Diana Teran, top aide to Los Angeles DA Gascón, arraignment postponed

LOS ANGELES - The arraignment of Diana Teran, once a top official for Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, has been postponed, officials announced Monday.

In April, Teran was charged with 11 felony counts for allegedly downloading confidential personnel records of Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies. 

The charges were filed by California State Attorney General Rob Bonta. 

"No one is above the law," said Bonta in a press release announcing the charges against Teran. "Public officials are called to serve the people and the State of California with integrity and honesty. At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to fight for the people of California and hold those who break the law accountable."

Teran and her attorney faced a judge in a downtown LA courtroom Monday morning where they postponed the arraignment to July 17. 

She is accused of taking deputy personnel files while working for the sheriff's department and using them without permission when she moved to the DA's office, where she oversaw sensitive cases, including corruption and police misconduct. 

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Her attorney said the charges against her are meritless and deputy personnel files are public record under California's Police Transparency law. However, this is something the attorney general disagrees with. 

"I have no idea why this case would ever be filed. I mean, essentially, Ms. Teran has been charged with doing her job at the DA's office. So you know the insinuation about the 11 felony counts, it's heartbreaking to watch," said attorney James Spertus. 

Former Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he alerted Bonta to the alleged crime. The two were known to clash and critics say Villanueva has a history of resisting police transparency. 

A hearing from the defense challenging the charges will also take place on July 17.