Former SJ police union director who was fired after opioid smuggling arrest pleads guilty

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- As part of an agreement with federal prosecutors, Joanne Segovia admitted in court Tuesday to illegally importing more than 17,000 opioid pills into the U.S. while serving as the executive director of the San Jose Police Officers' Association.

In March of 2023, the 20-year veteran of the SJPOA was charged after a homeland security investigation revealed her role in a scheme to distribute drugs.

Originally, investigators said those drugs included a fentanyl analogue, but they have since corrected what they found was an error in testing.

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Tuesday, prosecutors said she instead had thousands of pills of tapentadol sent to and distributed from her home, ordered on personal and SJPOA computers.

Segovia faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. She will be back in court for sentencing in January 2025.

Attorney Adam Gasner spoke outside of the courthouse after his client pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful importation of a controlled substance.

"Ms. Segovia, who is a victim of her own addiction and in recovery, has now admitted culpability to all charges in the charging document and we're prepared to go to sentencing," Gasner said. "It is not a fentanyl case, it never was a fentanyl case. And we are extremely appreciative of that the U.S. Attorney's Office went ahead and clarified the record."