According to corrections1.com, which republished a Los Angeles Times report, U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin sentenced former sheriff's deputy Michael Meiser, 40, to 67 months in federal prison. Meiser pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic. Federal prosecutors said he worked in a unit that monitored gang activity and smuggled about 1.1 pounds of heroin in two Pringles cans for inmates in exchange for cash and Cash App payments. Prosecutors said he hid the cans in a sheriff's patrol car trunk, and sheriff's investigators stopped him as he left the complex and found $15,000 in cash in his backpack. The report says no other deputies have been implicated.
Why it matters
The case ended in a guilty plea and federal prison sentence for a deputy who was assigned to monitor gang activity inside a county jail. It also drew scrutiny to his unit's interactions with inmates, according to the report.
Convicted: A court found guilt, or the person pleaded guilty. An appeal may still be possible. Researched with AI assistance from the sources listed here and reviewed under our methodology.