"OAKLAND Devon Wenger, a former Antioch policeman, was sentenced Tuesday to seven-and-a-half-years in federal prison for scheming to give other cops steroids and conspiring to violate the rights of people he was supposed to serve. The sentence, handed handed down Tuesday afternoon by Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, is the harhest thus far given to any of the 14 ex-East Contra Costa cops charged in 2023 as part of a massive police corruption scandal."
"White said he was baffled by the stark contrast between Wenger's otherwise courageous, otherwise law-abiding, otherwise respectful of the law with the terror visited upon members of the Antioch community. White said he was also shocked that throughout Wenger's case, I have not heard one word from anybody about some sort of feeling for these victims, who were victims of the defendant's crimes."
"He was supposed to obey the law and not break it, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Shepard said at the hearing. She quoted his texts with other officers about wanting to hurt people and said that contrasted with the letters of support from his loved ones who view him in roundly positive terms. In the Antioch community he was someone else, Shepard said, recounting how he smashed a woman's head into a police car and conspired to distribute drugs and use excessive force."
Devon Wenger, a former Antioch police officer, received a seven-and-a-half-year federal prison term for scheming to supply steroids to fellow officers and conspiring to violate residents' civil rights. Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White imposed the harshest sentence among 14 former East Contra Costa officers charged in 2023, citing a stark contrast between Wenger's prior reputation and the terror inflicted on Antioch residents. Prosecutors said Wenger falsified reports, obstructed justice, and exchanged texts about wanting to hurt people. Wenger's attorney requested three years; prosecutors sought nine. Wenger declined to address the court because of a pending appeal.
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