Exclusive: As FBI degree fraud investigation of Pittsburg cops ramped up, officers paid back tens of thousands to city

PITTSBURG — In the latest twist in a wide-ranging East Bay police corruption probe, two Pittsburg officers suspected of boosting their pay with improperly obtained college degrees returned tens of thousands of dollars in education bonuses, according to documents obtained this week.

The unsolicited personal checks signed by former Officers Patrick Berhan and Ernesto Mejia — both of whom are reportedly under criminal investigation — include near-identical notes in which both officers deny wrongdoing but offer the money back in order to avoid “the perception” that they did anything wrong.

The officers returned the money around the time of their resignations. Berhan wrote a $25,000 check dated Aug. 10, weeks after his departure in late June. Mejia sent $9,459 back on June 14 and four days later resigned, according to records and Pittsburg City Manager Garrett Evans. The city of Pittsburg accepted both checks and processed them as donations, the city’s director of human resources said.

The college-degree scam, as previously reported, kicked off what would become a more sweeping investigation into at least a dozen Antioch and Pittsburg police officers now suspected of a multitude of crimes.

Multiple law enforcement sources have said Berhan and Mejia are among Antioch and Pittsburg officers who are under a joint investigation by the FBI and the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, which is expected to result in criminal charges against several officers. The investigation includes allegations ranging from illegal police violence to cocaine and steroid distribution but started after a whistleblower alerted authorities to the alleged degree scam last year.

Sources have said Berhan, Mejia and an unknown number of other officers are suspected of being involved in the alleged scheme and had a woman take and pass tests for them.

“It has come to my attention that the City of Pittsburg contends that I did not properly earn the educational incentive pay awarded to me. Although I worked hard to achieve my college degree, I do not wish my reputation to be tainted by the perception that I received money I did not earn,” Berhan and Mejia wrote in separate letters.

Mejia’s attorney, Alison Berry Wilkinson, said the former officer “chose to reimburse the city because he did not want his reputation to be tainted by the perception that he received money he did not earn. He did this of his own accord and not at the request of the city.” It is not known who is representing Berhan.

This news organization obtained the documents through a public records request sent to Jennifer Brizel, director of human resources for the city of Pittsburg. Brizel said the city “has not received other ‘reimbursements’ from police officers” in 2022. She added that the city “processed the checks as donations.”

Berhan and Mejia each received a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice from California Coast University in August 2019 and March 2021, respectively, according to city records. The Santa Ana-based university, a private for-profit online school, advertises in the Police Officers Research Association of California’s magazine, among other law enforcement publications.

Under the current Pittsburg police union contract, officers are eligible for 5 percent raises annually for earning bachelor’s degrees. Antioch officers get the same pay bump under their contract.

The city of Antioch’s Human Resources department has not responded to a request sent last month seeking information about whether any officers under investigation requested or received similar education pay bumps.

Berhan and Mejia are also linked by their involvement in the controversial 2017 restraint death of 32-year-old Humberto Martinez, which led to a federal lawsuit that resulted in a $7.3 million settlement. Martinez died after Mejia put him in a carotid hold, while another officer sat on him, during a struggle inside the kitchen of a Pittsburg home. Martinez had run inside after officers tried to pull him over for a minor traffic violation.

A coroner’s report showed he suffered 16 broken ribs and several bruises. A pathologist noted Martinez had methamphetamine in his system but ruled he died from having the bloodstream to his brain cut off. Berhan used a stun gun on Martinez during the struggle, according to testimony at a coroner’s inquest hearing.

Public records show Berhan was roommates with Antioch K9 Officer Morteza Amiri, a central target of the FBI probe, according to multiple law enforcement sources. The investigation into Amiri has included a review of dog bite incidents involving him and his K9 partner, Purcy.

A federal grand jury, convened last year, is expected to issue soon a decision on whether to charge the involved officers. Thus far, prosecutors in Contra Costa have filed felony charges against one former Pittsburg officer, Armando Montalvo, for allegedly possessing and selling two illegal assault rifles.

Federal and state prosecutors have also dropped dozens of criminal charges that hinged on the testimony of impugned officers.