Cop, Deputy DA Charged in Ticket Fixing Scandal

Charges filed In "ticket fixing" scandal

Charges have now been filed against a San Diego Police Sergeant and a Deputy District Attorney accused in an alleged "ticket fixing" scandal.

It was a story that NBC San Diego first broke late last year.

The Attorney General's Office on Friday filed misdemeanor charges against Deputy District Attorney Allison Worden, who also goes by Debow, and San Diego Police Sergeant Kevin Friedman.

According to a criminal complaint, on May 28, 2011, Worden and Deputy District Attorney, Amy Maund, were cited by a San Diego Police officer for failing to wear seat belts.

Maund told investigators that Worden tried to dissuade the officer from giving them tickets by saying they were Deputy District Attorneys.

When that didn't work, Maund claims Worden called her friend, Sgt. Kevin Friedman, at the San Diego Police traffic division.

Maund claims Worden told Friedman that the officer had acted inappropriately by getting in her quote "personal space."

Worden then allegedly asked Friedman if there was anything he could do about the tickets.

Maund says she told Worden not to do anything about her ticket, but according to investigators Friedman found those tickets in the citations bin and got rid of them.

Maund says she wanted to pay the fine for the ticket, but Worden said the tickets had already been dismissed.

Maund then told a supervisor at the DA's office about the alleged ticket fixing incident.

Criminal defense attorney Anthony Solare says, if convicted Worden and Friedman probably won't get jail time because the charges are misdemeanors, but they could lose their jobs.

And more importantly it would cast a dark cloud over the two offices that hired them.

"It erodes people's confidence in the system,' Solare said.

District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis released a statement, saying in part, "The district attorney's office has a zero tolerance policy regarding unethical or unlawful behavior by its employees. If such activity is discovered, our office moves quickly to investigate and hold employees accountable."

Worden has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the case.

Sgt. Friedman is on administrative desk duty.

Both face three charges including Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice and Alteration or Destruction of a Traffic Citation.

This report originally aired on NBC 7 on January 28, 2012.

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