Los Angeles deputy accused of sexually assaulting inmates

LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy accused of sexually assaulting two female jail inmates has been arrested, sheriff's officials said Thursday.

Deputy Giancarlo Scotti, 31, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of rape and two counts of oral copulation under color of authority hours after the alleged incident Wednesday at the Century Regional Detention Center, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said.

Scotti was working the night shift at the jail, which houses about 2,000 inmates, when he went into the cell with the two inmates and engaged in sex acts with them, authorities said.

One of the inmates reported the incident to a jail life skills teacher later Wednesday morning and investigators launched a probe, according to McDonnell.

The deputy was arrested Wednesday evening and has been placed on paid leave, McDonnell said. He is due to appear in court next month.

The investigation has revealed no evidence so far that the deputy forced himself on the women or threatened them with a weapon, McDonnell said.

The women are legally unable to consent to sex because they are prisoners.

"This is a violation of the trust the public puts in us," McDonnell said. "It's disgusting to us, to anyone who wears a badge."

Scotti did not immediately respond to an Instagram message seeking comment. An effort to obtain a phone number for Scotti was unsuccessful and it was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

The Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, Scotti's union, urged the public to withhold judgment unless the allegations are proven but said there should be "zero tolerance for any law enforcement officer who is proven to have taken advantage of anyone who is in custody."

___

Follow Michael Balsamo on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MikeBalsamo1 .