Update: Former L.A. Sheriff Lee Baca Will Go on Trial in Federal Court

Former L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca, once one of the most powerful law enforcement officials in the nation, will go on trial for lying to federal agents about his efforts to block a federal investigation into L.A. County jails.

The investigation centered on the beating of jail inmates by sheriff’s deputies.

In February, Baca pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to investigators about his role in a sophisticated scheme that included hiding a jail informant from the FBI and threatening a federal agent with arrest. He made a deal with prosecutors that he would serve no more than six months in prison.

But federal Judge Percy Anderson rejected that agreement last month, saying it was too lenient.

Baca, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, could have chosen to go through with his guilty plea, and be subject to whatever sentence Anderson chose. The maximum sentence is five years in federal prison.

Instead, he withdrew his plea and opted for a jury trial, tentatively scheduled for September.

Monday morning, Baca's attorneys huddled with federal prosecutors in an apparent attempt to reach a new agreement. But as court reconvened in the afternoon, it became clear no deal had been reached.

Michael Zwieback, Baca's attorney, said Baca was willing to take a sentence of a year in prison, but prosecutors declined the offer. Zwieback said Baca was not willing to take a higher sentence because of his declining health.

The uncertainty of not knowing what sentence Anderson would choose swayed Baca toward opting for trial, Zwieback said.

The U.S. Attorney's Office has already sent 21 former sheriff's employees to prison in related prosecutions, many of which went to trial.

Among them, former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, Baca's second in command, was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy and obstruction of justice for his role in the informant-hiding plot.

This story has been updated.