FBI To Arrest 18 LA Sheriff's Deputies In Corruption And Abuse Probe

The FBI is arresting 18 current and former Los Angeles sheriff's deputies as part of a probe into alleged inmate abuse and corruption, according to NBC News.

So far, seven sheriff's officials have been indicted on conspiracy and obstruction charges, the Los Angeles Times reports. NBC reported that a total of 18 current or former deputies had been arrested or were expected to surrender on Monday.

They're being accused of falsifying a county jail inmate's documents to make it look like he'd been released after they discovered that he was working as a federal informant.

The informant was reportedly documenting alleged excessive force inside the jail and giving FBI agents names of abusive deputies.

Sheriff's officials claim that they moved the inmate and changed his name in an effort to protect him from other deputies - not hide him from federal authorities, according to the LA Times.