SoCal sheriff's deputy arrested on bribery, extortion charges

Deputy arrested, accused of extortion and bribery

A San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy working out of the Hesperia Police Department was arrested for alleged extortion and bribery.

HESPERIA, Calif. - It’s a case of bribery, extortion, and police corruption… A San Bernardino County deputy was arrested and is facing six counts of extortion and bribery. 

Deputy Cameron Romo was arrested on Tuesday morning after a lengthy investigation.  

What we know:

In June 2024, a citizen complaint was received alleging on-duty criminal conduct by Deputy Cameron Romo, a statement from the sheriff's department read. Romo was immediately placed on administrative leave and an investigation was conducted.

Investigators determined Romo conducted multiple criminal acts while on-duty as a Deputy Sheriff, assigned to the Hesperia Station.

On Aug. 4, felony charges were filed and Romo was arrested the next day. 

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Additional details on the crimes were not released. 

Romo has been employed by the Sheriff’s Department as a Deputy Sheriff since September 2020 and assigned to the Hesperia Station since August 2021.

What they're saying:

Criminal Law Attorney Dmitry Gorin reviewed the criminal complaint and said the charges are extremely serious, especially since they involve abuse of public trust by someone in uniform. 

"He’s using the badge and the firearm to get money from people," Gorin said. "It’s very damaging to law enforcement to have a rogue officer committing crimes involving extortion and bribery. It appears that the police department did the right thing in investigating officer Romo for over a year for three different incidents involving bribery and extortion."

San Bernardino Sheriff Shannon Dicus issued the following statement, "This is unfortunate that a Deputy Sheriff would engage in this type of behavior. I am proud of all the investigators involved in bringing this case to the District Attorney’s Office so he can be held accountable."