A Pasadena police lieutenant has been on paid leave for the last year after federal agents raided his Sierra Madre home and carted off dozens of weapons.

In that time, Lt. Vasken Gourdikian collected $191,000 in pay while federal authorities investigated him and his own department.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided Gourdikian’s home early on Feb. 16, 2017. They seized 32 pistols, 19 rifles, five rifle parts, three shotguns and two revolvers, according to a forfeiture notice.

Immediately, Chief Phillip Sanchez removed Gourdikian from duty and placed him on paid leave, pending the outcome of an internal affairs review.

Gourdikian hasn’t been charged or publicly accused of any crime. The internal review has yet to begin, and Gourdikian continues to receive his full salary.

The ATF has yet to explain the reason for the search and weapons seizure. But a review by the Southern California News Group found dozens of guns listed for sale online by an account connected to Gourdikian, who does not have a license to sell guns.

In a statement, Sanchez said he was anxious to undertake the review. But he said the ongoing federal investigation stalled the internal probe.

“The federal authorities advised the city that a parallel internal affairs investigation could compromise their criminal investigation,” Sanchez wrote. “The city has deferred to federal authorities as to avoid any potential interference.”

Sanchez said Pasadena police are cooperating with federal investigators. He also said suspending Gourdikian without pay before before the ATF established any facts through their investigation and before any criminal charges have been filed would be problematic.

Ginger Colbrun, a spokeswoman for the ATF in Los Angeles, confirmed the agency’s investigation was still ongoing.

California law gives police departments one year to conduct internal affairs reviews, but the time limit doesn’t begin until a criminal investigation has concluded. The statute is meant to provide police officers with fair and swift resolution while also protecting the public’s interests and tax dollars, said Pasadena Councilman Victor Gordo, who works as a labor attorney.

Gordo said he supports complying with the ATF’s request.

“Having said that, Pasadena should communicate to the ATF our desire that the federal investigation be completed sooner rather than later, so long as it does not compromise in anyway the thoroughness of the investigation, or the right of the officer to be treated fairly,” he said.

It’s not unusual for complex federal investigations to take longer than a year, but it is rare for an officer to stay on administrative leave for the duration, said Olu Orange, an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Southern California. Nothing prevents the Pasadena Police Department from moving forward, he said.

The department should, at a minimum, review the facts to determine if Gourdikian violated any policies, he said. If the department has enough evidence to revoke his pay or fire him already, then it doesn’t need to wait on the outcome of a criminal investigation and could save taxpayer money, Orange said.

“They ought to be trying to figure out what they have right now,” Orange said. “He’ll have more than a half-million dollars by the time by the time the investigation finishes if they take another year and a half.”

Emails provided by the Pasadena police show Gourdikian used his city email address to register the account “vgourdik” on Calguns.net. Of Gourdikian’s 863 posts on the message board throughout a four-year period, more than 70 posts offered to sell firearms and gun parts. At least 63, including an AK-47, were later marked as sold.

In one instance, Gourdikian received a waiver from Sanchez that allowed him to bypass the 10-day waiting period on a Glock-43 pistol. Seven days later, Gourdikian appears to have sold a gun with the same make and model on Calguns, according to the posts.

If the guns are the same, Gourdikian could have violated several department policies by misrepresenting his need for the waiver, which stated he did not intend to resell the weapon.

The Glock 43 was not among the firearms seized by the ATF last year. A spokesperson for Pasadena previously indicated the department was aware of a discrepancy between the seizure list and the waivers, but would not elaborate.

Gourdikian does not have a license to sell firearms. Several of the weapons he may have sold cannot be bought by the public in California.

In an interview last week, Mayor Terry Tornek called the lack of action “infuriating.” He said he hopes the department can find a way to separate its internal review from the federal investigation.

“The problem with all these police-related matters is that people demand timely and transparent performance on these investigations, and we can’t deliver timely, or transparent,” Tornek said.