The former San Bernardino County District Attorney has been suspended by the State Bar of California for destroying evidence.
Mike Ramos, who served as DA from 2002 to 2018, deleted text messages and emails related to a bribery case that was dismissed in 2017, the Press-Enterprise reports.

The targets of the bribery case sued the county in 2018, seeking access to the texts and emails.
“Ramos, however, could not produce those records because they had been deleted,” the Press-Enterprise reports.
Ramos claimed he was ignorant of records-keeping laws, but the State Bar found that argument “not persuasive,” as Ramos “is a sophisticated party who had the assistance of experienced counsel.”
As a result, he was suspended from practicing law for six months and ordered to pay nearly $4,000 in fees and sanctions. Ramos didn’t return the newspaper’s request for comment.
It’s likely that the suspension won’t impact Ramos too much, as he reportedly now works in communications at UC Riverside and writes crime novels.
He had previously run for California attorney general and received the support of then-AG and future Vice President Kamala Harris in his bid for reelection as DA, despite Harris being a Democrat and Ramos being a Republican.