2 RivCo Court Clerks Indicted In Conspiracy Case Enter Pleas

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A pair of former Riverside County Superior Court clerks indicted for allegedly mishandling privileged information connected to a criminal case pleaded not guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit a felony.

Angela Franz, 46, and Michelle Valdez, 57, both of Thousand Palms, were arraigned before Superior Court Judge John Molloy, who scheduled a joint trial-setting conference for Dec . 9 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Each defendant remains free on a $10,000 bond.

According to the District Attorney's Office, the two were assigned to the Larson Justice Center in Indio when the alleged offense occurred in January 2020.

Prosecutors allege that a law enforcement officer submitted a search warrant request and asked that the documents remain under seal due to confidentiality concerns and to prevent the investigation from being compromised.

A judge signed the warrant the same day and ordered it sealed, according to the D.A.'s office.

"It is alleged that Franz pulled the warrant from the court system, printed it, and then provided it to Valdez," according to an agency statement. "Both defendants had been court clerks for several years and would know that reviewing, printing and sharing a sealed court document in this manner would be against the law."

A possible motive was not disclosed.

The case was taken before the 19-member county grand jury in June, resulting in the indictment against both women, neither of whom has prior misdemeanor or felony convictions.

They were dismissed from their jobs and no longer work for the Superior Court in any capacity.