Michael Ramos, the former district attorney for San Bernardino County, has agreed to a six-month suspension from practicing law in California after allegedly destroying evidence in a 2017 corruption case, the California State Bar said in a statement to The Times.
The case involved corruption charges against three San Bernardino County officials and a developer who was a managing director of Rancho Cucamonga-based investor group Colonies Partners.
The four were indicted in 2011 on multiple charges stemming from a land dispute between the county and Colonies Partners.
Prosecutors alleged that the four men participated in a bribery scheme years prior designed to settle the dispute in favor of the company. In 2006, county supervisors voted 3 to 2 to settle with Colonies, over the objection of county legal staff.
Ultimately, three of the four defendants were acquitted in 2017, and charges were dropped against the fourth later that year. Several parties filed lawsuits against Ramos, alleging misconduct during the corruption case.
The next year, the Colonies defendants sued the county for allegedly engaging in “retaliatory, malicious, or politically motivated investigations and prosecutions, including failed criminal action against the various plaintiffs.” Ramos lost his bid for reelection later in 2018.
The lawsuit’s discovery phase sought Ramos’ written communications, but he had deleted the emails directed to his campaign address as well as his texts messages, according to the agreement signed by Ramos and the State Bar.
In 2020, a U.S. magistrate judge concluded that Ramos “had a duty to preserve emails and text messages and found his excuses for not doing so unacceptable,” according to Larson LLP, a firm that represented Colonies.
“It is shocking that any lawyer, particularly one serving as District Attorney, would act in ‘bad faith’ and destroy evidence relevant to an on-going litigation,” wrote Stephen Larson of Larson LLP.
Larson accused Ramos of “political persecution,” saying that he “destroyed evidence of his nefarious conduct.”
Ramos did not respond to request for comment. He is listed as a faculty member at UC Riverside.
The suspension agreement was approved by the State Bar Court and sent to the California Supreme Court, which has yet to approve the proposed agreement.
“Prosecutors wield tremendous authority and discretion, and with that comes a heightened responsibility to adhere to the ethical standards of the legal profession,” said State Bar Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona. “This stipulated discipline, if approved by the California Supreme Court, reinforces the State Bar’s commitment to ensuring that those who violate the rules governing attorney conduct — regardless of their title or position — are held responsible.”
