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The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is probing its ties to a convicted Wall Street swindler — after admitting it had no idea the wealthy philanthropist served federal prison time for a $43 million embezzlement, The Post has learned.Reps for Sheriff Robert Luna acknowledged that the agency “was not aware” of Daniel L.Gordon’s criminal and financial history, despite its years-long partnership with his charity.
Gordon was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for swiping $43 million from Merrill Lynch and owes New York nearly $60 million in unpaid taxes.The department is now assessing its relationship with Gordon Philanthropies and “reaching out to former personnel” to gather background information, officials said.Gordon also agreed to a lifetime Securities and Exchange Commission ban in 2003 from serving as an officer or director of a public company to settle charges involving the Merrill Lynch theft and other alleged misconduct.Los Angeles County has the largest sheriff’s department in the country, with roughly 17,000 staff who help police 42 cities and run the nation’s biggest jail system, according to its website.Yet Luna’s department partnered with Gordon’s charity on programs at its jails and initiatives to provide safety equipment for deputies, while Gordon appeared alongside senior law enforcement officials in photographs promoting his charitable work.Gordon’s foundation, Gordon Philanthropies, has posted numerous photographs of him alongside law enforcement officials, including Luna and uniformed deputies.In one photo opportunity, Gordon posed during a ribbon-cutting for a children’s library at the Men’s Central Jail visiting center.The department’s partnership with Gordon Philanthropies went well beyond donating books.Gordon Philanthropies backed initiatives focused on “improving custody programs for incarcerated individuals, promoting employee wellness, and increasing the availability of fire safety bags for deputy perso...