Orange County Superior Court Judge W. Michael Hayes sentenced Christopher Joseph Lanzillo, a private investigator and former Riverside police detective, to 364 days in county jail and three years’ formal probation.
Lanzillo had pleaded guilty in September to allegations that he illegally used an electronic tracking device and a false drunk-driving report against Costa Mesa council members.
In September, Lanzillo pleaded guilty to two felony counts of conspiracy to commit a crime of unlawful use of an electronic tracking device, one felony count of false imprisonment by deceit and one felony count of conspiracy to commit a crime of falsely reporting a crime to an agency, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.
Five years ago, Lanzillo was working for the Costa Mesa Police Assn.’s law firm. One night, prosecutors said, he followed Jim Righeimer, a member of Costa Mesa’s City Council, after he left a bar and restaurant owned by then-Councilman Gary Monahan. During the drive, prosecutors said, Lanzillo called 911, falsely reporting that Righeimer was driving erratically and could be intoxicated.
In addition to the 911 call about Righeimer, prosecutors said Lanzillo placed a GPS device on then-Councilman Steve Mensinger’s vehicle, using it to illegally track his whereabouts.
In 2012, Lanzillo was employed by Lackie, Dammeier, McGill & Ethir, a since-dissolved Upland-based law firm retained by many police groups. It had a reputation for aggressive tactics and a “playbook” reference guide on how to intimidate politicians and city managers.
According to prosecutors, Lanzillo was trying to find compromising information about Righeimer, Mensinger and Monahan for use in the campaign for that fall’s council election.
At the time, the councilmen were in the midst of an employment contract dispute with the Costa Mesa Police Assn. over pensions and other benefits.
After Righeimer’s account of the 911 call became public, the police association fired the law firm. The union has since said it had no prior knowledge of Lanzillo’s tactics.
Chris Duff, acting Orange County assistant district attorney, called Lanzillo’s actions “dirty politics coming into our county.” He disputed any assertion that Lanzillo’s actions were merely “aberrant behavior.”
“He was not some innocent dude not knowing what was going on,” Duff said.
He contended that Lanzillo used his police training “to go after these people. And he knew it was wrong. He knew what he was doing and he has sacrificed public trust and police officers’ reputation because of what he did — and he got paid to do it.”