Breaking News:Dangerous Delays: What Washington State (Re)Teaches Us About Cash and Cannabis Store Robberies [REPORT]

Police Corruption

RSS Feed for this category

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

A Texas CBP officer goes to prison for 44 pounds of cocaine, a California jail guard gets caught with 40 pounds of drugs, and more. Let's get to it:

In Trenton, New Jersey, a former Burlington County jail guard was arrested last Friday for allegedly smuggling marijuana and tobacco into the jail. Abraham Olmedia, 27, went down after another guard smelled the odor of burning tobacco and a subsequent investigation pointed the finger at him. He is charged with Official Misconduct (Second Degree), Conspiracy to Commit Official Misconduct (Second Degree) and Providing Contraband to an Inmate (Disorderly Persons Offense).

In Riverside, California, a Riverside County sheriff's deputy jail officer was arrested last Saturday for possessing and planning to sell more than 40 pounds of drugs. Officer Jorge Alberto Oceguera-Rocha, 25, went down after a traffic stop on I-10 in Calimesa uncovered the drugs. He is charged with possession with intent to distribute the drugs. It is not clear if the drugs were intended for jail inmates or the outside civilian population.

In Brownsville, Texas, a former Customs and Border Protection officer was sentenced last Friday to 13 ½ years in federal prison for helping to smuggle 44 pounds of cocaine. Juan Posas, Jr. went down after he met a woman in a Home Depot parking lot and accepted a box full of cocaine, transferring it into his vehicle. Jurors hold a recording of him helping to plan the smuggling effort. He was convicted in June 2023 on charges of trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to do so in connection with the smuggling.

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

There seems to be a problem in the Mobile Metro Jail, a San Diego deputy who was ripping off drug give-back boxes gets probation, and more. Let's get to it:

In Mobile, Alabama, a Mobile County corrections officer was arrested August 31 on charges she smuggled drugs into the jail. Jessica Odom, 32, a three-year veteran guard, is charged with trafficking fentanyl, attempt to distribute drugs and first-degree attempt to promote prison contraband.

In Mobile, Alabama, a Mobile County corrections officer was arrested Tuesday on charges she smuggled drugs into the jail. Kimberly Henderson, 32, has been fired and charged with promoting prison contraband in the first degree. There is no information on which drugs were involved.

In Ironton, Ohio, a former Ironton police officer was sentenced last Wednesday to a year in prison after being caught up in a domestic violence incident and found with 19 grams of methamphetamine—more than what is commonly considered a personal use amount. Bradley Spoljaric, 30, was originally charged with domestic violence, aggravated drug possession, and tampering with evidence but pleaded down to a single count of aggravated drug possession. In addition to the year behind bars, he faces two years of supervised release.

In Baltimore, a former Baltimore police officer pleaded guilty Monday to selling marijuana to a confidential informant and was sentenced to a year of home detention. Former Officer Cejus Watson had already been suspended from the job when he sold weed to a snitch an a tattoo shop in Pikesville. Prosecutors in the case argued for home detention over time behind bars, saying Watson's live could be in danger and his presence in a local jail could cause disruptions.

In San Diego, a San Diego County sheriff's deputy was sentenced Monday to two years' probation after being arrested in January for drug possession and 13 counts of burglary. Deputy Cory Richey stole prescription medications from public drop boxes to feed an addiction to opioid pain relievers. He was looking at up to 13 years in prison before copping a plea. In the meantime, he completed drug rehabilitation.

 

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

It's been a slow summer for corrupt cops, but thank goodness for crooked screws. Let's get to it:

In Topeka, Kansas, a state prison guard was arrested last Friday on drug trafficking charges. Corrections officer Jessie Smith, 51, went down after an August 13 search of his person turned up 60 grams of meth and a bag of tobacco. Smith was searched after somebody tipped off prison staff. He is charged with possession with intent to distribute and trafficking contraband in a correctional facility by an employee. He's looking at up to 12 years behind bars.

In Cullman, Alabama, a Cullman County sheriff's detention deputy was arrested August 25 for peddling  weed—not to prisoners but in the community at large. Deputy Terrance Darnell Kirkland, 28, went down after he solicited another member of law enforcement to sell marijuana with him.

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

We have a pair of Customs and Border Patrol miscreants this week, and more. Let's get to it:

In Indiantown, Florida, a prison guard at the local federal prison was arrested June 27 for peddling pills inside the walls. Guard Tamara Riche went down in a sting where she delivered what she thought was MDMA to a prisoner with whom she was having a romantic relationship. She is charged with the sale and distribution of narcotics.

In San Diego, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer was arrested Monday for taking bribes to allow vehicles carrying fentanyl, meth, and other drugs into the country. Officer Leonard Darnell George. He is one of seven people charged with conspiring to import cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and meth into the country. George's charges include receiving bribes, conspiracy to import controlled substances, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in a drug crime. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

In McAllen, Texas, a former US Customs and Border Patrol officer was convicted June 27 on drug smuggling charges. Juan Posas Jr., 51, got caught with 20 pounds of cocaine he picked up in Weslaco, Texas, and authorities had recordings of him helping to plan the smuggling attempt. He claimed he thought he was getting a box fruit and never looked in the box, but the jury did not buy that, convicting him of trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to do so. He's looking at a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence and up to life.

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

It's all guards gone bad this week. Let's get to it:

In Indianapolis, Indiana, a Marion County Jail guard was arrested last Thursday after a search by coworkers turned up drugs on her person. Guard Njell Holmes, 25, faces preliminary charges of drug dealing and drug trafficking, both of which are level four felonies with maximum sentences of 12 years. She is now a former guard.

In Montgomery, Alabama, a state prison guard was arrested last Saturday after confessing to smuggling in methamphetamine and possibly other drugs for an inmate. Guard Charlie Townsend, 28, was to receive $1,500 for bringing 88 grams of meth. He is suspected of also brining fentanyl, marijuana, and Xanax into the prison. He is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, use of position for personal gain and promoting prison contraband.

In Lisbon, Ohio, a former Columbiana County jail guard was sentenced last Friday to three years' probation and 90 days of house arrest for smuggling crack cocaine, methamphetamine and suboxone into the jail. Keith McCoy, 53, was caught red-handed bringing the dope into the lock-up. He pleaded guilty in March to illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified government facility, possession of fentanyl-related compound and two counts aggravated possession of drugs and misdemeanor possession of drugs.

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

A jealous North Carolina deputy cooks up a plot to frame his ex-girlfriend's new beau, and more. Let's get to it:

In Covington, Louisiana, a St. Tammany Parish jail guard was arrested Monday after she was accused of bringing drugs into the parish jail. Now former guard Olivia Boswell went down after someone told the sheriff about drugs in the jail and he determined she was the person responsible. She is charged with malfeasance and introduction of contraband into a penal institution. She had worked at the jail for less than a year.

In Wadesboro, North Carolina, a former Anson County sheriff's deputy pleaded guilty last Friday to planting heroin and other drugs in his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend's car. Former deputy David Burroughs led a plot involving three other deputies, one of whom pulled over the boyfriend, claiming he had been speeding and that he smelled marijuana inside the vehicle. The boyfriend was then handcuffed and put in a patrol vehicle, which made a mysterious stop outside a nondescript building near an airstrip on the way to the sheriff's office.

The boyfriend was told by deputies that a narcotics investigator had to pick something up, and what that something was was the drugs used to frame him. At the sheriff's office, he was told he was about to be charged with drug dealing offenses, but that same night, other deputies released him and gave him back his vehicle. A month later, the State Bureau of Investigation told him that Burroughs had planted the drugs in his car.

Burroughs was arrested in 2019 and charged with making a false police report, obstructing justice, breaking and entering a motor vehicle and possession of heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty to only obstruction of justice and possession of heroin and was sentenced to two years' probation. But he and the other three deputies involved now face a civil suit.

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

A sticky-fingered Pennsylvania drug task force commander heads to prison, a small-town Alabama cop gets caught planting dope, and more. Let's get to it:

In Centre, Alabama, a Centre police officer was arrested last Wednesday for allegedly planting evidence in drug cases. Now former-Officer Michael Kilgore is charged with criminal conspiracy to commit a controlled substance crime-distribution. No other information was available.

In Westville, Indiana, a guard at the Westville state prison was arrested last Thursday after she was caught bringing marijuana to a male inmate inside a Cheetos bag. Adeja Cunningham, 24, went down after prison authorities found that Cunningham and the prisoner had been communicating on Instagram and "they talked about picking up something and that it would be in the chips," according to court documents. She is charged with fifth degree felony trafficking with an inmate.

In Columbia, South Carolina, a Lee Correctional Institution guard was arrested Monday after she was found trying to bring a metal grill mouthpiece into the prison hidden in her hair. Guard Alkeena Eu-Neiger Hackett got in more trouble when investigators then searched her vehicle and found "a rock-like substance containing fentanyl" with a weight of 129 grams. She is charged with trafficking fentanyl, providing prisoners with contraband and criminal conspiracy.

In Lancaster, Pennsylania, the former head of the Lancaster County Drug Task Force was sentenced last Friday to between eight and 22 months in state prison for stealing funds seized by the task force between 2014 and 2020. John Burkhart will also have to pay back $140,000 in restitution. Burkhart stole seized cash from the task force's safe instead of depositing it in the Lancaster County general fund and went down after investigators noticed discrepancies in the recording of cash seizures. He pleaded guilty in March to charges of theft by deception and theft by failure to make required disposition of funds.

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

An Oklahoma cop ripped off both the department and his fellow officers, an Arizona prison guard takes the whole family along for a smuggling trip, and more.

In Warner Robbins, Georgia, the entire drug unit of the Warner Robins Police Department was put on leave Monday as an investigation into allegations of misconduct unwinds. Houston County officials said they were notified of the allegations involving members of the Narcotics Investigation Unit, prompting the DA's office to begin the investigation. No details of the investigation have been released so far "due to this being a pending investigation," but any evidence of criminal misconduct will be referred to a county grand jury. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the investigation.

In Irvine, California, an Arizona prison guard was arrested last Friday after he got caught smuggling drugs with his wife and kids along for the ride. Fernando Urratiaguillen, 34, was arrested in Irvine after officers found 23 kilograms of methamphetamine and one kilogram of heroin inside the vehicle's gas tank on Tuesday. He also served as an Army National Guardsman. He is charged with with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, two counts of sale or transport of a controlled substance, two felony enhancements of a controlled substance in excess of 20 kilograms and two enhancements of possession of a substance exceeding one kilogram. At last report, he was still in jail with bail set at $3 million.

In Omaha, Nebraska, a former Omaha police officer was arrested Monday for allegedly helping two gangs move drugs, trading drugs for sex, and tipping off drug dealers to investigations. Johnny Palermo was arrested along with another Omaha police officer and a city council member. He is being held without bond because the federal judge said he cannot be trusted and is facing 15 felony counts, including multiple counts of wire fraud, conspiracy and abusing the public trust.

In Durant, Oklahoma, a former Durant police lieutenant was arrested Monday on charges he stole tens of thousands of dollars in seized drug money and in funds belonging to the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). Billie Joe Jones, 47, allegedly made off with $67,000 in his role as a narcotics officer and pocketed another $37,000 in FOP funds over the four years he was at the department. He was the financial officer for the FOP. He went down, when, upon his retirement, the FOP became aware of "financial discrepancies" and alerted the police department, which then found seized drug money missing. He faces two counts of felony embezzlement. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each count.

In Brooklyn, New York, a former New York City prison guard was sentenced Tuesday to a year and a day in federal prison for taking more than $34,000 in bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband including drugs and cell phones into the Rikers Island prison where she worked. Katrina Patterson went down after the Department of Corrections found cell phones and drugs in a prisoner's cell and recovered text messages incriminating her. She had earlier pleaded guilty to bribery.

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

A small-town Pennsylvania police chief gets a slap on the wrist for pilfering heroin to feed his habit, a former North Carolina cop gets caught partying in a church parking lot at midnight, and more.

In San Jose, California, the executive director of the San Jose Police Officers Association was arrested last Tuesday on charges she used her home and office to facilitate a massive drug smuggling ring that shipped drugs nationwide, including a new form of fentanyl disguised as clock parts. Joanne Marian Segovia, 64, went down after federal agents investigating a network that moved large amounts of drug seized a phone from a suspected trafficker and found encrypted message between her and the trafficker on it. Investigators were able to find records of packages arriving from China, India, and other countries that contained Adderall, Tramadol, Ambien, and fentanyl. When confronted by investigators, Segovia blamed her housekeeper and insisted she worked "for the police department." She is set for a court appearance on charges connected to unlawfully importing a controlled substance, which carries up to 20 years in federal prison.

In Oakboro, North Carolina, a former Oakboro and Locust police officer was arrested last Saturday on a slew of drug charges after a deputy found her sitting in a vehicle in a church parking lot with no lights on around midnight. Rachel Armstrong, 39, and a male passenger both went down after the deputy searched their vehicle after smelling alcohol and marijuana and found marijuana, LSD, and cocaine. Armstrong got hit with 12 charges including felony possession of marijuana, two counts of trafficking in LSD and cocaine, possession with intent to sell/deliver (PWISD) cocaine and possessing marijuana paraphernalia. She was also charged with misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon. At last report, she was in the Stanly County jail on a $2 million bond.

In Pittsburg, a former Elizabeth police chief was sentenced Tuesday to 90 days in home detention and four years' probation for stealing heroin from his police department. Timothy Butler was accused of stealing hundreds of bricks and bundles of heroin from the Elizabeth Borough Police Department for his own use from June 2017 to December 2018. He had pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property in December.

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

A former DARE cop gets decades in prison for sexually assaulting teens years ago, a south Texas cop faces an occupational hazard, and more. Let's get to it:

In Baltimore, a Baltimore corrections officer was arrested on February 26 (the arrest was not publicized until weeks later) for allegedly sneaking drugs and other contraband into Baltimore Central Booking. Guard Sunhild Priedt, 55, went down after a supervisory saw her holding a brown paper bag under sweater and then place it in a trash can and walk away. The supervisor retrieved the bag, which was found to contain 104 grams of tobacco, 55 grams of marijuana, and nearly 200 buprenorphine kits. She is charged with drug possession with the intent to distribute, possession of contraband with intent to deliver it to detainees and delivering contraband to detainees. She is being held without bond.

In Brownsville, Texas, a former Donna police officer was sentenced Tuesday to nine years in federal prison for using his police vehicle to provide protection for cocaine loads. Alejandro Martinez, 44, also diverted other officers from the trafficker's route. He had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He had been out on bond but was remanded to custody upon sentencing.

In Doylestown, Pennsylvania, a former suburban Philadelphia DARE officer was sentenced March 21 to a minimum of 24 ½ years in state prison for sexually abusing teens in the DARE program decades ago. James Carey, assaulted boys in the 1990s, while also serving in the Centennial School District as a resource officer with the then-federally funded program. Carey pleaded no contest to 20 counts of statutory rape, aggravated indecent assault without consent and related charges.

Drug War Issues

Criminal JusticeAsset Forfeiture, Collateral Sanctions (College Aid, Drug Taxes, Housing, Welfare), Court Rulings, Drug Courts, Due Process, Felony Disenfranchisement, Incarceration, Policing (2011 Drug War Killings, 2012 Drug War Killings, 2013 Drug War Killings, 2014 Drug War Killings, 2015 Drug War Killings, 2016 Drug War Killings, 2017 Drug War Killings, Arrests, Eradication, Informants, Interdiction, Lowest Priority Policies, Police Corruption, Police Raids, Profiling, Search and Seizure, SWAT/Paramilitarization, Task Forces, Undercover Work), Probation or Parole, Prosecution, Reentry/Rehabilitation, Sentencing (Alternatives to Incarceration, Clemency and Pardon, Crack/Powder Cocaine Disparity, Death Penalty, Decriminalization, Defelonization, Drug Free Zones, Mandatory Minimums, Rockefeller Drug Laws, Sentencing Guidelines)CultureArt, Celebrities, Counter-Culture, Music, Poetry/Literature, Television, TheaterDrug UseParaphernalia, Vaping, ViolenceIntersecting IssuesCollateral Sanctions (College Aid, Drug Taxes, Housing, Welfare), Violence, Border, Budgets/Taxes/Economics, Business, Civil Rights, Driving, Economics, Education (College Aid), Employment, Environment, Families, Free Speech, Gun Policy, Human Rights, Immigration, Militarization, Money Laundering, Pregnancy, Privacy (Search and Seizure, Drug Testing), Race, Religion, Science, Sports, Women's IssuesMarijuana PolicyGateway Theory, Hemp, Marijuana -- Personal Use, Marijuana Industry, Medical MarijuanaMedicineMedical Marijuana, Science of Drugs, Under-treatment of PainPublic HealthAddiction, Addiction Treatment (Science of Drugs), Drug Education, Drug Prevention, Drug-Related AIDS/HIV or Hepatitis C, Harm Reduction (Methadone & Other Opiate Maintenance, Needle Exchange, Overdose Prevention, Pill Testing, Safer Injection Sites)Source and Transit CountriesAndean Drug War, Coca, Hashish, Mexican Drug War, Opium ProductionSpecific DrugsAlcohol, Ayahuasca, Cocaine (Crack Cocaine), Ecstasy, Heroin, Ibogaine, ketamine, Khat, Kratom, Marijuana (Gateway Theory, Marijuana -- Personal Use, Medical Marijuana, Hashish), Methamphetamine, New Synthetic Drugs (Synthetic Cannabinoids, Synthetic Stimulants), Nicotine, Prescription Opiates (Fentanyl, Oxycontin), Psilocybin / Magic Mushrooms, Psychedelics (LSD, Mescaline, Peyote, Salvia Divinorum)YouthGrade School, Post-Secondary School, Raves, Secondary School