A former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy was sentenced to two years in federal prison for violating the civil rights of a man at a Compton skate park by improperly detaining him and then covering up his actions.
Miguel Vega, 33, of Corona, called himself a monster in court Monday and apologized to the victim, who declined to come to court. He asked the judge to place him in a prison close to his family and two kids, ABC 7 reports.
Vega was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and pay a $5,000 fine due immediately. U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson set a self-surrender date of Feb. 29.
"You violated your solemn oath to uphold the law and in doing so abused the public trust," the judge told Vega in downtown Los Angeles. "What is so galling is that you knew what you did was illegal -- but it simply didn't matter."
Vega pleaded guilty in September to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, a crime that carries a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison. He admitted to having falsely imprisoned the 23-year-old skateboarder in his patrol car, which crashed during a subsequent chase, leaving the man injured. He also admitted filing false reports to cover up his and his partner's unlawful conduct.
