Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled the aide’s first name. His name is Augustin Telly.
A San Joaquin County supervisor’s chief of staff has been arrested on weapons and other charges, authorities said.
Augustin Telly, chief of staff to District 1 Supervisor Mario Gardea, was booked into San Joaquin County jail at 8:10 p.m. Tuesday on three felony counts: unlicensed sale or transfer of a firearm, conspiracy to commit a crime and solicitation of specified criminal acts, booking records show.
Telly, 54, is scheduled to appear in San Joaquin County Superior Court at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Bail was not being allowed, according to the booking sheet.
Telly’s status as chief of staff was confirmed in a statement by Gardea, who said he is “shocked and disappointed” but offered no details about the nature of the alleged crimes.
On Wednesday morning, the case was still shrouded in mystery. Although Telly was booked into the San Joaquin County jail, the law enforcement agency that made the arrest was not listed on the booking sheet. Officials from both the Stockton Police Department and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said they had no involvement in the case.
Gardea, who noted in his statement that Telly is currently on unpaid leave, said he will cooperate fully with the investigation. The Stockton firefighter was elected to the Board of Supervisors in November.
“I will not tolerate any behavior that undermines the public trust from anyone associated with my office,” Gardea said in his statement. “I have asked that this matter be investigated internally.”
Before working for Gardea, Telly was a longtime member of the Stockton Police Department, Officer Omer Edhah, a police spokesperson confirmed. He began his career with the agency in 1994 and worked in the Gang Violence Suppression Unit and on the FBI Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force. He retired in 2021 as a lieutenant in the department.