[PressCheck]

My "personal" beef with a "renowed" firearms instructor is Gabriel Saurez. This complaint is not on a "personal" basis, however it is on a professional basis. As I have said, I am currently a police officer for a department in Northern California. Everytime a police officer, across the country, commits a crime and/or does something wrong, it effects ALL police officers. In my opinion, any police officer committing a crime, such as perjury, grand theft, embezzlement, etc should not be teaching others how to use firearms.

On 11/28/1999, Gabriel Saurez, a full time police officer for Santa Monica PD, had a "slip and fall" accident in the locker room. Mr Saurez, at the time, was and still is, a highly regarded firearms instructor. Mr Saurez went out on workers comp, for the "slip and fall" incident, collecting over $100,000.00.

In October 2000, an investigation was completed against Mr Saurez. It was found Mr Saurez was collecting workers comp money AND running Saurez International. Basically, teaching firearms to people and collecting money for it; at the sametime as collecting money from workers comp.

The complaint against Saurez stated: In March, 2000, Saurez swore, under oath, he did not collect any outside income since his alleged injury, 11/28/1999. Although he had received money for firearms training, under Saurez International during this time.

Mr Saurez again committed perjury, for lying about whether or not he obtained emergency medical treatment.

On or about 9/27/2000, Mr Saurez plead guilty to workers comp fraud, money laundering, and grand theft. He received a year long jail sentence in LA County Jail for his plea bargin.

The plea bargin allowed for Mr Saurez to pay back the money he had received from workers comp in an exchange for dropping two perjury charges. Perjury, in CA, cannot be dropped to a misdemeanor. Mr Saurez also agreed to pay back the $112,250.01 he obtained from workers comp. This would allow Mr Saurez to be able to possess firearms and be able to teach firearms in the future.

His wife was also sentenced to 1 day in jail for the scheme. Mr Saurez would have people who hired him, pay his wife (for his services), through a fictious company, so he could still collect the money.

As most know, Mr Suarez is currently teaching firearms to many people across the country, since getting out of jail.

Now, is what he is doing right now illegal? No, it is not. In my opinion, it is disgusting. He has committed perjury (although not convicted of it), theft, grand theft, and spent a year in county jail. How can he walk into a court of law, criminal or civil, and defend someone he has trained?

He is a disgrace to the law enforcement profession and should not be allowed, by anyone, to teach in their faciltiy. Call me romantic, call me stupid, however I believe morals, ethics, and professionalism should be a major portion of this profession.

Maddog, if you would like copies of the news articles, just email me. I will send them to you snail mail. Unfortunately, the links no longer work.

By the way, the number and types of shootings Mr Saurez claims to be involved in is also debatable.

Oh, and before it starts, yes, I have confronted Mr Saurez with this information. It appears as if he really doesn't care.