A former Seal Beach jailer pleaded guilty today to accepting bribes from an inmate and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Jose Alday, 33, of Santa Ana accepted a plea bargain from prosecutors, Deputy District Attorney Brock Zimmon said. Orange County Superior Court Judge John Adams also ordered Alday to pay $3,000 in restitution. Due to the conviction, state law prevents Alday from working in public office again, Zimmon said.
Alday, who has been in custody for 150 days since his Christmas Day arrest, will have to serve at least half the sentence, Zimmon said. Alday, who had no prior criminal record, could have faced up to five years in prison if convicted at trial, Zimmon said.
Alday worked as a non-sworn officer at the Seal Beach jail for about four years, Zimmon said. Between July 1 and Christmas, Alday accepted bribes, such as an iPad, a cell phone and two leather jackets, in exchange for letting an inmate meet with visitors who had not been searched and for letting the inmate have contraband, such as alcohol, Zimmon said.
The inmate's visitors brought the bribes to Alday, Zimmon said. A tip to police in December led to the investigation and arrest, he said. Alday was found in possession of what Zimmon called a large amount of anabolic steroids at the jail and, when investigators searched his home, they found a used methamphetamine pipe, Zimmon said.
Alday pleaded guilty to a felony count of an officer receiving bribes, a felony count of possession for sale of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of possession of controlled substance paraphernalia.
- City News Service
