Former Pakistani American Police Officer Sentenced to 27 Years for Kidnapping and Extortion

A former Pakistani American police officer and bail agent has been sentenced to 27 years in prison after being found guilty earlier this year of 17 felony charges, including kidnapping, extortion, and false imprisonment. An investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the California Department of Insurance found that Rehan Nazir, 51, “apprehended clients prior to their court appearances and threatened to take them to jail unless they paid him out of pocket,” according to a California Department of Insurance press release. He had previously been terminated by the Torrance Police Department after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office “determined that he had submitted false information in a report by failing to document the use of a confidential informant,” the press release said. 

While working as a licensed bail agent, Nazir employed several bounty hunters to assist him in locating and appending several persons that he had bonded out of jail prior to their required court appearances. In one instance, they forced entry to a home and detained multiple people at gunpoint looking for someone he had previously bailed out of jail. Threatening to return them to jail unless they paid him money, “Nazir then handcuffed them and had them driven to his bail office in Torrance, while friends or family members were driven by fugitive recovery persons to ATM machines,” the press release said. 

Investigators say Nazir also used his former police experience to convince law enforcement agencies that he had the legal authority to repossess the vehicles of those he had bailed out, even though there was no contract for collateral on record and the vehicles were in the possession of family members. He also apparently threatened a family member of a client by having another person deliver “graphic photos of an officer-involved shooting in which he was personally involved,” the press release said.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said Nazir’s sentencing reflects the state’s commitment to holding bail agents accountable if they break the law.

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“I have worked to secure greater oversight of the bail industry to protect public safety, and I will continue to take necessary steps to ensure a safe and fair judicial process.” 

Two of Nazir’s employees have been convicted of false imprisonment as part of the investigation, while a third is awaiting sentencing.