A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, Federico Carlo, has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming that he was fired after refusing to take part in law enforcement gang activity. Carlo alleges that he was falsely accused of giving a Nazi salute and sharing a sexually explicit photo, leading to his abrupt termination by a tattooed Regulator deputy gang member, Capt. John Pat Macdonald, who is currently the acting commander overseeing training and personnel.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which has faced longstanding allegations of deputy gangs within its ranks, did not respond to requests for comment regarding Macdonald’s alleged affiliation with the Regulators. However, the department stated that it strives to provide a fair and equitable working environment, emphasizing that any act of retaliation, harassment, or discrimination is not tolerated and violates the department’s policy and values.
Carlo’s lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and names the county as the defendant. The department has been under scrutiny for deputy subgroups with exclusionary tattoos, such as the Cavemen, V Boys, and Grim Reapers. While officials claim that these groups do not represent the entire department, ongoing investigations into deputy gangs are underway, and a new anti-gang policy is being negotiated with the deputy labor unions.
The Regulators, the group at the center of Carlo’s lawsuit, is associated with the Century Sheriff’s Station in Lynwood and is recognized by the symbol of a skeleton in a cowboy hat. Although indications suggest that the group is no longer actively recruiting new members, a Regulators sticker was recently spotted near the Century Regional Detention Facility.
Carlo’s legal troubles trace back to 2005 when he alleges that a Regulators leader labeled him a “rat” for refusing to falsify probable cause reports. Subsequently, he faced obstacles in his career, including being failed out of training for the airborne division due to his refusal to violate the law. In 2019, tensions escalated when Carlo clashed with fellow instructors over safety concerns at the department’s Emergency Vehicle Operations Center in Pomona.
After reporting the issues to his superiors, Carlo found himself at the center of a complaint alleging a Nazi salute and later faced another complaint of sexual harassment. Carlo denies both allegations, stating that no explicit photo ever existed. Although the complaint about the Nazi salute was closed in 2022, the investigation into the sexual harassment complaint continued. In 2023, Carlo was terminated, with the lawsuit claiming that the decision was made by Capt. Pat Macdonald, a tattooed Regulator deputy gang member.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Carlo’s separation from the department after an internal investigation but did not address the allegations regarding Macdonald’s alleged Regulators tattoo. The Regulators have faced misconduct allegations in the past, with comparisons drawn to the Lynwood Vikings, a now-defunct group described as a “neo-Nazi white supremacist gang.” Deputies with Regulators tattoos have defended their affiliation, stating that it represents a close-knit group of hardworking deputies.