Former FBI agent Babak Broumand appeared in federal court on Monday and was handed a six-year sentence in federal prison.
Broumand, who spent over two decades working at the FBI’s field office in San Francisco, was convicted of accepting $150,000 in bribes and other valuable items, the Justice Department said in a press release.
In exchange, Broumand reportedly fed sensitive law enforcement information to an attorney, Edgar Sargsyan, who is allegedly linked to Armenian organized crime, per the Los Angeles Times.
The sentencing comes at a time when the FBI has come under fire for various allegations of misconduct, ranging from buried treasure cover-ups to targeting “radical-traditionalist Catholics.”
“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. He violated this solemn promise and now he will face the consequences of his choice,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in the press release.
“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,” Estrada continued.
The DOJ claimed that, from January 2015 to December 2018, Broumand accepted cash, checks, flights on private jets, a Ducati motorcycle, escorts, meals, and other items from Sargsyan.
In return, Broumand allegedly conducted law enforcement database inquiries and used them to help Sargsyan avoid prosecution and monitoring from law enforcement.
He is also accused of telling the lawyer to “stay away” from letting him know if individuals were under investigation.
Broumand then supposedly wrote false reports regarding his database inquiries and claimed Sargsyan was working as an FBI source.
“So Broumand basically sold his access to confidential federal law enforcement databases. That’s what he did. And in exchange he received a lot of benefits and a lot of things of value,” said Ruth Pinkel, a former federal prosecutor, according to ABC 7 Eyewitness News.
Sargsyan eventually became an informant and testified against Broumand, saying he paid him $10,000 per month, ABC 7 reported.
According to the press release, Broumand’s trial ran for 11 days in October 2022. While he was acquitted on two counts of bribery and money laundering, a federal jury found him guilty of other charges, including one count of conspiracy, two counts of bribery of a public official, and one count of monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.
After his sentencing, Broumand apologized in court for accepting the “gifts” but maintained that he considered Sargsyan a friend and was unaware of his ties to organized crime, according to the LA Times.
Speaking of his time at the FBI, Broumand said, “I was able to save countless lives, your honor, and I was basically able to change the course of history to the benefit of the United States,” per the LA Times.
“Good people sometimes do bad things,” Steven Gruel, Broumand’s defense attorney, told ABC 7. “When you think about it — he was living a life of international intrigue, so to speak, on behalf of the U.S. I guess it’s not too far-fetched to think you might lose yourself along the way.”
Zachary Shroyer, DOJ special agent in charge of the LA Office of the Inspector General, said in the press release that “Broumand conspired with the very types of criminals he was trusted to investigate.”
Shroyer said he hopes Broumand’s sentencing will “send a clear message that no one is above the law.”