01 May Former Antioch Police Officer Convicted of Selling Steroids, Obstruction of Justice

(Image courtesy of Antioch Police Department via Bay City News)

By Tony Hicks
Bay City News

A former Antioch police officer was convicted Wednesday of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute anabolic steroids and obstruction of justice.

A jury in federal court in Oakland found Devon Wenger, 33, conspired with another former Antioch officer, Daniel Harris, to distribute anabolic steroids to a third person, and then deleted evidence from his phone.

The conviction is the latest in a police scandal that rocked the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments. Allegations against officers included excessive force and improper use of weapons and a police dog on suspects, civil rights violations, falsifying records, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, turning off body cameras, selling steroids, and paying individuals to take college classes for officers.

Ten current and former officers have so far been charged in the federal investigation. At one point, 45 Antioch officers — nearly half the police force — were suspended.

Four Black suspects charged with murder made plea deals on lesser charges in May of 2024, after a dozen Antioch officers involved in the arrests or the investigations violated the California Racial Justice Act, which prohibits the state from pursuing convictions based on race.

The officers took part in racist, homophobic and threatening text message chains, some of which referred to Black suspects as the n-word, described violence against suspects, threatened former Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe, who is Black, and referred to then-Police Chief Steven Ford — who is also Black — as a gorilla.

The U.S. Department of Justice is overseeing the Antioch Police Department for five years, overseeing operations and collecting data, among other provisions of an agreement.

“Instead of upholding the law, as he swore an oath to do, Devon Wenger conspired with a fellow officer to sell illegal anabolic steroids,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick Robbins. “When the FBI arrived at his home to investigate him, he then doubled down by destroying evidence of his crime. Crimes like these by a police officer have a corrosive effect on the public’s trust in law enforcement.”

Prosecutors said that in February 2022, Wenger set up the sale of anabolic steroids, a controlled substance, between Harris and a third person. Harris was also charged and pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy in September.

Law enforcement officials seized the steroids meant for Harris, although Wenger continued to communicate with Harris about supplying the third person with steroids.

At 8:03 a.m. on March 23, 2022, FBI agents began calling and sending text messages to Wenger telling him they were outside of his home with a warrant. Wegner didn’t appear until 9 a.m. Later, a forensic examination of his phone showed specific entries related to the steroids were deleted.

The jury convicted Wenger of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute anabolic steroids and one count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations.

Wenger is scheduled to appear Tuesday for a hearing to decide whether to remand him to custody pending sentencing. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids count and 20 years in prison on the obstruction of justice count.

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