Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

A trio of bad apples from Arizona, including a DARE officer with a penchant for sexual assault, made the news this week, while the city of Berwyn, Illinois, found itself in a bit of hot water over the way it used asset forfeiture funds. Let's get to it:

In Nogales, Arizona, a former Nogales DARE officer was convicted last Friday on numerous charges related to unwanted sexual contact with young women. Ramon Borbon, 40, was convicted of sexual abuse and obstructing a criminal investigation in the case of a 16-year-old girl whom he forced to touch him inappropriately and threatened to stop her from going to authorities. He was also convicted of sexual assault and kidnapping charges in the case of a 19-year-old woman for restraining and raping her. He was in uniform during both incidents. In a motion ruling during trial, Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge James Soto wrote that Borbon has "a character trait which gives rise to an aberrant sexual propensity" and that he appeared to have "identified young, vulnerable females with a history of psychological and/or substance abuse problems that are less likely to come forward and if they do, are less likely to be considered credible." There are also at least four other complaints of sexual abuse against Borbon. The police department had earlier found them to be "without merit." He will be sentenced December 12.

In Phoenix, a Maricopa County jail guard was arrested Monday for allegedly smuggling cocaine in for an inmate. Detention officer Ryan White, 27, accepted sexual favors from two women who were the inmates' roommates in return for sneaking in the coke, which was found in his uniform pocket. He is now charged with two felonies -- promoting jail contraband and assisting in a criminal syndicate.

In Coolidge, Arizona, a guard at the Corrections Corporation of America's Central Arizona Detention Center was arrested last week by the FBI on charges he tried to smuggle cocaine into the prison there. Juan Nunez is charged with attempted provision of a prohibited object to an inmate and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. According to the criminal complaint in the case, Nunez had been negotiating for the past two weeks with an inmate's family to bring cocaine into the prison. On November 6, Nunez met with an FBI agent possessing as an outside source for cocaine and accepted a half-ounce of cocaine and $1,600 for agreeing to smuggle it into the private prison. He was arrested after that meeting. A conviction for trying to bring a prohibited object to an inmate in this case carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both, and a conviction for possession of cocaine for sale carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, a $1 million fine or both.

In Berwyn, Illinois, the US Justice Department has accused the city of Berwyn of misusing drug forfeiture money. After reviewing the city's annual audit of asset forfeiture spending, the department's Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section sent the city a letter citing various "impermissible expenditures," including spending too much of the asset forfeiture fund in the years 2004 and 2005. Since asset forfeiture funds are generally supposed to be used for crime prevention, the department cited more than $120,000 used to pay salaries, $88,000 in "cash transfers" to the Berwyn Park District, $156,000 in "cash transfers" to two local school districts, and $91,000 for bus trip for senior citizens. In all, the city may have to pay back more than $760,000 in improperly disbursed asset forfeiture funds. While schools, parks, and senior citizen bus rides are all worthy activities, spending asset forfeiture funds on them is a violation of the law.