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The Ventura County Star reports that a California Highway Patrol Officer denied allegations that he offered a bribe to a DUI suspect.

CHP Officer Keith Bianco testified in Ventura County Superior Court on Friday to respond to allegations that he fabricated evidence in the driving under the influence case of Shant Ohannessian after Ohannessian refused to pay him a $200 bribe.

The evidentiary hearing was ordered after Ohannessian’s criminal defense attorney, Ben Maserang, filed a legal motion to get all the evidence during his client’s arrest tossed out of court on the grounds that it was fabricated after his client refused to pay a $200 bribe.

During his testimony, Bianco admitted that he bet Ohannessian that he was legally intoxicated. “I asked him if he wanted to bet on it?” said Bianco, adding that he then asked Ohannessian how much money he had in his pocket.

Bianco said Ohannessian said he had $40. Bianco said he raised his bet to $100 but didn’t realize the bet had gone to $200, as Ohannessian claims.

Bianco admitted that he has made “bets” with motorists numerous times as a tactic to gauge their “ability to be honest” to questions about intoxication.

Bianco further denied telling Ohannessian that he could get $200 at an ATM at a convenience store across the street from where he was pulled over.

Ohanessian’s passenger, Camillo Landinez, 28, of Thousand Oaks secretly recorded Bianco, and CHP Officer Brandon Wood, on his cell phone in which a voice identified as Bianco’s is heard making bets twice. That recording was mysteriously deleted by an officer.

Related posts:

1. Ventura DUI Defense: The Preliminary Alcohol Screening (”PAS”) Test.
2. Ventura DUI Defense: DUI Arrests Down Over Memorial Day Weekend!
3. Ventura DUI Defense: 10 Tips On How To Handle A Drunk Driving Stop!
4. Ventura Drunk Driving Defense: Oxnard Police Arrest 10 DUI Suspects!
5. Oxnard Superbowl Sunday DUI Patrol Nets Seven

Tags: ben Maserang, chp officer bribe, chp officer bribes dui suspect, CHP officer denies making bribe, CHP Officer Keith Bianco, drunk driving bribe, dui bets, keith bianco, shant ohannessian, ventura county dui defense lawyer, ventura dui, ventura dui defense

This entry was posted on Monday, June 15th, 2009blog at 9:51 pm

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