LOS ANGELES – An Adelanto man was one of three, including an L.A. Sheriff’s Deputy to rob a Los Angeles Marijuana Distribution warehouse, stealing over a million dollars in marijuana and cash.
The three male suspects, LASD Deputy Marc Antrim, 41, of South El Monte, who worked at the Temple City Station, Eric “Rooster” Rodriguez, 32, of Adelanto, and Kevin McBride, 43, of Glendora, confiscated over 600 pounds of marijuana and $100,000 cash while they were dressed in deputy attire. U.S. Attorney’s office officials said that Antrim allegedly showed the security guard a paper inside a folder, which appeared to be a search warrant before entering the property with Antrim in a green vest that said, “Sheriff” and the other two in green jackets that had LASD patches on the sleeve. All three were wearing duty belts with holstered handguns, and according to a witness, one of the three appeared to be holding a long gun.
The early-morning robbery occurred on October 29, 2018, with the three arriving in an unmarked Ford Explorer that license plate was an LASD registered vehicle assigned to the Temple City Station. The robbery lasted approximately two hours, during which time the three suspects detained three warehouse employees including two security guards, in the backseat of the LASD Ford Explorer. A fourth suspect was captured on surveillance in a large rental truck and all four men loaded the marijuana in the truck.
Los Angeles Police officers responded to a call reporting the robbery, and the three fled out a back door. Two of the suspects discarded their LASD jackets as the fled. Antrim told LAPD officers that he was a LASD Narcotics deputy conducting a legitimate search. The deputy handed his phone to an officer so that he could speak to someone who said he was Antrim’s LASD sergeant. When the LAPD officers left the warehouse after around 20 minutes and the three returned to continue the robbery, loading more marijuana and two safes into the rental truck.
“Deputy Antrim allegedly was able to use his law enforcement expertise and his access to Sheriff’s Department gear to stage a robbery that netted over a million dollars in marijuana and cash,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “We cannot tolerate this type of behavior from sworn officers, and this case demonstrates our commitment to quickly address corrupt behavior by law enforcement. The rapid response by the Sheriff’s Department, and the collaborative work with their federal colleagues in the DEA, FBI and ATF, is a perfect example of law enforcement joining together to ensure the integrity of the criminal justice system.”
An attorney representing the warehouse contacted the Sheriff’s Department in days following the robbery. Antrim, a Temple City patrol deputy, was not on duty at the time of the incident, there was no legitimate search warrant issued for the warehouse, and Antrim was not assigned to the department’s narcotics unit. Antrim was not a detective and had no reason to search the marijuana distribution warehouse. The rental truck went to McBride’s home after the robbery. The three were arrested on Thursday, November 8, 2018, and searches were subsequently conducted. During the search, around $300,000 to $400,000 was recovered from Antrim’s and McBride’s homes. Around two pounds of marijuana, packaged for commercial sale from McBride’s home, as well as firearms, were also recovered from the homes.“The alleged actions by the defendants detail an egregious level of corruption that posed a safety risk to victims and fellow police officers,” said Paul Delacourt, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI and our partners will continue to root out corruption which undermines the law enforcement mission and stains the reputation of those committed to serve and protect.”
The three suspects who were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances now face up to 40 years in federal prison.
