By Steve Neavling
A retired FBI agent was sentenced to six years in prison Monday for conspiring to accept at least $150,000 in gifts and cash bribes to provide sensitive law enforcement information to a man with ties to Armenian organized crime.
Babak Broumand, 56, of Lafayette, Calif., was convicted of conspiracy, bribery of a public official, and monetary transaction in property derived from unlawful activity following an 11-day trial in October.
Broumand, who joined the FBI in 1999, faced up to 45 years in prison.
“Mr. Broumand took an oath of office, swearing to defend the laws of the United States and to uphold the high standards of the FBI,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “He violated this solemn promise and now he will face the consequences of his choice. Not only did this one-time special agent put his self-interest above all else, but he also did so while providing support to other criminals who compromise public safety. I am grateful for our hard-working law enforcement partners, including the FBI, who worked to uncover this misconduct and brought this corrupt agent to justice.”
Broumand was working on national security investigations in the bureau’s San Francisco office between 2015 and 2018, when he accepted cash, checks, private flights, a Ducati motorcycle, hotel stays, escorts, and meals.
In exchange, he searched law enforcement databases to notify Edgar Sargsyan if he or his criminal associates were under investigation.
To hide their crimes, Broumand falsely said Sargsyan was an FBI source and even wrote reports to keep up the appearance.
“Today’s sentencing of Mr. Broumand, a former FBI agent who abandoned his pledge to serve the American people in exchange for a lavish lifestyle, is gratifying and reaffirms the FBI’s commitment to weeding out corruption of public officials, including those from within,” Donald Alway, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said. “I’m proud of the agents and prosecutors who devoted years to this sensitive investigation and trial which resulted in today’s outcome and a restoration of trust by the people we serve.”
