Ex-FBI informant refiles complaint against US government, local police, FBI supervisor

Calif. mosque informant refiles lawsuit vs. FBI

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A former FBI informant who infiltrated a Southern California mosque has revised his lawsuit against the U.S. government and a local police department, saying they violated his civil rights and were negligent.

Craig Monteilh filed amended complaint in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on Thursday, two days after a federal judge dismissed the remnants of a complaint he filed earlier this year. The personal trainer and convicted felon is seeking $10 million in damages.

Monteilh, 48, helped the FBI build a case against an Afghan-born man who was arrested last year on terrorism-related charges.

But Monteilh grew embittered with the agency when he says they failed to protect him from an arrest on grand theft charges by a detective at the Irvine Police Department.

The ex-spy alleges he was arrested for work he was doing for the FBI as part of a drug ring investigation.

He eventually served eight months in prison on the felony counts.

Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office, and Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman, declined to comment.

Daniel Spradlin, an attorney for the Irvine police, said the allegations against the city are false.