Paul K. Tanaka (born 1959) is an American former politician and a former law-enforcement officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He was convicted April 4, 2016, in Federal Court of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice. Tanaka served as Undersheriff of Los Angeles County from 2011 to 2013. He was also mayor of the City of Gardena, California. His tenure has provoked controversy due to allegations of violence, corruption, and alleged membership in the Lynwood Vikings, a secret police organization, which was described as a "neo-Nazi, white supremacist gang" by a federal judge. Personal life Tanaka was born at the Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles. At the age of 7, he and his family moved to Gardena, where he lived for 47 years. Tanaka received an accounting degree from Loyola Marymount University and was also a Certified Public Accountant. He served as Chief Financial Officer for the Go For Broke Foundation and the East West Players, and served on the board of the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law. Tanaka was married to Valerie Tanaka, with whom he has 2 children. Elected official Tanaka was active in local government since his election to the Gardena city council in March 1999. In March 2005, he was elected mayor with 62% of the vote. He was re-elected to a second term in 2009. Law enforcement A career law enforcement officer, Tanaka initially joined the El Segundo police department in 1980. Transferring to the LA County Sheriff's Department (LASD) two years later, he rose through the ranks, earning his stripes in 1987, and making Lieutenant in 1991. Tanaka then rose from Lieutenant to Captain in 1999, Commander in 2001 and Chief in 2002. From January 7, 2005, to June 2011, he was an Assistant Sheriff. He is the first Japanese American in the position. He has been criticized for his affiliation with the Lynwood Vikings, a secret police organization, brought to light amidst police misconduct litigation in 1990, which a federal judge described as a "neo-Nazi, white supremacist gang." Tanaka is of Japanese descent. Sheriff Lee Baca acknowledged Tanaka still has a tattoo related to the group. Tanaka was tattooed as a member of the Vikings deputy gang in 1987, while serving as a Sergeant at the Lynwood station. On March 7, 1988, Tanaka was involved in a controversial killing of a Korean American in Long Beach,