A lawsuit has been filed and is seeking class action certification against the sheriff's department for allegedly engaging in a pattern of racketeering activities involving completing and filing false police reports and committing perjury. The lawsuit was filed in Federal District Court in Fresno, CA and claims the Fresno County Sheriff Department repeatedly, arbitrarily, unlawfully, and maliciously made false arrests of men, violating their right to freedom of speech, expression, association, and their right to equal protection under the law in the department's pursuit of gay men at Roeding Park. It claims the department violated the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization Act.
The lawsuit also claims the pattern and practice of racketeering activities included numerous acts of tampering with witnesses and victims and retaliating against witnesses and victims. It alleges the sheriff's department targeted men solely because of their gender and perceived sexual orientation, and publicized their arrests, all with the unconstitutional and illegal goal of reducing the number of men seeking sexual or other intimate association from meeting one another in public places in Fresno particularly the public parks.
