An Orange County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested Thursday and charged with accepting bribes, including some connected to businesses in Garden Grove and Westminster, from a murderer inmate at Orange County Jail.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, David Lloyd Cass, 38, of Glendora, was charged with two felony counts of bribery and faces a maximum sentence of four years and eight months in state prison if convicted on all counts.
Authorities allege that Cass, a four-year veteran deputy, developed a relationship with an inmate – identified as Stephenson Choi Kim – who had been sentenced to life plus 255 years in prison for murder and numerous other violent offenses.
During the time Kim was at Orange County Jail, Cass allegedly allowed Kim to engage in “illegal and prohibited activities” in the rooms where inmates meet with their attorneys. Those activities included allowing Kim to have sex in the room with his wife and not searching her for contraband.
The wife – identified as Ha Nguyen – allegedly smuggled prohibited items into the jail including food, razors, a cell phone, prescription medication and drugs, including marijuana. Some of those items were allegedly sold to other inmates.
In exchange, Cass allegedly received bribes, including tickets to a Los Angeles Kings hockey game, gift certificates to spas and restaurants and VIP treatment at cafes in Garden Grove and Westminster, as well as introductions to women.
