FBI investigates allegations of staged fights at San Francisco Jail

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The FBI is now stepping in to investigate San Francisco's troubled jails.

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi requested the federal probe after a series of inmate escapes and gladiator-style fighting among inmates.

Mirkarimi says it's the first time in memory that a San Francisco sheriff has asked the feds to head an investigation into the department, but he's faced with two highly publicized scandals. He says he needs it to be transparent and free from conflict of interest.

Mirkarimi announced that the FBI has agreed to his request.

"There is no potential conflict of interest by an outside agency coming in, and quite frankly, they're the gold standard," Mikarimi said.

The four deputies named by inmate Ricardo Garcia have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation by the sheriff.

Mirkarimi wants to see if other deputies were involved or witnessed the fights and whether they bet on them.

"We're also not sure if the allegations of the betting, that has not been corroborated as part of the inmates that were fighting," Mirkarimi added.

Mirkarimi also said he'll increase security at his jails following two escapes in just under a year.

Alexander Santiago-Gonzales, a high-level federal prisoner, ran off three weeks ago when he was being escorted by a deputy on trash detail. He bolted when they got to an unsecured area as he carried out garbage.

"That escape should not have happened and that deputy is facing possible termination," he said.

Last June, Timothy Midgett, a convicted drug dealer, escaped when he was taking out the trash.

Matt Gonzales, chief attorney at the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, says Mirkarimi did the right thing in bringing in the FBI.

"There's a culture within the department that poses a problem," Gonzalez said. "The big concern for us is whether that agency can conduct an investigation themselves."

Sheriff Mirkarimi believes the inmate fighting is an isolated case but he says he's not leaving anything to chance.

He says his internal investigation should be done in about two weeks.