Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón and California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that two former California Department of Justice supervisors from Santa Clarita were charged recently with diverting about $12,500 in government funds to one of their companies.

Eric Bunde, 55, and James Biscailuz, 54, were charged in case BA511703 with one felony count each of grand theft by embezzlement and grand theft by an employee. Bunde faces one felony count of conflict of interest, while Biscailuz faces one felony count of perjury.

“We expect law enforcement agents to not only protect our communities but to uphold the law no matter the situation. We are committed to holding anyone accountable when they attempt to take advantage of the public’s trust,” Gascón said. “Eliminating public corruption continues to be a priority for our office. I want to thank Attorney General Bonta and the California Department of Justice for their diligent efforts and cooperation in this investigation.”

The case was filed for warrant Jan 5. Arraignment is expected to be scheduled at a later date.

“The California Department of Justice’s work is built on the highest standards of ethics and integrity — and the alleged actions of these two defendants violates these standards. Breaking the law to line your own pockets, especially while in a position of power, is unacceptable,” said Bonta.”Trust is a fundamental part of law enforcement and we will not stand by when this trust is broken. I’m grateful to my team at DOJ and the incredible agents within LA CLEAR for their hard work in thoroughly investigating this case, and to Los Angeles County District Attorney Gascon for working in partnership to hold these defendants accountable.”

Between January 2014 and November 2017, Bunde oversaw the Los Angeles Regional Criminal Information Clearinghouse, also known as LA Clear, an organization that assists law enforcement agencies with criminal investigations and is managed by law enforcement executives.

LA Clear, at Bunde’s direction, contracted with Biscailuz’s company for social media services that were eventually subcontracted to a consulting firm owned by Bunde, resulting in a loss of $12,500.

Biscailuz also is accused of filing a disclosure form that omitted the company he owned.

The case remains under investigation by the California Department of Justice.