Lee Lankford (d. June 2013) was a homicide investigator with the Glendale Police Department, and the partner of Detective Heidi Sobel. In 2003 while investigating the murder of two drug dealers he came into contact with corrupt DEA agent James Marco who offered Lankdord $25,000 to not clear the case. Lankford was having marital and financial problems at the time and believed he would not clear the case anyway, so he accepted the bribe. This put him under Marco's control.