Former Antioch police officer convicted in corruption scandal sentenced to 7.5 years
By Tim Fang
A former Antioch police officer who was convicted as part of a corruption case involving several officers in the department was sentenced to federal prison, prosecutors said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced Tuesday that 33-year-old Devon Christopher Wenger received a sentence of seven-and-a-half years. Wenger was convicted in two separate trials earlier this year for a series of offenses dating back to 2019.
In April, a jury convicted Wenger of conspiracy to distribute and posses with intent to distribute anabolic steroids and obstruction of justice. Wenger was convicted in a separate trial in September of conspiracy against rights.
“Devon Wenger and his co-conspirators believed the badges they wore gave them a license to break the law. They were wrong,” U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said in a statement. “Today, the court held Mr. Wenger accountable for his betrayal of the public trust placed in him.”
According to evidence presented in the September trial, Wenger and officers Morteza Amiri and Eric Rombough conspired with each other and with others about using excessive force against individuals. The three officers would send graphic pictures and text messages to each other as part of the conspiracy.
“The uses and intended uses of excessive force included deployment of a police K9, deployment of a 40mm ‘less lethal’ launcher, and other unnecessary violence,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said, describing the excessive force as “beyond any punishment appropriately imposed by the criminal justice system.”
Prosecutors said Wenger also withheld details about using excessive force.
In the April trial, evidence showed Wenger had set up the sale of anabolic steroids between then-Antioch officer Daniel Harris and a third person. Law enforcement seized the package, but Wenger continued to communicate with Harris about supplying the third person with steroids.
On the morning of March 23, 2022, the FBI notified Wenger that they were outside of his home with a warrant. He did not appear until about an hour later, in which agents seized his phone.
Prosecutors said a forensic examination of the device determined that entries related to the steroid distribution were deleted.
Ten current and former officers and employees of the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments have been charged in connection with the scandal.
Amiri was convicted for his role in the scandal in 2024 and was sentenced to 84 months. Meanwhile, Harris pled guilty in 2024 with his sentencing scheduled for Jan. 13, 2026.
