A former deputy U.S. marshal was sentenced Monday to 15 months in federal prison after being convicted of obstruction of justice. The charge stemmed from lies he told police after he fatally shot a man in an alley in the Fairfax District in 2008, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California.

United States District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez sentenced the defendant, Matthew Itkowitz, 47, who now resides in Suffern, New York.

Itkowitz fatally shot a 26-year-old man who intervened in a dispute between the former U.S. Marshall and his wife in March 2008 in an alley on Melrose Avenue behind a tattoo parlor where the victim worked. The victim brandished a handgun and Itkowitz announced that he was a law enforcement officer prior to the shooting. The victim, Ryan Gonzalez, was shot five times, including three times in the back as he attempted to run away, according to media reports.

Itkowitz was found guilty of obstruction of justice by a federal jury in July. The conviction was based on false statements Itkowitz made to Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives. Itkowitz, who was off-duty when the incident occurred, falsely characterized the altercation that led to the shooting, and his version of events was contradicted by security camera video captured in the alley where the shooting occurred.

In addition to obstruction of justice, Itkowitz was charged with violating the victim’s constitutional rights. During the trial, Gutierrez granted a defense motion for acquittal on that charge and on a related gun charge. The jury that convicted Itkowitz also acquitted him of an obstruction of justice charge for statements he made to a supervisor at the U.S. Marshals Service.

“Law enforcement officers are not above the law,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “The actions of this defendant tarnished the outstanding work of law enforcement throughout the district and the nation and have earned him a significant federal prison sentence.”

The investigation into Itkowitz was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.