Los Angeles County

LA County prosecutors allege retaliation after support of Menendez resentencing

Two deputy district attorneys filed government claims that accuse the DA and his administration of reassigning them to different jobs for political reasons

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Two Los Angeles County deputy district attorneys alleged Monday in legal filings they were removed from their roles and assigned to new positions by District Attorney Nathan Hochman's administration in retaliation for their support of resentencing Erik and Lyle Menendez to lesser terms in prison.

Prosecutors Nancy Theberge and Brock Lunsford said in government claims filed with the county they also believed the transfers were motivated by Hochman's perception the two were political supporters of former DA George Gascón. They also accused another colleague of making defamatory comments about them.

“Nancy and Brock are committed public servants and accomplished attorneys who followed the law — the law they believed required them to advocate for the resentencing of the Menendez brothers," their attorney, Justin Shegerian, emailed in a statement.

Hochman's office declined to comment on the allegations in the claims, which are required to be filed and rejected before most lawsuits can be brought against government entities.

He took office weeks after Gascón announced in late October, with Theberge and Lunsford in attendance, that the DA's office would request that the Menendez brothers be resentenced, based largely on their good conduct during the years they spent in prison, serving life-without-parole terms for the murders of their parents.

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