Exclusive: Oakland Crime Stoppers lost access to cash. OPD kept offering rewards, stiffed tipster

A Bay Area man says the Oakland Police Department stiffed him on a promised reward of up to $10,000 after his information led to the arrest of a suspect in a high-profile murder case last year.

His complaint is now exposing major red flags in the murky partnership between police and a struggling organization called Oakland Crime Stoppers, the group that pays tipsters whose information leads to arrests in certain serious cases. 

“You shouldn’t promise something you don’t have,” said the tipster, who told police he recognized the man pictured on surveillance video shooting and killing flower delivery driver Matheus Gaidos on an Oakland sidewalk.

Court documents confirm the man’s tip led to the arrest of Eric Loc Elvira, who has since pled not guilty to murder.

“No one needs to die over words being exchanged,” the tipster said.

Oakland police blamed the failure to pay the tipster on the deaths of two Oakland Crime Stoppers board members, which the department said made it impossible for the group to access its own bank account.  

However, the Oakland Police department confirmed that it’s known about Oakland Crime Stoppers’ banking woes since September 2022, yet continued advertising cash rewards despite the inability to pay up if tipsters came forward. A review of Oakland police press releases shows the department has promised reward money in at least seven cases since then, including Gaidos’ murder.

The Oakland Police Department couldn’t say whether any other tipsters are still waiting to be paid, but an Oakland Crime Stoppers board member confirmed the organization hasn’t given out a single reward since January 2021.

“It was just kind of disappointing, how police and public servants treat their citizens,” the tipster said.

Just after coming forward to police, text messages reviewed by NBC Bay Area show the tipster asked an Oakland police sergeant how to collect the promised reward money. The sergeant said he would refer the information to the Oakland Crime Stoppers’ board, which would vote on whether to give him the reward and how much money he would receive.

But more than a year after identifying Gaidos’ alleged killer, and after two dozen text messages to the sergeant, the tipster said he still hasn’t seen a penny of that reward money. At one point, the sergeant wrote he was embarrassed by the situation, and that “It paints a negative picture for the police department and investigators.”

The Oakland Police Department declined an interview request to discuss the program’s challenges. While the department provided some background information over the phone, it never fully explained why OPD kept offering Crime Stoppers rewards after knowing the money was unavailable. Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell also wouldn’t answer any questions when NBC Bay Area caught up with him at a community public safety meeting.

In a statement, the department said:

"In 2022, the fund was closed, and communication was affected. While there were some challenges, there was never any intention to mislead the public. The Department values collaboration with the group, as it plays a vital role in the betterment of our community. We plan to work with the board to get things back up and running.”

NBC Bay Area’s investigation, however, also raised questions about the legitimacy and status of the Oakland Crime Stoppers organization that police partner with to offer rewards.

While Oakland police assert Oakland Crime Stoppers is a non-profit, NBC Bay Area’s investigation found the group is absent from an IRS database of tax-exempt organizations and has been suspended as a non-profit corporation in California for at least a decade. 

When asked about those apparent issues, the Oakland Crime Stoppers board member said she was unable to answer those questions. She also said she was unaware of how the organization raised money to pay out rewards.

Oakland police said nobody from the department serves on the board, but they do have someone who serves as a liaison to the group.

Crime Stoppers USA – the national non-profit organization that connects and provides resources to a network of local Crime Stoppers organizations across the United States – said Oakland Crime Stoppers is not, and never has been, a member of the national organization. They added that the Oakland group “does not appear to be using our standards or best practices.”

“I’m outraged,” said retired judge Richard Carter, who serves as Director of Legal Services for Crime Stoppers USA. “That’s inexcusable. That’s not how you run a Crime Stoppers organization.”

Carter said the situation in Oakland could compromise “the good name of Crime Stoppers” and encouraged Oakland Crime Stoppers to seek help from Crime Stoppers USA.

If he were advising Oakland police, Carter said he would tell them to put a moratorium on all rewards, figure out what’s going on with the Oakland Crime Stoppers’ board and its non-profit status, and pay all their outstanding debts.

“I would worry that the Attorney General of the state of California might get involved,” Carter said. “This has gone too far.”

Despite assurances from police that they’re working to get the Oakland Crime Stoppers program back on track, the tipster said the damage to the department’s reputation has already been done. “I think people would be very unlikely to come forward in the future [after seeing this],” he said.