LA Sheriff's Department Investigates Maya Lau Under Villanueva Over Leaked List

Jul 20, 2024, 03:38 PM

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has come under scrutiny for secretly investigating and urging the state attorney general to prosecute a Los Angeles Times reporter, Maya Lau. The reporter had written about a leaked list of problematic deputies. PEN America has called for an immediate cessation of surveillance and intimidation of journalists by the Sheriff's Department. The investigation, which occurred under former Sheriff Alex Villanueva, has been criticized as an attempt to criminalize constitutionally protected journalism. Maya Lau described the investigation as an 'outrage.'