In a bizarre twist from a four-year-old SFPD scandal, one of those involved went on to become a bank robber.
One of the most infuriating aspects of the infamous 2015 SFPD racist text scandal was how several of the officers continued to collect pay for nearly three years after they were charged — all while they appealed their case regarding the disciplinary actions taken against them. But one of the worst apples from that bunch looks to be headed for federal prison, as the Examiner reports that suspended officer Rain Daugherty pled guilty to two counts of bank robbery in a U.S. District Court. Daugherty was one of 17 SFPD officers investigated in the racist and homophobic text affair.
The mugshot you see above is from a yet another of Daugherty’s alleged crimes. Last summer, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office charged Daugherty with financial abuse of an elder for allegedly bilking more than $24,000 from a 76-year-old man with Alzheimer’s disease. The arrest turned up cocaine and oxycodone in Daugherty’s home, extending his rap sheet further.
That charge ended Daugherty’s suspended with pay status, which may be why he turned to robbing banks. On Nov. 29, 2018, he walked into the East West Bank on Irving Street, handed the teller a note, and promptly walked off with $9,050. Then on Dec. 13, 2018, he pulled the same scheme at Cathay Bank on Clement Street in the Richmond and made off with $1,450.
One of the tellers told the FBI that Daugherty’s words were “Calm down, just do it.”
These brazen thefts make the racist and homophobic texts seem like child’s play. But the texts were pretty bad, according to a lengthy 2015 filing from federal prosecutors. That filing does not specify which officer sent each text, but does note that Daugherty was part of group texts whose lowlights include "I love calling you a f*g!," "Do you celebrate qaunza [sic] at your school?," and "Yeah we burn the cross on the field! Then celebrate Whitemas.”
Daugherty now faces up to 40 years in federal prison for each of the two bank robberies, according to a release from the U.S. District Attorney’s office. He’ll remain in federal custody until his May 9, 2019 sentencing.
Read all of SFist's coverage of the SFPD racist texting scandal here.
