The Union in San Jose was rocked by the announcement that one of its long term leaders, respected for years, has been living a double life. It’s hard to comprehend how someone could have kept such an important part of their life hidden from those around them, especially when they have always presented themselves as reliable and trustworthy, but that’s what this Union is facing now.
In the wake of the recent drug-related charges against San Jose’s police union executive director, the top official of the union spoke with NBC Bay Area for an exclusive interview.
NBC reports, In an interview with the San Jose Police Officers Association, the union’s president discussed the indictment of its longtime executive director, Joanne Marian Segovia.
Segovia, 64, is accused of illegally importing valeryl fentanyl, an analogue of fentanyl. In the event she is convicted, she could face a 20-year prison sentence.
The police union’s president, Sean Pritchard, spoke highly of Segovia, who has worked for the union for nearly two decades. Saying: “She’s been the grandma of the POA. This is not the person we’ve known, the person who has worked with fallen officers’ families, organized fundraisers for officers’ kids – just not who we’ve known over a decade.”
U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum King said in a release that Segovia is suspected of ordering and distributing thousands of opioids and other pills from her home and office computers.
Pritchard said Segovia acted alone in the suspected crimes.
“No indication, zero, that anyone else is involved,” he said. “No sworn officers. No civilian employees.”
This is what retired Police Editor, LoDORAS Cordell had to say.
According to federal prosecutors, Segovia received 61 drug shipments from Hong Kong, Hungary, India, and Singapore. In addition, she sent them to other states by mail.
During the period from October 2015 to January 2023, Segovia received at least 61 packages from Hong Kong, Hungary, India, and Singapore, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.
Federal officials said, among the labels on the shipments were “Wedding Party Favors,” “Gift Makeup,” and “Chocolate and Sweets.”
A total of five shipments were intercepted between July 2019 and January 2023, and thousands of controlled substance pills, including Tramadol and Tapentadol, were found. The drugs in some parcels were valued at thousands of dollars.
Talk about a scandal. Somehow I have a hard time believing no one else in the union was involved or aware of her activities. It’s always the one who you think can do no harm that ends up surprising us all. For now she is innocent until proven guilty, if that still means anything to our judicial system.
Let’s continue this conversation, in the comments below.
