L.A. County reserve deputy arrested in stolen diamonds

A veteran reserve deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was fired after he was arrested by the FBI for the alleged theft of up to $1 million in diamonds, authorities said Wednesday evening.

Billy Lulo, 47, was terminated Wednesday after being charged with one count of mail fraud, department officials said in a statement.

Lulo was arrested in the Los Angeles area after a 10-month investigation stemming from a crime that took place in El Paso, authorities said.

Lulo is accused of stealing diamonds valued at $500,000 to $1 million, according to authorities.

He was booked at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles and released. He is scheduled to appear later this month in federal court in Midland, Texas.

Lulo was hired by the Sheriff’s Department in 1990 and was a level-one reserve, which meant he carried a gun and was assigned to patrol duties, a department spokesman said.

Lulo worked at the Century Station, which patrols Lynwood and adjacent areas. He was relieved of duty in November 2012.

“He was relieved as soon as we got wind of this,” department spokesman Steve Whitmore told The Times. “The sheriff is just not going to stand for this.”

No other details were immediately available.

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