Former Long Beach Police officer sentenced to one year in jail for embezzlement

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BYLINE: Tracy Manzer Staff Writer, , 562-499-1261
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Long Beach, CA

Damian Ramos given credit for time served, on probation for three years


LOS ANGELES -- A former Long Beach police officer who pleaded no contest to an embezzlement charge was sentenced Wednesday to a year in jail.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dorothy B. Reyes gave Damian Ramos, 33, credit for 190 days he has already served behind bars, which means he will not serve any more time because of good-time and work-time credits.

Ramos, however, was also placed on three years probation.

Ramos, who was on the force for five years, pleaded no contest on Feb. 10 to one count of embezzlement by a public officer.

Ramos was charged last August after taking four firearms that were to be booked as property. Two firearms were recovered, the other two remain missing, said Shiara Davila-Morales, a Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman.

In a statement released by the LBPD at the time of Ramos' the department noted an internal investigation was launched after a "business turned over numerous weapons to Ramos. However, the department discovered that not all of the weapons had been placed into evidence."

Fellow former Long Beach Police officer Derrick Dinsmore was also arrested in connection with the case and went to trial earlier this month.

Dinsmore was acquitted May 17 on two criminal counts, with the jury deliberating less than two hours before arriving at their verdict.

He was charged with one felony count of receiving stolen property and one misdemeanor count of petty theft.

Ramos was originally charged with 13 felony counts but in the plea negotiation the charge was dropped to a single count.

Because Ramos pleaded to a non-serious, non-violent felony offense he received one day of credit time for each day already served in county jail, meaning that his entire sentence has already been served, Davila-Morales explained.

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