‘I am guilty,’ says last S.F. cop sentenced in corruption scandal

San Francisco police sgt. Ian Furminger (middle) speaks to press in back of the Phillip Burton Federal Building & United States Courthouse in San Francisco, California on Monday, February 23, 2015. Sgt. Ian Furminger was found guilty of four felony charges today. At right is his lawyer Brian Getz. less San Francisco police sgt. Ian Furminger (middle) speaks to press in back of the Phillip Burton Federal Building & United States Courthouse in San Francisco, California on Monday, February 23, 2015. Sgt. Ian ... more Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close ‘I am guilty,’ says last S.F. cop sentenced in corruption scandal 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

In what a judge called “the final chapter of a sad story for the San Francisco Police Department,” a former plainclothes officer who pleaded guilty to stealing drugs and money from suspected dealers was sentenced Thursday to a year in federal prison.

His sentence could have been much longer, but Reynaldo Vargas cut a deal with prosecutors, providing key testimony against two other cops in a scandal that rocked the city force and prompted the dismissal of scores of criminal cases.

Vargas stood calmly, hands folded, with family members looking on as U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer noted the damage done by his corruption.

“In my 18 years on the bench, this is one of the most serious offenses I can imagine,” Breyer said. “Anything which detracts from the integrity of the justice system jeopardizes the justice system.”

The four felonies Vargas admitted in October stemmed from a series of incidents in which he and two former colleagues, Officer Edmond Robles and Sgt. Ian Furminger, stole drugs and thousands of dollars from suspects and performed illegal searches.

Robles and Furminger were handed longer sentences after their trial, which featured Vargas as the star witness. Robles got 39 months in prison, Furminger 41 months,

The trial took place more than three years after the scandal bloomed when San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi released videos that appeared to show officers walking out of cheap residential hotels with bags of residents’ possessions.

In one case, in February 2009, the officers arrested a drug dealer and stole more than $500 worth of iTunes gift cards, which Vargas and Robles used to buy an iPhone and an iPod. A month later, the three intercepted a UPS package filled with marijuana, which the officers gave to a confidential informant so that the drugs could be sold for profit.

Then in May 2009, Vargas found $30,000 in cash while searching a drug stash house, which the officers split.

The fallout from the corruption case spread earlier this year. In a motion to deny bail for Furminger before his formal sentencing, prosecutors revealed a trove of racist and homophobic text messages exchanged between the ex-sergeant and other officers. That led Police Chief Greg Suhr to call for a captain, a sergeant and six other officers to be fired.

Vargas, 46, could have faced up to two years in prison, but Breyer said his cooperation as a witness earned him some leniency. The judge made a point of praising Vargas for providing crucial testimony against Furminger and Robles.

“I don’t think you did this to get a better deal,” Breyer said. “I think you came to terms with yourself and asked yourself who you were. This is a truly transformational change.”

In court, Vargas, a police officer from 1999 until he was fired in 2012 for allegedly falsifying time sheets, acknowledged his role in the scandal.

“I am guilty of all the offenses described and I accept full responsibility for what I have done,” he told the judge. “I came to realize that I would never be a police officer again, and I have made moves to restart myself.”

Vargas must surrender by Aug. 7 to begin serving his term in a federal penitentiary.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale