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Lawsuit accuses former Santa Clara County sheriff of retaliating against key witness in gun-permit corruption probes
Whistleblower accuses Laurie Smith of repeatedly harassing Lara McCabe once she cooperated with investigators and later testified before multiple grand juries
Whistleblower accuses Laurie Smith of repeatedly harassing Lara McCabe once she cooperated with investigators and later testified before multiple grand juries
SAN JOSE ? An employee of former Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith has filed an explosive whistleblower lawsuit against her old boss, accusing Smith of repeatedly harassing and intimidating her as she served as a key witness in a corruption probe that led Smith to step down last year after more than two decades in office.
The lawsuit, filed last month by one-time Smith staff member Lara McCabe, contends the sheriff?s office continued alienating her even after a new administration assumed command, and that the county staff failed to protect her against the retaliation even after she reported their conduct.
McCabe, whose attorneys declined comment, makes several damning claims in the lawsuit, mostly against Smith. She attests that Smith, feeling the pressure of a criminal and later a civil grand jury investigation, openly demeaned, belittled and defamed her after she was summoned multiple times to testify in proceedings over Smith?s issuance of concealed-carry weapons permits.
At one point, McCabe said Smith explicitly picked out a fall guy for the CCW scandal, in which Smith?s office was accused of systemically leveraging the coveted gun permits for political and donor support. As the criminal investigation was underway ? but not yet publicly acknowledged by the district attorney?s office ? McCabe describes in her lawsuit a March 2020 meeting of Smith?s top brass during which the then-sheriff laid out who was going to take the blame.
?What we need to discuss is messaging,? McCabe recounted Smith telling the group. From there, Smith pointed to her undersheriff Rick Sung and said, ?The message is he will be going to jail, not me.?
The lawsuit, filed last month by one-time Smith staff member Lara McCabe, contends the sheriff?s office continued alienating her even after a new administration assumed command, and that the county staff failed to protect her against the retaliation even after she reported their conduct.
McCabe, whose attorneys declined comment, makes several damning claims in the lawsuit, mostly against Smith. She attests that Smith, feeling the pressure of a criminal and later a civil grand jury investigation, openly demeaned, belittled and defamed her after she was summoned multiple times to testify in proceedings over Smith?s issuance of concealed-carry weapons permits.
At one point, McCabe said Smith explicitly picked out a fall guy for the CCW scandal, in which Smith?s office was accused of systemically leveraging the coveted gun permits for political and donor support. As the criminal investigation was underway ? but not yet publicly acknowledged by the district attorney?s office ? McCabe describes in her lawsuit a March 2020 meeting of Smith?s top brass during which the then-sheriff laid out who was going to take the blame.
?What we need to discuss is messaging,? McCabe recounted Smith telling the group. From there, Smith pointed to her undersheriff Rick Sung and said, ?The message is he will be going to jail, not me.?
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