Fresno Police Detective Accused of Taking $20,000 Bribe

FRESNO, Calif. (KMPH) — A Fresno Police detective has been arrested and is accused of taking a bribe. Federal investigators say Derik Kumagai accepted a $20,000 bribe from a marijuana distributer and made that person a confidential police informant.

During a Tuesday afternoon news conference investigators detailed the criminal complaint. They say that Kumagai and another man, Saykham Somphoune, told the pot distributer that he was under federal investigation.

The documents say that Kumagai and Somphoune promised the marijuana distributer that he could be a confidential police informant if he paid them.

According to criminal complaint the pot distributer and detective met in a public parking lot on November 6th. The papers say the two discussed the bribe and the drug distributer paid Kumagai $20,000.

Investigators say a few hours later the pot distributer was signed up as a confidential informant for the Fresno Police Department.

"I want to offer my apologies to the citizens of Fresno for what has occurred. I do not as a Police Chief want to lose the confidence and trust of our citizens," says Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.

Kumagai is on paid administrative leave and his guns have been taken away. Chief Dyer says there is also an internal investigation at the Police Department going on.

Detective Kumagai was arrested by the FBI Tuesday afternoon and booked into the Fresno County Jail.