A San Mateo County official on Thursday revealed an explosive memo addressed to embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus from second-in-command Dan Perea detailing an alleged scheme to conceal weapons stored in the department’s executive office.
The memo, dated Nov. 14, was sent two days after the county disclosed a scathing independent auditor’s report that claimed Victor Aenlle, Corpus’ former chief of staff, had improper access to three rifles with silencers. The report noted that since Aenlle is a civilian, possessing the rifles could be a felony offense.
According to the memo, Aenlle instructed Undersheriff Perea to change the code to a safe that Aenlle claimed contained three rifles.
“This is how they are going to get me,” Aenlle allegedly told Perea.
Perea wrote that he refused to change the code and documented the interaction the day that it happened, noting a “San Mateo County investigation which included information related to these rifles.”
San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, along with Supervisor Noelia Corzo, has led calls for Corpus to resign amid ongoing turmoil in the sheriff’s office. During a press conference on Thursday, Mueller provided more details related to the memo.
“Aenlle pushed for the executive team to have silencers for rifles even though Mr. Aenlle was prohibited from having access,” Mueller said. “At the time the request was made, there was an active investigation taking place. The undersheriff states that Mr. Aenlle suggested the undersheriff send staff home early and change the code. (Perea) did not act on the request and told Aenlle to stop contacting him.”
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The county auditor’s report, authored by retired judge LaDoris Cordell, found the Sheriff’s Office purchased 220 rifles with silencers, which the department received about four months ago. In September, a captain directed a sworn employee, unnamed in the report, to give three silencer rifles to Corpus, Perea and then-Assistant Sheriff Matthew Fox, according to the report.
The employee told the captain that Aenlle should not have a rifle because he was a civilian and that neither the Corpus, Perea nor Fox could lawfully possess the rifles because they lacked the mandatory training, according to the report.
When the employee told Aenlle that he shouldn’t have the rifle, Aenlle responded that it was fine because he was a reserve deputy and had the appropriate training, though the report found neither to be true.
On Oct. 8, the weapons were delivered to the executive staff’s office area, where a gun safe was bolted to the floor just outside Aenlle’s office, the report found. The sworn employee said Aenlle inspected the weapons — labeled “Sheriff,” “Undersheriff” and “Assistant Sheriff” — and had the code to get inside the safe.
“Aenlle has the code to the gun safe where the rifles are stored, and given his interest in securing the weapons, he now has easy access to the suppressed rifles,” Cordell wrote.
Last week, two days prior to the memo, Deputy Sheriffs Association President Carlos Tapia was arrested on allegations of timecard fraud, and Cordell released the scathing 400-page report finding misconduct, corruption and workplace bullying were occurring within the department.
On Wednesday, an internal department email obtained by the Bay Area News Group revealed that all five San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office captains have formally called for Corpus’ resignation.
Mueller pointed out that four of the five captains who signed the memo were promoted by Corpus during her tenure.
“I expect Sheriff Corpus, as she has in the last week, to claim she is fighting a conspiracy orchestrated by an ‘old boys’ network,” Mueller said. “That they are staging a political coup. But when she says this, Sheriff Corpus is not being honest with the residents of San Mateo County.”
The captains’ demands add to growing pressure from sworn officers and officials at various levels of government who accuse Corpus and her top staff of abusing their power and engaging in misconduct.
Captain Mark Myers, promoted by Corpus and is currently the San Carlos police chief, said during Thursday’s press conference that the letter delivered to Corpus “speaks for itself.”
He emphasized the importance of “showing support for the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office who continue to show up to work and do a tremendous job every day under difficult circumstances.”
The internal email, addressed to Corpus, also called for the resignations of Aenlle, who was recently promoted to assistant sheriff, and Perea.
“We hope that this matter is addressed with the seriousness it warrants, and we hope you will take the necessary actions to move forward,” Capt. Frank Del Porto wrote in the email.
The Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the memo, and efforts to reach Perea were unsuccessful.
On Wednesday, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved a measure to hold a special election next year that would temporarily grant the board the authority to remove an elected sheriff from office until 2028, the end of Corpus’ term.
In a statement earlier this week, responding to mounting calls for her resignation, Corpus told this news organization, “To the people of San Mateo County, I want to make it clear: I am not going anywhere. You elected me to be your sheriff, and I intend to continue the hard work of reforming this office and keeping our community safe.”
Staff reporter Jakob Rodgers contributed to this report.