2 charges dismissed in voter fraud case against ex-president of Fairfax School District Board of Trustees
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A Superior Court judge on Thursday dismissed felony embezzlement and conflict of interest charges against Palmer Moland, former president of the Fairfax School District Board of Trustees.
Deputy Public Defender Ajaib Gill,, Moland's attorney, said in a news release those charges were based on complaints made by politically motivated parties.
The court granted Gill's motion seeking the dismissal.
'Mr. Moland is happy to be vindicated as to the most serious charges in this case,' he said. 'We look forward to further clearing his name at jury trial.'
Moland still faces felony charges related to voter fraud and perjury. His trial is scheduled to begin next week.
BPD awards 'Moms Against Drunk Driving' $2,500
When charging Moland in 2022, prosecutors said he ignored bylaws that restrict using public funds when hiring a law firm that was set to investigate him. Prosecutors said he should have abstained from voting to hire the firm because it posed a conflict of interest.
In the release, Gill said Moland helped unseat the previous school board president — becoming the first Black president of the board. A majority of trustees then voted to retain the private firm, Gill said, to help 'move on from all of the well-documented drama and turmoil surrounding the school district.'
'The court correctly found there was no personal financial motive for Mr. Moland in voting to retain the firm,' Gill said.
In a separate case, Moland is accused of exaggerating his health issues to fraudulently obtain in-home care services for people with disabilities. A preliminary hearing is scheduled later this month.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
9 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Former DC police officer sentenced to 18 months for lying about leaking info to Proud Boys leader
WASHINGTON (AP) — A retired police officer was sentenced on Friday to serve 18 months behind bars for lying to authorities about leaking confidential information to the Proud Boys extremist group's former top leader, who was under investigation for burning a Black Lives Matter banner in the nation's capital. Shane Lamond was a lieutenant for the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., when he fed information about its banner burning investigation to then-Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio. Last December, after a trial without a jury, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C., convicted Lamond of one count of obstructing justice and three counts of making false statements. Tarrio attended Lamond's sentencing and later called for Trump to pardon Lamond. 'I ask that the Justice Department and the President of the United States step in and correct the injustice that I just witnessed inside this courtroom," Tarrio said outside the courthouse after the sentencing. Prosecutors recommended a four-year prison sentence for Lamond. 'Because Lamond knew what he did was wrong, he lied to cover it up — not just to the Federal Agents who questioned his actions, but to this Court," they wrote. "This is an egregious obstruction of justice and a betrayal of the work of his colleagues at MPD.' Lamond's lawyers argued that a prison sentence isn't warranted. "Mr. Lamond gained nothing from his communications with Mr. Tarrio and only sought, albeit in a sloppy and ineffective way, to gain information and intelligence that would help stop the violent protesters coming to D.C. in late 2020, early 2021," they wrote. Tarrio pleaded guilty to burning the banner stolen from a historic Black church in downtown Washington in December 2020. He was arrested two days before dozens of Proud Boys members stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Tarrio wasn't at the Capitol that day, but a jury convicted him of orchestrating a violent plot to keep President Donald Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 election. Lamond testified at his bench trial that he never provided Tarrio with sensitive police information. Tarrio, who testified as a witness for Lamond's defense, said he did not confess to Lamond about burning the banner and did not receive any confidential information from him. But the judge did not find either man's testimony to be credible. Jackson said the evidence indicated that Lamond was not using Tarrio as a source after the Dec. 12, 2020, banner burning. 'It was the other way around,' she said. Lamond, of Colonial Beach, Virginia, retired in May 2023 after 23 years of service to the police department. Lamond, who met Tarrio in 2019, had supervised the intelligence branch of the police department's Homeland Security Bureau. He was responsible for monitoring groups like the Proud Boys when they came to Washington. Prosecutors said Lamond tipped off Tarrio that a warrant for his arrest had been signed. They pointed to messages that suggest Lamond provided Tarrio with real-time updates on the police investigation. Lamond's indictment says he and Tarrio exchanged messages about the Jan. 6 riot and discussed whether Proud Boys members were in danger of being charged in the attack. 'Of course I can't say it officially, but personally I support you all and don't want to see your group's name and reputation dragged through the mud,' Lamond wrote. Lamond said he was upset that a prosecutor labeled him as a Proud Boys 'sympathizer' who acted as a 'double agent' for the group after Tarrio burned a stolen Black Lives Matter banner in December 2020. 'I don't support the Proud Boys, and I'm not a Proud Boys sympathizer,' Lamond testified.
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Federal court hears challenge to Confederate monuments funded by taxpayers in Florida
Confederate monuments are once again at the center of legal and public debate in Jacksonville, this time inside a federal courtroom. Former attorney Earl Johnson Jr. is asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to revive his 2021 lawsuit, which aims to stop the city and state from using public funds to preserve Confederate tributes on taxpayer-owned property. Johnson, who is the son of a civil rights attorney who once represented Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., argues that public symbols honoring the Confederacy are not just relics, but represent government-backed white supremacy that violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< 'The purpose of this court in terms of my case is to lay out the ground rules – where does the state stand? Where does the city stand, as it relates to Confederate monuments?' Johnson said. The lawsuit, originally dismissed last year due to lack of standing, lists Mayor Donna Deegan and more than 30 Confederate-related memorials, plaques, and names statewide. Outside the federal courthouse on Hogan Street, demonstrators rallied in support of the case. Protesters held signs and chanted calls for change, saying the monuments inflict ongoing harm, particularly on Jacksonville's Black residents. 'These are modern-day 'whites only' signs,' Johnson said. 'They tell me, as a Black man, that I'm not worthy — that I'm a second-class citizen.' [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Kelly Frazier with the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville joined the rally and said the monuments are more than just statues. 'They're symbols of hate. They're shrines to rebellion that fought to keep our ancestors in chains,' Frazier said. A courtroom sketch captured a look inside the federal hearing. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Activists say the fight goes beyond removing statues, calling instead for a broader reckoning with the legacy of racial injustice in public spaces. A decision from the appeals court could take weeks or months. Action News Jax reached out to Mayor Donna Deegan's office for comment. A spokesperson responded, 'We decline to comment on the pending lawsuit.' Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former DC police officer sentenced to 18 months for lying about leaking info to Proud Boys leader
WASHINGTON (AP) — A retired police officer was sentenced on Friday to serve 18 months behind bars for lying to authorities about leaking confidential information to the Proud Boys extremist group's former top leader, who was under investigation for burning a Black Lives Matter banner in the nation's capital. Shane Lamond was a lieutenant for the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., when he fed information about its banner burning investigation to then-Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio. Last December, after a trial without a jury, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C., convicted Lamond of one count of obstructing justice and three counts of making false statements. Tarrio attended Lamond's sentencing and later called for Trump to pardon Lamond. 'I ask that the Justice Department and the President of the United States step in and correct the injustice that I just witnessed inside this courtroom," Tarrio said outside the courthouse after the sentencing. Prosecutors recommended a four-year prison sentence for Lamond. 'Because Lamond knew what he did was wrong, he lied to cover it up — not just to the Federal Agents who questioned his actions, but to this Court," they wrote. "This is an egregious obstruction of justice and a betrayal of the work of his colleagues at MPD.' Lamond's lawyers argued that a prison sentence isn't warranted. "Mr. Lamond gained nothing from his communications with Mr. Tarrio and only sought, albeit in a sloppy and ineffective way, to gain information and intelligence that would help stop the violent protesters coming to D.C. in late 2020, early 2021," they wrote. Tarrio pleaded guilty to burning the banner stolen from a historic Black church in downtown Washington in December 2020. He was arrested two days before dozens of Proud Boys members stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Tarrio wasn't at the Capitol that day, but a jury convicted him of orchestrating a violent plot to keep President Donald Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 election. Lamond testified at his bench trial that he never provided Tarrio with sensitive police information. Tarrio, who testified as a witness for Lamond's defense, said he did not confess to Lamond about burning the banner and did not receive any confidential information from him. But the judge did not find either man's testimony to be credible. Jackson said the evidence indicated that Lamond was not using Tarrio as a source after the Dec. 12, 2020, banner burning. 'It was the other way around,' she said. Lamond, of Colonial Beach, Virginia, retired in May 2023 after 23 years of service to the police department. Lamond, who met Tarrio in 2019, had supervised the intelligence branch of the police department's Homeland Security Bureau. He was responsible for monitoring groups like the Proud Boys when they came to Washington. Prosecutors said Lamond tipped off Tarrio that a warrant for his arrest had been signed. They pointed to messages that suggest Lamond provided Tarrio with real-time updates on the police investigation. Lamond's indictment says he and Tarrio exchanged messages about the Jan. 6 riot and discussed whether Proud Boys members were in danger of being charged in the attack. 'Of course I can't say it officially, but personally I support you all and don't want to see your group's name and reputation dragged through the mud,' Lamond wrote. Lamond said he was upset that a prosecutor labeled him as a Proud Boys 'sympathizer' who acted as a 'double agent' for the group after Tarrio burned a stolen Black Lives Matter banner in December 2020. 'I don't support the Proud Boys, and I'm not a Proud Boys sympathizer,' Lamond testified. Lamond said he considered Tarrio to be a source, not a friend. But he said he tried to build a friendly rapport with the group leader to gain his trust. ___
