Former Bay Area cop convicted of posing as fed and robbing drivers gets reprieve in federal court sentencing
A federal judge granted a reprieve Wednesday in the sentencing of a former Rohnert Park police officer who a jury convicted six months ago in a scheme to steal cannabis and cash from drivers while posing as a federal agent.
Joseph Huffaker will be sentenced Feb. 4 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco unless he finds a new attorney who can provide Judge Maxine Chesney an acceptable timeline to prepare for sentencing. Proceedings had been rescheduled from Dec. 3 to Wednesday after he fired his previous attorney, Richard Ceballos, in November.
Still representing Huffaker on Wednesday, Ceballos requested sentencing be delayed until Huffaker finds a new attorney. Chesney asked why Ceballos was fired. Citing the matter’s confidentiality, he only said “There are a number of issues.”
Officials said a potential replacement had been identified and should be available Feb. 4. In approving the delay, Chesney noted the complexities of the case and her concern a new attorney would need time to get up to speed.
“It’s not just a five-second bank robbery; this is a matter that goes on for a protracted period of time with more than one player,” she said.
Rescheduling will likely delay sentencing of Huffaker’s co-defendant, Brendan “Jacy” Tatum. The former Rohnert Park sergeant pleaded guilty in December 2021 and testified against Huffaker in exchange for a light sentence. As of now, Tatum is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 18.
His potential sentencing is unclear. But in Huffaker’s case, Ceballos and federal prosecutors submitted sentencing memorandums in case Wednesday’s proceedings went as scheduled.
Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 63 months in prison plus three years of supervised release and $23,000 in restitution. Noting Tatum’s involvement, Ceballos recommended Huffaker be sentenced to 12 months under home confinement with one year of supervised release plus conditions that, among other things, would prevent Huffaker from working in law enforcement or security.
Probation officials recommended a lower sentence because Tatum is considered more culpable in the case, Huffaker has no previous convictions, cooperated during pretrial release, and his family would be financially impacted while he’s incarcerated. Prosecutors balked at this notion and added leniency is unwarranted even with “a significant number of supportive letters” submitted by Huffaker’s friends and family.
“Despite significant familial and community support that many defendants don’t have, as well as a solid job and relative financial security, (Huffaker) engaged in criminal activity based seemingly on greed and a desire to exert power over those within his domain,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.
The trial grew out of a yearslong scandal involving Rohnert Park’s drug interdiction team, a now-defunct unit disbanded in early 2017 after California legalized recreational cannabis. Prosecutors said Huffaker and Tatum used their training to pull over drivers, pose as agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and seize marijuana and cash that was later sold for profit. Much of the activity occurred along Highway 101 near the Sonoma-Mendocino county line.
Tatum resigned in March 2018 after an internal investigation began. Then-Public Safety Director Brian Masterson abruptly retired soon after. Huffaker was later found to have violated department policy and left the force in 2019 with a $75,000 settlement in exchange for his resignation.
In July, a jury convicted Huffaker after deliberating for 90 minutes.
You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com.