A 34-year-old former Montebello police officer has pleaded guilty to one count of bribery Tuesday.
Rudolph Petersen served with the Montebello Police Department for nearly four years. Prosecutors said during that time he received cash payments from a gang member and drug trafficker. In his plea agreement, Petersen admitted to accepting $14,000 in bribes.
The trafficker, unnamed by prosecutors, paid Petersen for a variety of services, including $10,000 to escort a U-Haul truck filled with illegally grown marijuana.
Petersen also admitted to searching law enforcement databases on the trafficker’s behalf, reportedly to identify a “snitch” who helped law enforcement intercept a shipment of cocaine.
Petersen will return to court in Jan. 2022 for sentencing. He faces a statutory maximum of 10 years for his crimes.
