SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A private detective who tried to frame a Costa Mesa city councilman for driving under the influence has been sentenced to a year in jail.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise (https://bit.ly/2nkK7Yx ) says Christopher Lanzillo of Lake Arrowhead was sentenced on Friday. He pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and conspiracy to file a false police report.
Prosecutors say Lanzillo and another investigator were hired by a law firm to dig up dirt on Righeimer, Mayor Stephen Mensinger and others during tense contract negotiations with the Costa Mesa Police Association in 2012.
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Lanzillo, a former Riverside police officer, acknowledged he was involved in making a false DUI 911 call about Righeimer and planting a tracking device on the mayor’s car.
The police union has denied knowing about any illegal actions.
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