Damacio Diaz, 48, is scheduled for release on May 10 while Patrick Mara, 40, is expected to be free on April 20, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons records. You know we are a God-fearing folks, so we were teaching in Sunday school on Sundays. was like to have a movie made about his Inspired by the irony of his last name, "Blanco" was one of the nicknames that the kids and their families gave Jim White. Damacio Diaz, former BPD detective who stole drugs and put them back on the street, released from custody Mara, a 13-year veteran, had 55 cases involving 70 defendants. These I was able have aninterview with Jim White and the Diaz brothers (David Diaz, Damacio Diaz and Danny Diaz) who are the real life inspirations behind the McFarland, USA film. It was at the Bakersfield Police Department that Damacio was able to rise the ranks in the way hed always desired going from patrol operations to serving at several high-profile units. Not the right Damacio Diaz? Eliu Garza, also a McFarland High runner, is . The love they genuinely have for him was heartfelt and true. Coach Jim White and his wife, Cheryl, with team member Thomas Valles at the 1987 California Southern Area cross country meet at Hart Park in Bakersfield. However, similar to the film, Jim White had never been a runner himself and used the bike to follow the team during their workouts. In the movie, you [Coach White] spent a day picking in the fields with the boys. Keep an eye on your inbox for updates. Diaz this summer pleaded guilty to bribery, drug trafficking and tax evasion, and Mara admitted to selling methamphetamine. During the investigation, five other officers were placed on administrative leave related to the investigation and one recently resigned. Diaz, a 17-year Bakersfield cop, worked on 32 cases involving 53 defendants, with 20 requiring letters, she said. After his father left, Leopoldo and his mother decided to pack . DAVID DIAZ : So, it helps you running wise and mentally wise, as well, because you have to endure that steepness, if you will. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. But even worse, they say he tipped off the drug dealer when police might be coming his way, even giving the guy information from a secret wiretap. My parents definitely pushed us to go that route and not thewide road most people go to is other than college. "I was standing there. The real Coach Jim White took both the boys and girls cross country teams to the California central coast beach at Cayucos during the 1985 season (not the 1987 season). Youre driving on 99, the freeway, and you blink and youll miss it. [LAUGHS]. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. and preaching in the Church of Christ. Diaz turned his back on those opportunities and broke the trust his community placed in him, violating the very laws he was sworn to enforce. Disneys McFarland, USA, is helping to put the Diazs hometown on the map across the globe. And so, its just a fun place to be. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Mr. White had a lot more influence [on the script]. On that day, Leopoldo became a man. Damacio Diaz (R) and guest attend the Bakersfield Special Screening of "McFarland, USA" in Bakersfield, CA on Feb. 15th, 2015. He says that He advised her to first trust in God, as the Almighty, he said, is not subject to the weaknesses and failings of humankind. And we try to trip him up on that, and hes very smart in that regard. But he encouraged us to play sports. Oh, its more than an indiscretion, he said. So, it was a big deal for us. DANNY DIAZ : We didnt train. Included in the segment, titled In our case, you know, theres seven and my dad worked a lot of hours. McFarland, USA comes to theaters on Friday, February 20th. Damacio Diaz - CA Cross Country results and photos on Athletic.net According to the California Department of Justice, Diaz and Mara conspired with another man, Noel Carter, 46. [CHUCKLES]. Also, take a closer look at the Diaz family, who had seven children run for McFarland. ONeill instructed Delaney to directly telephone the warden of the prison assigned to receive Diaz in order to help ensure the safety of the former cop who will soon find himself behind bars. Twitter. Assistant U.S. Atty Brian Delaney said Magallanes was arrested in a separate case and told officials about Diaz. Diaz said that his time as a narcotics detective drove him to a life of drinking and that Magallanes, a drug dealer and a prominent member of the Mexican Mafia, became more friend than informant. So , DANNY DIAZ : Mr. White never went back to Stockton never again. Learn more about the McFarland, USA true story by watching the Jim White interview below. It was really an honor. Read More: Where are BPD Officers Aaron Stringer and Rick Wimbish Now? And so, we were just happy that Disney stuck with that first year and were lucky to be in the movie. These guys are amazing and it was a pleasure meeting them and listening to them. Despite the possible life sentence, a federal judge ruled Diaz can be released. Damacio Diaz was a subject of the movie McFarland USA and became a Bakersfield police officer. -KGET 17. it's not all true but he's okay with that. The former narcotics officer is now known, however, for going to prison in 2016 for charges tied to drugs, bribery and tax fraud. They were cross country state champs in 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2001. DAVID DIAZ : Yeah, so just to let you know: I think Hollywood did a, a very good job of depicting and not making it look too guilty as regarding CPS. With nothing to do in their small town, kidshave two choices: education and sports or the streets. picking in the fields. "Sometimes I helped them work in the fields," says the real Coach Jim White, "but more importantly, I had practice at a different time. They couldve chosen any other team, because we have nine state titles. We then wanted to know, "How much, if any, input did you have to have on the filming and the making the movie?Damacio Diaz: Mr. White might have had more than us. PUBLISHED: October 4, 2016 at 7:44 a.m. | UPDATED: October 4, 2016 at 7:53 a.m. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) An ex-detective who was on the championship 1987 track team depicted in the movie . The district attorneys office is prepared to retry the cases if necessary, Assistant Dist. I used to take Damacio and some of hispeers. Yet his desire to always be at the front and center of action soon reached such an extent that he started blurring the line between right and wrong, resulting in his arrest in November 2015. Jim White is to Thomas' right and Gary Adams is to White's right. On one occasion, Mrs. Diaz made 200 dozen tamales to send the team to Asia. Calif. Although, the brothers did say that the town hasnt really changed much, Coach White has noticed one big change. Thomas Valles went on to become a prison guard (LA Times). We didnt have that close to us. Still, it was rarely the entire quantity as he, his partner Patrick Mara, as well as an associate, reportedly had this combined side hustle. Yes. [LAUGHS] So, just to let yall know were proud of what Hollywood did and what Niki and the producer and everyone did, but we lived in a very, very strict environment and still do to this day. And we were part of the Royal Rangers andwe did that on Tuesday nights at our local church. David Diaz is behind Victor wearing a white t-shirt and McFarland hat. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. But thats okay. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Delaney shakes hands with former Bakersfield Police Department detective Damacio Diaz in this file photo from Diaz's Oct. 3 sentencing. Danny and Damacio run 3 to 5 miles a day to simply stay in shape. went on to college. That was something that we did since we were third, fourth, fifth graders and by the time we got to college and were now training and, and running and living our lives with Mr. White some of us traveled out of the state, out of the country with Mr. White it became something that was gonna help us get out of our environment, and it did. Thanks! So, thatwas good. Girl, 13, Went Missing Last Week, and Suspect Is Arrested on . DANNY DIAZ : And we played basketball the entire week. FRESNO, Calif. Damacio Diaz, 44, of McFarland, formerly a detective with the Bakersfield Police Department, was sentenced today to five years in prison for bribery, possession and attempted possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and making and subscribing a false income tax return, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Former detective Patrick Mara was also implicated in the same crime. Julie and Jami are depicted in the McFarland, USA movie. JIM WHITE : Let, let me add one thing to that. If you havent seen a trailer yet, here you go, Follow McFARLAND, USA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcfarlandusa, Follow Disney Pictures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneypictures. BAKERSFIELD, Calif., (KBAK/KBFX) Damacio Diaz, a former Detective for the Bakersfield Police Department, has been released from federal custody. Damacio Diaz was a Bakersfield police detective who was sentenced to five years in prison in October 2016 for stealing drugs to put back onto the street. Damacio seemingly prefers to stay well away from the spotlight these days, but we do know the family man tied the knot with his long-term partner, teacher Courtney Diaz, on January 26, 2021. Davids the oldest and he was a bully. Damacio Diaz, photo courtesy of Mama Latina Tips. Yes. . Silvia was 16 and Herlinda was 14. We run three, four, five miles a day just to stay in shape. It was great meeting you on the trip - it was such fun! As he walked a Hollywood red carpet in February and talked to Action News anchor Graciela Moreno about McFarland USA, little did Diaz know his life was ready to unravel. Coach White concurred and said their mom even asked why they didnt make her strict enough. -LCU.edu, Yes. Early on, ONeill seemed to be signaling he was taking a hard-line stance. Carter would then could sell those narcotics for profit. The hearing included impassioned appeals by Diazs brother, wife and daughter, with the two latter witnesses in tears through much of their statements. They all spend some time running with the cross country team, as well as with their own kids. And he told me I want them to get their education, so I will go back and get my education. Defense attorneys compared the Bakersfield situation to the Los Angeles Police Departments Rampart scandal in the late 1990s, in which corrupt officers tainted cases. Let us send you our favorite posts and ideas once a week. FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The charges against Damacio Diaz have people in his hometown in disbelief. They pocketed 4 pounds and turned in just a pound as evidence, officials said. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.. They also plan to seize about $50,000 in cash and a home in an exclusive McFarland neighborhood. All three girls graduated with degrees in education from Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock, Texas; Tami in 1985, Julie in 1988, and Jami in 1991. He got into the truck and began to talk with Coach White about his difficulties at home. So, thats a big change. Damacio Diaz was released Friday from a halfway house in Sacramento, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. So the only way I could get some of them into some of the fields that I had to do the work with them. Diaz would quickly implicate Mara and then suggest others were making money too. That year, Mara filed for bankruptcy and said he was drinking heavily. Diaz, a former Bakersfield police detective, is interviewed on camera in Killing County. To read the article in Spanish, click here, Insider is sentenced to prison in scam that nearly took down L.A.s last black bank, Man accused of threatening to kill people at Islamic center because of hatred for Muslims, Man is charged with attempted murder after break-in at Miranda Kerrs Malibu home. A 1997 LA Times article described it as a rickety, worn bicycle, but did not state that it was a girl's bicycle like in the movie. The. We started picking and hoeing and raking and doing everything you could possibly think of. [CHUCKLES] Same thing happened back in the day when we were kids. Atty. He must report to federal authorities before 2 p.m. Dec. 5 to begin serving his sentence. Richard Winton is an investigative crime writer for the Los Angeles Times and part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2011. September 22, 2016, 12:07 PM. Its hard to understand how he could do both.. Diazs attorney, David Torres, was clearly relieved by the judges decision. So, my dad worked ten, twelve, thirteen, fourteen hours a day sometimes and both of them [his parents] come from large families. Two misdemeanor prostitution cases in which Diaz as an undercover detective was the only witness have already been dismissed. Updated: May 11, 2020 / 06:23 PM PDT BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) Disgraced former Bakersfield police detective Damacio Diaz has been released from custody after serving a federal term for stealing drugs during the course of his police work and putting them back on the street. He did submit every kind of narcotics to evidence following each bust. Diaz pleaded guilty to stealing. How did that impact your lives during high school to move on in the future? All of us went to college. var _ndnq = _ndnq || []; _ndnq.push([embed]); Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Map: Track this weekends rain in the Bay Area, McFarland USA runner gets prison for corruption as police detective. inspired to strive for something beyond [CHUCKLES] And about two years ago, Mr. White, you help me pull? But the guys over here were in decent shape still. Copyright 2017 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The legendary former McFarland He is portrayed by Kevin Costner. it was in various stages, because this was about a 15-year process for us, my wife and I . The Feds arrested him at the department Friday morning and removed evidence. As well as accepting illegal bribes, Diaz engaged in drug trafficking while with the BPD. to know what it feels like to be I still currently run. Then they can do whatever they want. About $15,000 stuck out of Magallanes shorts. Fun fact: Rafael Martinez, who plays David Diaz in the movie, is one of my closest friends even to this day! Damacio seemingly prefers to stay well away from the spotlight these days, but we do know the family man tied the knot with his long-term partner, teacher Courtney Diaz, on January 26, 2021. They are amazing guys who still have that humble hardworking attitude! No. In a remarkable statement made before reporters Friday, Kern County District Attorney Lisa Green said her office will mail out 64 letters to d, Positive Cases Among Kern Residents: 310,095, Recovered and Presumed Recovered Residents: 305,002, Percentage of all cases that are unvaccinated:71, Percentage of all hospitalizations that are unvaccinated:83.13, Source: Kern County Public Health Services Department. And so, I cant keep up with my kids in high school [CHUCKLES], but I go with my little seven-year-old. Diaz initially became well-known after the release of 2015 Disney movie, McFarland USA, starring Kevin Costner. Its grown a little bit in the last two, three years but not much has changed. Public corruption takes a heavy toll on our communities, and our office remains committed to prosecuting such conduct.". Prosecutors are specifically reexamining cases from 2011 to 2014, when the partners were committing crimes. The multi-part documentary is coming to the streaming platform on February 3 and includes first-person interviews with individuals and families plagued by gun violence, officer-involved homicides and other crimes in Bakersfield and Kern County, California. McFarland High School is actually just down the road from the Central Valley Correctional Facility, not across the street. That is why it was so amazing and cool that I got to interview Jim White, David Diaz, Damacio Diaz, and Danny Diaz. Ray referred to Felicia Rosario as his "wife," though they were never married. Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick is an executive producer on the project, and says in the trailer that it "is one of the most powerful projects I've ever been involved with.". A lot of us competed in college. DANNY DIAZ : We, we love basketball. on their time as cross country runners DAVID DIAZ : He was out in my field still in the evening helping me do my work. Then to keep him on the narrow road or that straight road is tough. Primary filming took place in McFarland, California in 2013. It taught you discipline. The. For my son, it pushed him to go to college and do well while he was in high school. Is that how the last race happened? Newsweek has everything you need to know about what happened to Bakersfield cop Damacio Diaz and why he is featured on Killing County. She changed her plans following her fathers indictment. He gave them information to clean up the department, said his lawyer, David Torres, in an interview. under Coach Jim White at McFarland High "It was damaging. Did that change how you ran in future races? Matter of fact, he ordered us and he forced us and he made us play sports, because the way he saw it hes the first one, and so he learned it before us. Therefore, Damacio pleaded guilty to bribery, possession, attempted possession with the intent to distribute, and false income tax returns on May 31, 2016 hed resigned from BPD months prior. In April 2019, Carter was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for conspiring with Diaz and Mara to sell the seized drugs. The Bakersfield Californian says (http://bit.ly/2dGESLb) the U.S. Attorneys Office recommended between 17 and 22 years. And we were running number one all year long. DANNY DIAZ : east from McFarland, Mr. White here would take us to the hills. And so, we have a great dad. Diaz, his large extended family, his friends and supporters including Jim White, the legendary McFarland High School cross country coach who was featured along with the Diaz brothers in the Disney movie, McFarland, USA, gathered in a prayer circle outside the courtroom following the hearing. Mr. Diaz, their dad Paul, he pushed education real hard, too. A drug and corruption scandal has rocked the Bakersfield Police Department. He had to take off to Stockton to, to be with his family with a family situation and he left us there to, to train on our own. The former police officer was subsequently sentenced to five years in federal prison, just to be released days early from a halfway house in Sacramento, California, on May 8, 2020. This one looks awesome, can't wait to see it. He did a lot of things for us that our dad couldnt, becauseit financially just wasnt available. Mara was released from a halfway house a month before Diaz, in April 2020, after serving just under four years in federal prison.