Former Deputy Constable Sentenced to 8 Years for Bribery

Former Deputy Constable Sentenced to 8 Years for Bribery

A former deputy with the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for bribery for demanding money from local Vietnamese businesses with the threat of arrest, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Too often we see our immigrant communities being taken advantage of because they believe dirty cops who claim that no one cares or that no one will believe them,” Ogg said. “Jurors have now shown that they are willing to convict cops who cross the line.”

Bobby Joe Espinosa, 41, was convicted of bribery and sentenced to prison by a jury during a five-day trial.

Jurors heard from several Vietnamese business owners who said Espinosa came to their restaurants and cafes to introduce himself while in uniform beginning in September 2021. Then he began demanding money to not arrest them and would come to collect regularly, even on his days off.

One owner testified that Espinosa initially took $2,500 from him. Then Espinosa returned for a $200 payment every Saturday from November 2021 to April 2022.

Eventually, the victim told a friend from church, a Harris County sheriff’s deputy, about what was going on. That deputy alerted authorities who investigated and built a case against Espinosa.

Another business owner who testified at trial told jurors that when he refused to set up a similar payment schedule, Espinosa took his Movado watch and a bottle of liquor.

In another case, Espinosa locked everyone out of the business, unplugged the surveillance video and broke into the cash register and took all the money from the tip jar.

Assistant District Attorney Vincent Tanzillo, who is assigned to the Civil Rights Division, prosecuted the case with Division Chief Gavin Ellis.

Tanzillo said Espinosa generally targeted Vietnamese men in their 60s because he knew they usually dealt in cash and had grown up dealing with corruption.

“All of these men came over from Vietnam to escape corrupt government and police, and this defendant took advantage of that to get them to pay bribes,” Tanzillo said. “The worst part is that this defendant’s behavior affects Harris County as a whole because it erodes trust in law enforcement across the board.”

Ellis added that the Civil Rights Division is a specialized division that was created to ensure that any law enforcement officer who breaks the law is held accountable.

“Law enforcement officers hold a position of trust, and when they violate that trust, they should be held responsible,” Ellis said. “We’re very proud of these jurors, who looked at the entire situation as a whole and handed down the right verdict.”

The jury sentenced Espinosa to eight years in prison, which he will begin serving immediately, and a $10,000 fine.

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