a blind eye, and outright incompetence do we need to read about before something is done??? She is 1000% guilty of dereliction of duty as a sheriff. She is immoral, filthy, corrupt and morally bankrupt. This entire thing is reprehensible! Her entire career was and is a complete train wreck.
Oh yeah, just as a reminder…the good Sheriff didn’t waste a second tossing Deputy Tapia into the jail. Corpus rushed that investigation forward on the day the Cordell report was released like she (Corpus) and her staff were part of an Indy car pit crew. Shameful little minx ain’t she.
Everyone else does this, what about the Batmobile and brothel is her motto and the only reason anyone is bringing this up about Corpus is because she is latina and it is a politicly motivated. A bunch of manipulative jargon with ZERO accountability. She addresses the public speaking only about herself instead of acknowledging she is supposed to be a leader of 800 people, of the county of the voters and NONVOTERS! Step down Corpus!
We the people are supposed to let Corpus dismantle the department one by one and replace honest people the new incompetent new corrupt crew. This Sheriff has gotten national attention and recognized for this Sheriff not being held accountable for wrongdoing.
The recall should be happening too. Infuriated in San Mateo County. Stop manipulating the public we are all aware of the problem and aware Corpus needs to resign. This legal game is wrong.
The story about the GodFather only is a twist of words from Callagy’s Oppenheimer report and legal claim. Callagy said Aenlle incorrectly referred to Callagy as the godfather of the Assistant Sheriff’s child. Now Corpus is saying Callagy is the Godfather of San Mateo County. She is a sick woman and needs more than psychiatric help.
The original assertion that Callagy was a “godfather” actually came from Aenlle. As you mentioned, according to the Oppenheimer Report, p. 10, Callagy reported that, “…Aenlle told one of the largest unions in the County, SEIU, that Callagy is the godfather to Monaghan’s daughter in order to make it appear as though Callagy had a conflict of interest when it came to Monaghan.” An alternative to the truth, or outright lie, proffered originally by Aenlle.
Therefore Mazzucco, putting any credence in the words or suggestions of Aenlle to establish a legal argument, without actually vetting the information coming from Aenlle, showed a bit of unethical decision-making, bordering on poorly practicing law. The purpose of the pre-release conference was not like a civil or criminal trail in which alternative stories of what might have happened should be surfaced to the hearing authority to create some sort of doubt. The applicable laws are clear.
The general purpose of a Skelly type hearing is to provide public employees with a fair opportunity to respond to proposed disciplinary actions and present evidence. It is also to minimize the risk of the employer making an error in imposing discipline. Thirdly, Skelly’s are to ensure that the employer has a reasonable basis for the proposed action. Think in terms of shouldering responsibility for what has been clearly proven, presentation of actual evidence in conflict with what is known and has been established, not offering argument or suggestions, or demonstration that a substantial error has occurred in the process at hand.
Instead, Mazzucco along with his team of colleagues and his client, made suggestions of what might have occurred, including clearly fictional and untrue accounts from Corpus herself. Wild defamatory assertions were made by Corpus and Mazzucco to cast aspersions on current and former honorable employees, former employees and retirees. No evidence was presented. No demonstration of a substantial error in the proven circumstances was introduced. No responsibility for personal acts was offered by Corpus herself to mitigate the intended disciplinary action.
Those behaviors don’t necessarily demonstrate one who is sick. Consciousness of guilt is more the term that comes to mind. Along with a sophisticated personal intention and therefore confirmation of wrongful behaviors that are unable to be reasonably explained.
Sounds like it’s getting close to a RICO investigation. Corpus, Little Man and Perea could be in big trouble.
Can these complaints be forwarded to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office for review of charges against these Deputies and Correctional Officers? I want to make sure our children and incarcerated individuals are safe from these bad actors.
ha ha all these police union goons good ole boys getting frustrated! STAY and fight Corpus! Your resignation will set a bad precedent and diminish the power of ALL elected official. The incompetence and bad actors in SMC is amazing and will be revealed in a formal legal proceeding. example did Shing-Mee Chang the assistant DA advise Undersheriff Fox that probable cause existed to arrest Tapia? so in a grand jury or any investigation the DA has an inherent conflict of interest…the DA had pc to arrest in the BATMAN case then changed mind once public outcry?what a JOKE DA has no credibility.
Undersheriff fox is two faced here and has no credibility. let the games begin and see what is revealed!
After this is all done… the public of SMC must pressure the BOARD to appoint or we must elect an outsider with no ties to SMC Sheriffs office to clean house and straighten out the department. The police union are bullies and are used to getting their way! new times are here so find other jobs ‘good ole boys” perhaps in RED STATES!
The so called unfounded crazy theories you suggest are insane, childish and require taking lots of pink and blue pills to actually entertain them as warranted real facts.
Resign Corpus, the gig is up- the evidence is stacked miles high in emails, videos, text and credible sources vs your um um um invalidated conspiracy theories.