BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ
Daily Post Staff Writer
Sheriff Christina Corpus will face her employees and former employees who have accused her of retaliation and intimidation at an extraordinary hearing that begins Monday (Aug. 18) in Redwood City.
Witnesses who will claim Corpus was carrying on an affair with her chief of staff Victor Aenelle are also among the 38 witnesses who have received subpoenas. The administrative hearing is open to the public but won’t be live streamed.
The county Board of Supervisors has voted to fire Corpus, but she has been given the opportunity over the next 10 days to appeal that decision and argue she should keep the job to which she was elected in 2022.
The county, which has hired the law firm of Keker, Van Nest and Peters to litigate the case, has subpoenaed 38 witnesses. They include:
• Corpus, who is accused of nepotism, retaliation, intimidation, deception and other forms of misconduct.
• Sergeants Hector Acosta and Javier Acosta, who allege they were targeted by Corpus due to Hector Acosta’s role as president of the sergeant’s union. They have filed legal claims against the Corpus and the county, since she was acting in the capacity of sheriff, seeking a combined $2.25 million in damages. Javier Acosta was placed on leave after rumors of him having an inappropriate relationship with an intern started, his claim said. He was placed under house arrest without cause, according to his claim, and received a letter from the sheriff’s office saying he was under internal investigation. Javier Acosta has denied the allegations regarding the intern. Hector Acosta said his brother was placed on leave in retaliation for his role.
• Deputies Union President Carlos Tapia. Corpus ordered Tapia’s arrestfor timecard fraud the day retired Judge LaDoris Cordell’s report came out. The timecard case was thrown out by District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe because there was no evidence of a crime.
Tapia is currently suing Corpus for arresting him, discrimination and retaliation.
• Capt. Brian Philip, who quit instead of arresting Tapia. Philip, a former Palo Alto police officer, is now suing the county, saying there was no “factual basis to warrant the arrest.”
• Former Assistant Sheriff Matthew Fox, who resigned after Tapia’s arrest because of what he said was “dysfunction and disarray” in the sheriff’s office. Fox was responsible for the investigation into whether Tapia had committed a crime, Tapia said in his lawsuit. Corpus claimed at a previous hearing that it was Fox who investigated the Tapia case.
• Chief Deputy District Attorney Shin-Mee Chang, who allegedly told Fox to take more time before arresting Tapia for time-card fraud, according to the report by Jan Little from the Keker, Van Nest & Peter’s law firm. Corpus said Chang had given the OK to arrest Tapia.
• Lt. Brandon Hensel, Tapia’s boss in the transportation unit, was told by Corpus to monitor Tapia’s work attendance, according to the Keker report, suggesting the sheriff was looking for a reason to arrest Tapia. Despite Corpus saying Tapia was never there, Hensel said he was a “trustworthy and professional” employee who always showed up when scheduled, the Keker report said.
• Sergeants Philip Hallworth, Steve Woelkers and Daniel Chiu, who said Tapia didn’t submit inaccurate timecards.
• Former Assistant Sheriff Ryan Monaghan, who was fired by Corpus after she learned he spoke to retired judge Cordell for her investigation. However, County Manager Mike Callagy blocked Monaghan’s firing, fearing it would result in another lawsuit against the county due to Corpus’ actions. Callagy kept Monaghan on the county payroll until he was hired by DA Wagstaffe to work in a newly-created position as director of a project to combat human trafficking throughout the county. He’s working out of an office in the Redwood City Police Department. Monaghan and Callagy previously worked together in the San Mateo Police Department.
• Mike Callagy has received a subpoena to testify. Corpus accused him of misconduct for interfering in the sheriff’s office, but he was cleared in an independent report commissioned by the Board of Supervisors. Callagy has also filed a $10.5 million claim against Corpus, Aenlle for defamation. The claim also names the county, which Callagy heads, since Corpus and Aenlle were employed by the county when he claims they made the defamatory statements.
• County HR Director Rocio Kiryczun, who investigated some of the complaints against Corpus.
• Victor Aenlle, who is alleged to have had a romantic relationship with Corpus — something he and Corpus strongly deny. Aenlle was fired by the county supervisors and forbidden from entering nonpublic parts of the county buildings unless accompanied by an elected official, namely Corpus. Aenlle has also filed a claim against the county for being targeted because he is Latino. He is currently assisting with the sheriff’s unit that approves concealed carry weapons.
• Former Undersheriff Chris Hsiung, the former Mountain View police chief who was named undersheriff in February 2023 and resigned in June 2023. Hsiung said he witnessed the “close personal relationship” between Corpus and Aenlle, according to the Keker report. He said he saw them sharing drinks and food at a restaurant, the report stated. He said he resigned because of Corpus’s “tendency to retaliate against personnel” and for allowing Aenlle to interfere with his duties.
• Associate Management Analyst Valerie Barnes, who was Corpus’s friend and worked on her campaign. Barnes was interviewed for the Keker report and claimed Corpus told her to hide her affair with Aenlle.
• Former Lt. Dan Guiney, who told investigators that he was a participant in a Zoom call with Corpus, who claimed she was alone but could see Aenlle’s reflection in her car’s sunroof. Guiney worked on Corpus’ campaign.
• Capt. Mark Myers, who is in charge of the San Carlos Bureau, wrote a memo about Aenlle retiring to the sheriff’s headquarters after he was banished.
• Jennifer Valdez, who worked as an executive assistant in the sheriff’s office for 18 years. Valdez said she heard Aenlle say “te amo” to Corpus and saw him bring Corpus’s kids to her office after school, according to the Keker report.
• Lt. Jonathan Sebring, who was aware that Aenlle’s background check included an “old report from a local police department containing allegations of criminal conduct.” No charges were brought against Aenlle after the alleged victim withdrew her complaint. The alleged victim has since died. Sebring said Aenlle concealed the information in hopes of becoming a sworn officer. The report by the Keker law firm alleges Corpus retaliated against Sebring after he advised an employee that she could file an HR complaint against Aenlle.
• Former Capt. Rebecca Albin, who claims Corpus locked her out of the Half Moon Bay Bureau two days before she was scheduled to leave for another police agency, according to the Keker report. Albin is currently a captain in the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department.
• Jeffrey Morgan, who is a detective for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, could be a witness. Morgan said he’s heard Corpus use antisemitic language in 2022, according to the Keker report. Morgan said Corpus described Albin as a “Jew b****,” the Keker report said.
• Lt. Daniel Reynolds, who informed Sgt. Jimmy Chan that he was going to be transferred to the San Francisco Airport per Undersheriff Dan Perea’s request, according to the Keker report. Chan was transferred within hours of participating in a press conference in support of Measure A, the report states. Chan will also possibly testify.
• HR manager Heather Enders and Director of Finance Stacey Stevenson. They wrote emails to Corpus to confirm the purchase of 10 massage chairs, which was declined. Corpus was questioned by Supervisor Jackie Speier during a board meeting and said she didn’t know about the request.
• Former civilian employee Jenna McAlpin, who quit in April 2024. She was interviewed for the Keker report and claimed Aenlle confronted her about a rumor that she had posted denigrating content about Corpus online, according to the Keker report. McAlpin denied the rumor, offered to take a lie detector test, and said that Aenlle made her feel uncomfortable.
• Sgt. Joe Fava, who was placed on leave after the Post printed a story in which he said Corpus delayed and interfered with investigations into her employees, according to the Keker report.
• County Employee and Labor Relations Analyst Katy Roberts, who was interviewed in the Oppenheimer report, could be another witness. Roberts said she didn’t know about Monaghan’s misconduct issues. She knew about the complaints Albin filed after leaving the sheriff’s office.
• Deputy trainee Genesis Serrano, who left a gun at the Crepevine restaurant in Burlingame on Oct. 17. Serrano wasn’t disciplined, and rumors have spread that she is related to Corpus, according to testimony during a previous hearing.
Other possible witnesses could be Deputy HR Director Michelle Kuka, who is accused of negotiating a contract with the deputy’s union behind Corpus’s back and San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Payroll Supervisor Van Enriquez.
Two months before removal
After the hearings ends, the hearing officer will have 30 days to form an opinion and present it to the board, who will then have another 30 days to review it before holding a final vote to remove Corpus.
That vote must pass with a four-fifths majority.
The board of supervisors commissioned an investigation after multiple HR complaints were made against Corpus and Aenlle.
The allegations from Cordell’s 400-page report became the basis for supervisors to place Measure A on the March 3 ballot, which voters approved, enabling the board to remove Corpus.
The supervisors then hired Keker, who conducted another investigation resulting in the recommendation to remove Corpus, which the board unanimously voted to move forward with.
Hearings will be public
Corpus recently changed her mind and decided to keep the hearing open to the public after the First Amendment Coalition, a group that advocates for open government, said it would sue if it were closed to the public.
However, the hearing officer in the case, retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Emerson, has decided the hearings will not be live-streamed and video cameras won’t be allowed. He has granted a motion from the Post to allow still photography, however.
The hearings will take place in the Hall of Justice, 400 County Center, Redwood City, in Courtroom 2M on the second floor.
Sheriff’s Office Payroll Supervisor Van Enriquez? Maybe part of the Corpus Cartel. Someone should question him regarding his own overtime. The amounts are available on Transparent California. See for yourself.
Let the games begin! Time to finally hear from some of Corpus’ victims. The best part will be when Corpus opens her filthy mouth. Nothing but lies and her “I’m the victim” B.S. She’ll be seen for who she truly is … a nasty, wretched troll, who preys on good people at the behest of her manipulative, angry dwarf. So long Christina, your time has finally come!!
It’s a small thing, but the Removal Procedures designed by outside counsel Alfonso Estrada from HansonBridgett, LLP (readable as volume 1, pp. 137-146 in the now-famous accidentally public filings) give retired Judge Emerson 45 days, not 30.
Quoting:
“3. Advisory Opinion of the Hearing Officer
(A) Once the Removal Hearing concludes, the Hearing Officer will have forty-five (45) days to submit a written advisory opinion to the Board.
(B) The Hearing Officer’s advisory opinion shall:
(1) Employ the “preponderance of the evidence” standard of proof over the evidencepresented;
(2) Analyze and issue an advisory opinion as to whether the County had cause, as defined in Section 412.5 of the County Charter, to remove the Sheriff; and
(3) Include findings of fact and a proposed advisory opinion to the Board, limited to the statement oi the issue of whether the County had cause, under Section 412.5, to remove the Sheriff.”
They all look so happy in those photos.
That was before they got [Obscenity deleted] by Corpus and her henchmen.
This will be a great movie!!!!!!
All these claims of oppression, discrimination and prejudice for being a Latina female are a big fat lie. Corpus was hired as a Correctional Officer and climbed the ladder to Deputy Sheriff to Sergeant to Lieutenant to Captain and ultimately to Chief of Millbrae all within a short period of time, promoted by Carlos Bolanos, a Hispanic Sheriff. The Sheriff’s Office was always very aware of the female strength in the department — the likes of Kristina Bell, Janet Colombet, Deborah Bazan, Vikki O’Brien, Trisha Sanchez, Alma Zamora, Linda Gibbons, Rebecca Albin and others — Assistant Sheriff, Captains, Lieutenants and Sergeants. All good, hard working dedicated women. It is important to note that Chrissy did not place, promote or hire one female in her short tenure as Sheriff. She surrounds herself with men and men only. Any capable, strong female in the department always seemed to be a threat to her and was treated as an adversary. Kristina Bell left the Office precisely for that reason, to accept the well-deserved position of Police Chief at Redwood City PD, a sharp contrast to the disastrous reign of our current Sheriff.
Corpus was never oppressed as a female or Hispanic. No assignment was held back because she was a female or Hispanic; in fact, she was promoted far beyond her level of competence at every turn because the optics were good, not because of her performance. However, because of her weakness and cries of being picked on and not being able to manage certain positions, she was always given soft landings. When failing at any position of any difficulty, Chrissy was provided a softer assignment, such as Community Policing in North Fair Oaks, or DARE and other PR or desk assignments. Shocking to many of you, yes, she was the favored child. She spent little time in Patrol, Corrections, and almost none in Narcotics. She never worked Narcotics on the street, so how she ever became a supervisor was questionable. She never worked Investigations, never investigated a murder, a child molest, a burglary, never scraped a body off the railroad tracks and never wrote a Search Warrant of her own. A true COP she was not, not ever.
As is now proven, her experience was not enough to lead a department without being told what to do, so she relied on a Reserve Realtor who couldn’t make it in the police world and failed to pass the basic training to become a Deputy Sheriff. She tossed her husband and family aside and made little Victor her new boy toy. Today begins the removal process of an entitled, coddled female from a position she should have never been in, one which she will be dragged kicking and screaming from because she doesn’t have enough dignity or respect for the office, the position, the staff or the citizens who put her there. Instead she has ridden the unwarranted tide of the term “oppressed.” Bat your eyes some more, Chrissy. Put on your Louis Vuitton heels and your $11,000 diamond earrings; paint your face and red lips and cry your tears. See you in Court. Your days of faking it are over.
The alleged hearsay and testimony against Corpus is laughable. Just because she was eating lunch with another officer doesn’t mean she did anything wrong. Seems like all these people want money in my opinion.