LA prosecutor in Hannah Tubbs case slams suspension, Gascon: 'Punished for hurting child molester's feelings'
A prosecutor was suspended after suggesting a trans child molester was using gender identity to game the justice system
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Los Angeles County deputy district attorney suspended for misgendering a trans child molester fired back at District Attorney George Gascon on Monday, accusing him of endangering children with "misguided" progressive policies after trying a trans woman as a juvenile.
Shea Sanna, 34, who had been the lead prosecutor in the case that garnered national attention, told Fox News on Monday that he was unjustly punished by Gascon because he did not use the preferred pronouns of convicted child molester Hannah Tubbs when raising concerns that Tubbs was attempting to use gender identity to game the justice system. Sources say Sanna's ruse claim, which was supported by jailhouse phone calls between Tubbs and her father, made others in Gascon's office uncomfortable and resulted in his five-day suspension.
"I was suspended because I did not use the preferred pronouns of a child molester when notifying the administration that I had evidence that James Tubbs was perpetrating a fraud on the court, playing the DAS' office and perpetrating a fraud on our justice system," Sanna said in an interview on "Tucker Carlson Tonight."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Deputy District Attorney Shea Sanna at the Hannah Tubbs hearing in Antelope Valley Juvenile Court, California. Hannah Tubbs hearing, Antelope Valley California, USA Friday, January 27, 2022. (Dave Buchan, LASD, Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
"So by notifying everybody that they’re being played, I was punished because I hurt a child molester’s feelings by not using the correct pronouns," he added.
Hannah Tubbs, formerly known as James Tubbs, is a convicted child molester and accused murderer who allegedly began identifying as female only after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in a Denny's bathroom stall, in order to get placed with juvenile girls while awaiting trial.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sanna, who supported trying Tubbs as an adult, blamed Gascon's "misguided policies" for trying the then-26-year-old as a juvenile, which landed her only two years in a youth treatment facility.
"James Tubbs was 26 years old and came from prison to the juvenile facility. So it wasn’t like this was a juvenile and was convicted as a juvenile…," Sanna said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tubbs' victim, now an adult, has also disputed Tubbs' alleged gender identity and condemned Gascon last year saying the light sentence denied her any sense of justice.
Hannah Tubbs began identifying as female after being arrested in connection with a 2014 child molestation case, according to prosecutors. (Robyn Beck / AFP | Los Angeles County)
Acknowledging the risk to his career by speaking out, Sanna said he felt "obligated" as a father to make sure children are being advocated for, adding that Gascon's leniency with convicted child molesters will only create "more victims."
CALIFORNIA TRANS CHILD MOLESTER HANNAH TUBBS GLOATS OVER LIGHT SENTENCE IN JAILHOUSE PHONE CALLS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I’m obligated to," he told host Tucker Carlson. "I have kids. I know how innocent kids can be. And the fact that I can’t stand by while the misguided policies of a progressive prosecutor like George Gascon are putting child molesters in juvenile facilities, which is going to create more victims and hiding the fact from the court so that the court is sentencing juveniles to these facilities with known child molesters, who are adults…
"I can’t stand by and subject children to the risk of being harmed," he added. "It’s a public safety risk and an extreme injustice."
Last year, Fox News Digital obtained explicit jailhouse recordings of Tubbs admitting it was wrong to attack a little girl but gloating over the light punishment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The suspect boasted that nothing would happen after the guilty plea, due to Gascon's lenient policies for juvenile defendants and laughed about not having to go back to prison or register as a sex offender. Tubbs also made explicit remarks about the victim that are unfit to print.
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In one of the calls, Tubbs tells her dad to start using female pronouns.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"So now they're going to put me with other trannies that have seen their cases like mine or with one tranny like me that has a case like mine," Tubbs says. "So when you come to court, make sure you address me as her."
Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.