Officer who stole drug money sentenced

[dolfan]

Back in February, I think it was, a local and extremely well-respected investigator with the local drug unit of our police department staged an attack in his office, went missing along with $50,000 plus in marked drug money, and absconded with his girlfriend (he was married) to Vegas. It was a fall of a really good cop, a regrettable one.

Today, in federal court, he was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment. He's already done half of it. With federal corrections practice being what it is, he may be in a halfway house by January, and he may (Federal corrections have very small credits for good time, amounting to about 2 months for every year) reach the end of his sentence in March, 2010.

I'm glad for him that this part of his life is nearing an end. I'm also bewildered by the short sentence. I know all of his work mitigated the punishment, no doubt. But, I just am flabbergasted at how lightly he's being allowed to escape from hard time behind bars. A local legislator who took a state job teaching and never did the work and is an older woman with serious health issues was recently sentenced in federal court to about 5 or 6 years and they're taking all of her property to sell it toward restitution of about $177,000.00. It just seems unbalanced to me, although I certainly am no fan of this legislator or her actions, either.

[forestwalker]

The betrayal of his duty and the community trust and bringing into doubt every investigation he's ever been connected with--and the whole system to some extent--are far worse crimes than stealing the money. By giving him only 16 months for such betrayal the system brings its fairness and impartiality into deeper suspicion still.

[MacUser]

It was a fall of a really good cop, a regrettable one.

He became instantly what he sought to clean up. Regrettable indeed.

All for $50,000 and a cheap woman? He was purchased extremely cheap also. SAD.