A state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement agent is facing grand theft and embezzlement charges after authorities say the Department of Justice caught him stealing $33,000 during a sting operation.
Gabriel Noel Baltodano, 35, pleaded not guilty to two counts each of grand theft and embezzlement and one count of filing a false police report during an appearance Monday at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles.
Baltodano, a nine-year Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement veteran, was assigned to the Orange County area, California Attorney General’s Office spokesman Jim Finefrock said.
Authorities’ say an internal investigation began when Baltodano’s fellow Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement officials were “alerted to the possibility” that he was stealing proceeds from narcotics suspects. He was arrested Thursday afternoon, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department records.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Monday set Baltodano’s bail at $125,000.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecution. If convicted, Baltodano faces up to four years, four months in state prison, prosecutors said.
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