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San Jose Mercury NewsDeepening his legal troubles, a Santa Clara police officer now faces federal criminal charges for allegedly supplying confidential information to a member of the Hells Angels to pay off a debt.
In an indictment unsealed on Monday in federal court in San Jose, Clay H. Rojas, a five-year veteran of the Santa Clara police department, is charged in fraud and conspiracy counts with furnishing inside information to William "Billy" Bettencourt, a suspected member of the Hells Angels Santa Cruz chapter. Rojas, the indictment alleges, provided the confidential information, such as criminal and DMV records, to Bettencourt.
The indictment also names Bettencourt and Viviana Rodriguez, who is accused of seeking Bettencourt's aid in getting the inside information. Bettencourt, who has a prior felony criminal record, already is in custody without bail on related state charges and faces life in prison under the "three strikes" law.
For Rojas, 36, the indictment marks an escalation of a criminal investigation into the allegations involving the Hells Angels. He was charged in state court in October with a felony for allegedly feeding the material to Bettencourt.
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Also, Rojas was arrested on Thursday and had to spend Christmas in jail because the magistrate presiding over this case refused to grant bail.