Former Antioch Police Officer Found Guilty Of Deprivation Of Civil Rights And Falsification Of Records

OAKLAND – A federal jury today convicted former Antioch police officer Morteza Amiri of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of falsification of records.  The jury’s verdict followed an eight-day trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White.  

Amiri, 33, was previously employed as a police officer with the Antioch Police Department.  According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Amiri, a K-9 handler, deployed his K-9 to bite suspects even when it was not necessary.  Amiri kept a running bite count that he celebrated with other officers.  Amiri also took photographs of the dog bites and shared them with other officers, stating in one text message that “gory pics are for personal stuff” and “cleaned up pics for the case.”

“Morteza Amiri violated the oath he swore to protect the people of Antioch.  He flouted his duty as a police officer, misused his police dog, and inflicted unnecessary and excessive force against the victim.  This appalling conduct erodes public trust in law enforcement.  And it weakens law enforcement’s ability to carry out its primary mission of public safety.  As today’s jury verdict makes clear, officers who put themselves above the law will be held accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins.  

“Today’s guilty verdict against Morteza Amiri sends a clear message: no one is above the law, especially those sworn to uphold it.  Amiri’s actions betrayed the trust of the community and undermined the integrity of law enforcement,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani.  “The FBI remains committed to holding accountable any officer who violates their oath and deprives citizens of their constitutional rights. The people of Antioch, and communities everywhere, deserve better.”

According to the evidence at trial, on July 24, 2019, Amiri pulled over and stopped a bicyclist identified as A.A., who, according to Amiri, did not have his bicycle light on.  Amiri approached A.A., punched and took the victim to the ground, and then called for his K-9 to bite the victim.  As a result, A.A. sustained injuries.  At the time, Amiri was accompanied by a police officer with a neighboring agency as a ride-along, and that officer assisted with the deployment of the K-9.  Afterwards, Amiri shared pictures of the victim’s wounds with other Antioch police officers.  One officer responded, “Yeah buddy good boy,” referring to the K-9, and “Lol you bit [A.A.].”  In response to a question from another officer about what cut the dog’s face, Amiri responded, “that’s a piece of the suspect’s flesh lol.”  

Amiri later wrote to the officer who accompanied him on the ride-along, “you got to see [the K-9] in action lol,” and stated that detectives got the victim “a 45 day violation and we are gonna leave it at that so i don’t go to court for the bite. Easy,” referring to the victim going into custody for a parole/probation violation.  Amiri then falsified a police report of the incident, stating that one of the reasons he deployed his K-9 was because he was alone, when instead the ride-along police officer was with him at the time and had helped Amiri deploy the K-9.

The jury convicted Amiri of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242 and one count of falsification of records in a federal investigation in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1519.  The jury acquitted Amiri of one count of conspiracy against rights in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 241 and two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242.  

Amiri was previously convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud following a jury trial in August 2024.  

Amiri is scheduled to appear on March 18, 2025, for a hearing on whether to remand him to custody pending sentencing, and on June 3, 2025, for sentencing.  He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on the count of deprivation of rights under color of law and 20 years in prison on the count of falsification of records.  Any sentence will be imposed by the Court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

The case is being prosecuted by the National Security & Special Prosecutions Section and the Oakland Branch of the United States Attorney’s Office.  This prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. 

These civil rights charges against Amiri were brought as part of an investigation into the Antioch and Pittsburgh police departments that resulted in multiple charges against 10 current and former officers and employees of these two police departments for various crimes ranging from the use of excessive force to fraud.  The status of these cases, all of which are before Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White, is below: