Former Rialto Police Officer & Lawyer Indicted for Weapons and False FBI Credential

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – A Rialto police officer was indicted by a federal grand jury after being found with a fake FBI credential, a hand grenade, silencers, and several illegal firearms, including a loaded semiautomatic rifle.

Sergio Lopez de Tirado, 43, of Corona, faces five counts including two counts of possession of unregistered firearms, two counts of possession of firearms without a serial number, and one count of possession of a fraudulently made government seal.

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On December 21, 2018, Lopez de Tirado was found sleeping in a pickup truck that was blocking a Norco driveway with the doors open. Authorities said that he appeared to be intoxicated and had difficulty getting out of the truck. As he got out of the truck, he identified himself as former Rialto PD.

He was found to have multiple loaded guns, a knife in a sheath, and a hand grenade in a holster under his arm. Inside the truck a fraudulent FBI credential was located and additional firearms, MK9 9mm semiautomatic rifle and two unregistered firearm silencers. All firearms were loaded and an AR-type rifle had a mounted silencer, according to the affidavit in support of the complaint. Lopez de Tirado was arrested but released after posting bail.

A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer found Lopez de Tirado and a passenger in a pickup truck parked the wrong way on the right shoulder of the I-15 in Corona in the early-morning hours of January 30, 2019. Since Lopez de Tirado’s driver’s license was suspended his truck was impounded. When his truck was searched a loaded and unregistered short barrel AR-type semiautomatic rifle, according to the affidavit.

Lopez de Tirado is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. He remains in federal custody at this time and faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the firearm-related charges and five years for the fraudulent government seal possession charge.