MONTEREY COUNTY — A 23-year veteran of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against his former employer alleging he was illegally fired after helping to form a union, refusing to endorse candidates for sheriff and opposing the sexual harassment of female deputies by Sheriff’s Office leadership.
Former Sgt. Bryan Hoskins was hired as a deputy in 1999 and served until March 2023. In 2021, he became vice president of the newly recognized County of Monterey Patrol Association or COMPA, an acronym that translates to slang for “friend” in Spanish. Hoskins alleges he was asked to endorse the competing election campaigns of Marina Police Chief Tina Nieto and sheriff’s Capt. Joseph Moses — both of whom were running for sheriff.
Hoskins declined to endorse either candidate and was subsequently investigated by internal affairs for improper use of overtime in spring 2022, according to the plaintiff’s attorneys at the law firm Greenberg Gross LLP. They argue the investigation was opened on the basis of an anonymous letter sent by “persons acting on behalf of Nieto’s campaign.”
That summer, Hoskins complained to superiors that former Undersheriff John Mineau had sexually harassed multiple female deputies. He was told that “it was none of his concern” and “he should not be talking about the issue,” according to the lawsuit.
Hoskins allegedly received one final phone call from Nieto’s campaign asking for an endorsement on Oct. 12, 2022.
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