{"id":442397,"date":"2025-12-12T12:54:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T12:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/442397\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T12:54:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T12:54:17","slug":"no-charges-for-capt-hollywood-claims-say-lapd-mishandled-cbs-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/442397\/","title":{"rendered":"No charges for ‘Capt. Hollywood’; claims say LAPD mishandled CBS case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A former Los Angeles Police Department commander who authorities said tipped off CBS to a rape allegation against the network\u2019s top executive<\/a> will not face criminal charges, with two LAPD detectives claiming department leaders undermined the investigation, according to documents obtained by The Times. <\/p>\n

The L.A. County district attorney\u2019s office decided in April it would not prosecute Cory Palka for warning CBS executives in 2017 that a woman had walked into the LAPD\u2019s Hollywood station and accused then-Chief Executive Les Moonves of sexual assault, according to a document provided to The Times in response to a public records request. <\/p>\n

Although heavily redacted, the declination memo includes details and a timeline that match up with the findings of a 2022 New York state attorney general\u2019s office investigation that first revealed Palka\u2019s relationship with Moonves. The TV executive\u2019s career ended in disgrace after dozens of women came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment and abuse in 2018.<\/p>\n

Palka has not disputed that he improperly disclosed information to CBS, but denied any improper benefit from his relationship with Moonves when reached for comment by The Times this week.<\/p>\n

The former LAPD chief who led the department during the investigation, Michel Moore, called allegations the matter was not properly handled \u201cabsolutely false.\u201d <\/p>\n

Representatives for CBS and Moonves declined to comment. <\/p>\n

The Moonves affair drew significant attention at the height of the #MeToo movement, but the fate of Palka has remained a question mark in the years since. The newly uncovered documents shed light on both the outcome of the investigation and tensions within the police department over scrutinizing one of its own.<\/p>\n

Palka, a former station captain who retired as a commander in 2021, was often referred to as \u201cCapt. Hollywood\u201d<\/a> and known for mingling with stars, scoring a bit part in the TV series \u201cBosch.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2022, the New York state attorney general\u2019s office released a report that revealed Palka left a voicemail for a CBS executive in November 2017, shortly after an 81-year-old woman walked into his station and accused Moonves of sexually assaulting her on two occasions in the late 1980s. <\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody walked in the station about a couple hours ago and made allegations against your boss regarding a sexual assault,\u201d he said in a voicemail message left for Ian Metrose, who was then CBS\u2019 senior vice president for talent relations, according to reports made public by prosecutors. \u201cIt\u2019s confidential, as you know, but call me.\u201d<\/p>\n

For months, Palka gave Moonves and other CBS leaders inside information about the rape investigation and slipped the network a copy of the accuser\u2019s report, according to the New York attorney general\u2019s office. At one point, Palka and Moonves met in person and the executive told the captain he \u201cwanted the LAPD investigation closed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, prosecutors could not bring a rape case because the statute of limitations had long expired. The accuser, Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb,<\/a> was a television development executive who previously told The Times that Moonves assaulted her in 1986 and 1988. Those dates match an alleged victim described in the L.A. County district attorney\u2019s office\u2019s memo on Palka. Golden-Gottlieb died in 2022. <\/p>\n

\"Phyllis <\/p>\n

Former television executive Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb talks about alleged sexual abuse at the hands of Les Moonves in the law offices of Gloria Allred in L.A. on Sept. 11, 2018. Golden-Gottlieb, who died in 2022, worked with Moonves in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

(Brian van der Brug \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

After hearing from Palka, top CBS executives \u201cbegan investigating the victim\u2019s personal circumstances and that of her family,\u201d according to the New York attorney general\u2019s report, which was produced as part of an investigation into the TV network\u2019s leaders for selling stock and allegedly misleading investors while not disclosing the allegations against Moonves. <\/p>\n

The district attorney\u2019s office said in the memo obtained by The Times that it declined to bring charges, in part, because the statute of limitations on one of the potential charges against Palka had run out. <\/p>\n

The LAPD claimed it didn\u2019t learn of Palka\u2019s alleged misconduct until 2022, but a whistleblower complaint filed in late 2023 by Det. Jason Turner alleges Moore knew of the issue much earlier and ignored it, allowing Palka to escape accountability. <\/p>\n

Turner also alleged he found evidence that Palka told at least two other LAPD employees about his relationship with Moonves, but said he was barred from interviewing them, according to the complaint, which was filed with the LAPD\u2019s Office of the Inspector General in November 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cChief Moore\u2019s failure to initiate a complaint circa 2018-2021 against Palka compromised the investigation and allowed Palka to avoid criminal charges,\u201d Turner wrote in the complaint obtained by The Times.<\/p>\n

The LAPD declined to comment. Moore unequivocally denied Turner\u2019s allegations, but did not elaborate further in response to questions about the handling of the investigation. Moore announced his retirement from the LAPD in January 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is absolutely baseless,\u201d Moore said of Turner\u2019s claim, adding that the Office of the Inspector General had determined the complaint was unfounded. <\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the inspector general\u2019s office said they could not discuss the status of Turner\u2019s complaint.<\/p>\n

\"Michel <\/p>\n

Michel Moore announces his retirement as LAPD chief at a press conference with Mayor Karen Bass at L.A. City Hall on Jan. 12, 2024.<\/p>\n

(Luis Sinco \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The ex-chief described the whistleblower complaint as a \u201cdistraction\u201d from Palka\u2019s \u201cterrible actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a disservice. It lacked integrity. It tarnished the badge. It was wrong,\u201d Moore said of Palka.<\/p>\n

Turner declined a request to comment through his lawyer Thursday. .<\/p>\n

In September 2023 \u2014 10 months after the allegations against Palka became public \u2014 a different LAPD internal affairs detective presented a case for L.A. County prosecutors to consider against Palka, according to a memo explaining the decision to decline charges. Prosecutors weighed charges of bribery, obstruction and disclosing information from a criminal investigation for financial gain. <\/p>\n

LAPD detectives \u201csuspected Palka had possibly engaged in bribery,\u201d according to the document. While there was no evidence Palka was paid directly for leaking the information about Moonves, he received $500 annually to be part of Moonves\u2019 security detail at the Grammy Awards, according to the New York attorney general\u2019s report. <\/p>\n

After leaving the LAPD, Palka was hired as chief of security to billionaire hedge fund manager Michael Milken, <\/a>according to public records and testimony given by Moonves in a deposition for a civil lawsuit reviewed by The Times. Palka is still employed by Milken today, the records show.<\/p>\n

Moonves said in the deposition that he recommended Palka for the job. <\/p>\n

A separate complaint to the inspector general\u2019s office obtained by The Times shows another internal affairs detective made allegations that echoed Turner\u2019s. In that complaint, the second detective said LAPD supervisors blocked attempts to interview Moonves, Milken and Metrose, the CBS vice president that Palka purportedly first tipped off about the rape case.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is my belief that the refusal by our supervisors to permit us to interview these key individuals jeopardized the integrity of the investigation and was done for improper motives,\u201d wrote the detective, who requested anonymity, fearing professional repercussions.<\/p>\n

The April memo from L.A. County prosecutors said there was substantial evidence Palka had improperly disclosed information from a criminal case, but they lacked proof that \u201cPalka gained financially,\u201d so charges of bribery and disclosure of confidential information for financial gain could not be filed. <\/p>\n

Asked whether Moonves helping Palka land a high-level security job would be considered financial gain, a district attorney\u2019s office spokesman said prosecutors \u201ccould not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Palka disclosed confidential information in return for financial gain, which is an essential element of the crime of bribery.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an email to The Times, Palka did not address questions about the alleged bribery or the district attorney\u2019s charging decision, but challenged the idea that there was any link between Moonves\u2019 recommendation for his current job and the leak of information to CBS. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy post retirement employment was not considered until I completed my career and fully separated from the LAPD,\u201d Palka said.<\/p>\n

\"Les <\/p>\n

Les Moonves, former chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation, poses at the premiere of the new television series \u201cStar Trek: Discovery\u201d in Los Angeles on Sept. 19, 2017.<\/p>\n

(Chris Pizzello \/ AP)<\/p>\n

Caleb Mason, a partner at Brown White & Osborn LLP in Los Angeles and a former federal prosecutor, said charges related to Palka\u2019s post-LAPD work would be challenging to prove in court. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of prosecutors would get anxious about filing a case where the theory was simply he had this relationship and after he retired the relationship would get him a job,\u201d Mason said. <\/p>\n

In his complaint to the inspector general, Turner said department executives knew of the Hollywood captain\u2019s links to CBS much earlier than has been publicly reported. <\/p>\n

CBS attorneys questioned Palka about his relationship with Moonves in 2018, while performing an audit connected to the rape allegations, according to the detective\u2019s complaint. At that time, Palka demanded that the LAPD Command Officers Assn., the union that represents officers above the rank of captain, provide him an attorney, according to the complaint. <\/p>\n

\u201cChief Moore was the Chief at the time and had to have been aware that one [of] his Captains was being interviewed in his official capacity by CBS attorneys for misconduct,\u201d the complaint read. \u201cHowever, Chief Moore did not initiate a complaint\/internal investigation into Cory Palka.\u201d<\/p>\n

Muna Busilah, the attorney who Turner claimed represented Palka, declined to say whether or not she was involved in the case. She confirmed she did work with the Command Officers Assn. in 2018, and said there was no requirement to formally notify Moore if a member of the command staff sought legal counsel through the union.<\/p>\n

Turner\u2019s complaint accused Moore and LAPD Det. Jason De La Cova, an internal affairs division supervisor, of obstructing justice and dissuading an investigation. De La Cova was the detective who presented a case to the district attorney\u2019s office, according to the declination memo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chief doesn\u2019t want heads to roll,\u201d De La Cova said to Turner when blocking one of his requests to interview another member of the LAPD, according to the whistleblower complaint. <\/p>\n

When reached on Wednesday, De La Cova declined to comment. <\/p>\n

A district attorney\u2019s office spokesperson would not say if prosecutors were aware of the misconduct allegations levied against Moore and De La Cova while reviewing Palka\u2019s case. The allegations of obstruction made against the ex-chief and De La Cova in Turner\u2019s complaint have never been presented for consideration of criminal charges, the spokesman said. <\/p>\n

De La Cova was previously named in another complaint filed by Tuner.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Turner and another detective alleged they were ordered to launch an investigation<\/a> into Mayor Karen Bass\u2019 receipt of a scholarship from the University of Southern California at Moore\u2019s behest. When both refused, the case was taken over by De La Cova. <\/p>\n

Moore has repeatedly denied the allegations. Moore was later cleared of wrongdoing<\/a> by the department\u2019s inspector general, which concluded in June 2024 after a months-long probe that the detective\u2019s claims were \u201cunfounded.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A former Los Angeles Police Department commander who authorities said tipped off CBS to a rape allegation against…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":442398,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,15328,29418,28126,204004,12644,5022,204006,2961,4530,224,5337,204008,204005,1812,6617,204007,7544,637],"class_list":{"0":"post-442397","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-cbs","11":"tag-charge","12":"tag-complaint","13":"tag-cory-palka","14":"tag-information","15":"tag-investigation","16":"tag-jason-turner","17":"tag-la","18":"tag-lapd","19":"tag-los-angeles","20":"tag-losangeles","21":"tag-michel-moore","22":"tag-moonves","23":"tag-office","24":"tag-prosecutor","25":"tag-rape-allegation","26":"tag-relationship","27":"tag-times"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115706703514544524","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}