( CNN ) -- The prosecutor in a rural California agricultural community says that police officers there preyed upon the poor , impounding their cars then selling the vehicles when the owners could n't afford the fees . Six officers , including the former police chief of King City and his acting replacement , were arrested Tuesday in the corruption scheme , as was the owner of a towing company . Monterey County District Attorney Dean D. Flippo said the alleged scheme worked liked this : Sgt . Bobby Carrillo would impound a vehicle -- at least 200 of them -- and , though he was supposed to equally use one of four towing companies , he would call Miller 's Towing 87 % of the time . Carrillo targeted poor Latinos who could n't pay the money required to retrieve their vehicles , prosecutors alleged . Brian Miller , the tow company owner , would provide the unclaimed vehicles to Carrillo , Flippo said in a news release . Many of the cars and trucks were sold by the officers , who kept other vehicles for personal use , prosecutors said . The FBI aided in the arrests . Carrillo was charged with conspiracy , bribery and accepting a bribe . Former chief Nick Baldiviez and Officer Mario Mottu were charged with embezzlement , while acting chief Bruce Miller -- Brian Miller 's brother -- was charged with accepting a bribe . Brian Miller was charged with conspiracy to commit a crime . CNN affiliate KSBW spoke to the acting chief as he left court Tuesday . `` I 'm completely surprised . Accept a bribe ? I 've never done that . I 'm blown away , I did not know this was coming , '' said the chief , who , like the other officers , is on paid leave . Officers Mark Baker and Jaime Andrade were booked on other charges . The defendants will be arraigned Monday . KSBW reported that all seven had posted bail . The King City Police Department has only 17 officers . City Manager Michael Powers told KSBW that the police department 's front office can not remain open because so many officers were arrested . The Monterey County Sheriff 's Department will help patrol the city , the news release said . Baldiviez was chief for nine years until last year , when he disappeared for months , according to the station . He then reappeared and announced his retirement in September . King City is in southern Monterey County in the Salinas Valley . Its economy centers on agriculture and food processing . About 88 % of the city 's 13,000 residents are Latino , and about one in five of the people there lives below the poverty line . CNN 's Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this story .
DA says he would impound cars of people who ' n't pay release fees . The impound lot owner would turn cars over to police , who sold or kept them . Among those arrested are the former chief and the interim chief , who says he did no work . CNN affiliate The small department is affected by the number of arrests .