Pubdate: Fri, 22 Sep 2000 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2000 San Jose Mercury News Contact: 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95190 Fax: (408) 271-3792 Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/ Bookmark: additional articles on the LA police corruptions are available at http://www.mapinc.org/rampart.htm OFFICER IN POLICE SCANDAL DENIES CORRUPTION IN CASE The disgraced policeman who triggered the Rampart corruption scandal made a surprise witness-stand appearance Thursday, denying misconduct in a 1996 case but saying that 75 percent of his unit's cases were tainted. Rafael Perez's testimony came during a hearing in which two men were trying to get their 1996 convictions overturned, saying police planted a gun and drugs on them during an arrest of four gang members. On the stand, Perez said there was no misconduct in that case. Perez was sentenced to a lenient five years in prison for cocaine theft in exchange for telling prosecutors everything he knew about corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department. - --- MAP posted-by: Thunder