Last week, Glendale Police detective and Seal Beach resident John Saro Balian, 45, pleaded guilty to bribery involving programs that receive Federal Funds, obstructing justice and making false statements to Federal investigators.
His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 24, according to Tracy Webb, Director of Communication and Public Affairs for the United States Attorney’s Office.
However, the legal battle over the Balian case may continue after his sentencing. According to news reports, a Federal judge ordered the Los Angeles Times to alter the news story about Balian’s guilty plea. The court order is being challenged.
It seems a confidential document detailing the plea agreement beteen Balian and prosecutors was accidentally uploaded to a public database for Federal records to which the Times subscribes. Times staff wrote the news story about the guilty plea based on the document.
Balian’s attorney reportedly sought the court order.
As for Balian, he was at his Seal Beach home on Tuesday, May 15, by Federal agents on suspicion of of making false statements to Federal investigators who were investigating possible ties between Balian and the Mexican Mafia and Armenian crime organizations, according to statements issued at the time by the Department of Justice and the Glendale PD.
According to the orginal charging document, called a “criminal information,” the US Attorney’s office accused Balian of soliciting and accepting money from someone identified as “D.N.,” to use his access to law enforcement resources to locate an individual identfied as “A.B.” and others.
Prosecutors also accused Balian of helping an individual identified as “J.G.” avoid arrest between June 16 and July 29, 2015, in a criminal matter that was not specified in the charging document.
Prosecutors also accused Balian of lying to Federal investigators about those matters.
According to news reports, Balian and four other Glendale officers sued the city of Glendale in 2010, alleging discrimination against them for being of Armenian dissent. Glendale settled the case with the defendants. According to news reports, Balian and Glendale reached a settlement in 2015.
