| For Immediate Release June 29, 2012 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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OCDA PROSECUTOR RECEIVES STATEWIDE “OUTSTANDING PROSECUTOR OF THE YEAR” AWARD
SANTA ANA – Senior Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) was awarded the statewide honor of “Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year” from the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA) for his prosecutions and convictions of over 43 homicide defendants. Baytieh received the award yesterday, June 28, 2012, at the CDAA Summer Conference.
Each year, CDAA recognizes individuals whose outstanding ability, professional dedication, personal sacrifice, and advancing ideals of criminal justice merit the respect and admiration of prosecutors statewide. Baytieh, of the OCDA’s Homicide Unit, has convicted 43 defendants of murder with no acquittals and obtained the death penalty against five of those defendants.
“This award is a tremendous acknowledgment of the hard work and dedication that Ebrahim puts into every case. He is passionate about protecting the rights of victims and tireless in his fight for justice,” said District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. “Ebrahim’s receipt of the ‘Prosecutor of the Year’ award is well deserved and brings prestige to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.”
“I am very humbled and honored to receive this amazing award on a personal level; however, I also recognize that this award is more of a reflection on our great office and the excellent team of prosecutors and DA investigators that I am fortunate enough to work with every day,” said Baytieh.
Baytieh was assisted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Keith Bogardus in recently finishing a homicide case, the jury trial for which lasted five months and required several months of grand jury investigation. The case involves nine inmates who murdered a fellow inmate believed to be a child molester (Case #06CF3677). Baytieh faced major obstacles trying a case where witnesses were other inmates and jail deputies refused to testify.
Garrett Eugene Aguilar, Stephen Paul Carlstrom, Miguel Angel Guillen, Jared Louis Petrovich, and Raul Villafana faced a jury trial. The jury deliberated for more than three weeks in the trial before returning guilty verdicts on all five defendants. Jeremy Dezso Culmann, Michael Stewart Garten, Eric Charles Miller and Christopher Teague pleaded guilty to murder.
To read about Case #06CF3677, please select the April 23, 2012, press release titled “Ninth and Final Inmate Sentenced for Role in Beating-Murder of Fellow Inmate Believed to be in Custody for Child Molest,” under Press Releases/Media at www.orangecountyda.com.
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