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Fri, 01/29/2016
A Minnesota deputy steals dope and Christmas toys, an Indiana deputy coroner peddles pills, and a Texas narcotics officer gets nailed trying to rip off drug cartels. Let's get to it:
[image:1 align:left caption:true]In St. Cloud, Minnesota, a Meeker County sheriff's deputy was arrested Thursday for allegedly stealing drugs and from Drug Take Back boxes and toys from Christmas toy boxes. Deputy Travis Sebring went down after he was spotted digging through the Drug Take Back box in the main lobby of the Law Enforcement Center in Litchfield. Sebring has admitted taking medications for personal use, and he said he took the stolen toys and gave them to his family. He's facing nine charges, which weren't specified in local news accounts.
In LaPorte, Indiana, a LaPorte County deputy coroner pleaded guilty last Friday to peddling prescription opiates. Dawn Maxson, 47, copped to dealing in Schedule I and Schedule III controlled substances, and is looking at up to 12 years in prison when sentenced. She was busted in October selling 70 hydrocodone pills for $500 in a K-Mart parking lot and had originally faced seven counts of selling pills. She got the drugs through a legitimate prescription, but only used some of them and sold the rest.
In McAllen, Texas, a former Starr County narcotics officer was sentenced last Friday to seven years in prison for his role in a conspiracy that involved ripping off drugs from drug cartels. Noel Pena, 30, was a Rio Grande City police officer assigned to the Starr County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force when he agreed to provide a faked police report to an undercover agent posing as a drug trafficker who was looking for help in stealing a drug shipment. The fake report would make it appear that cocaine had been seized by the HIDTA, when it was actually to be ripped off. Pena was originally charged with two counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, but pleaded guilty to a single count in return for a lighter sentence.
Wed, 02/03/2016
[image:1 align:right]It's pretty quiet on the corrupt cops front this week. Maybe that's a good thing.
In Boston, a former Boston police detective was sentenced last Friday to a year's probation and a $5,000 fine for conspiring with another officer to obstruct an FBI inquiry into the Academy Homes street gang. Brian Smigielski, 43, sabotaged the FBI investigation out of spite after being ordered to turn control of the Boston Police's investigation into the gang over to the feds. He pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
In Sullivan City, Texas, a former Sullivan City police officer was indicted last Friday on charges he stole marijuana leaves from the departmental evidence room. Angel De La Mora allegedly claimed he needed the leaves for medical reasons for his relatives. It's not clear what the exact charge against him is.
Mon, 02/08/2016
New England is turning into a real marijuana legalization hotspot as Rhode Island is set to become the latest state in the region to try to free the weed, the South Dakota legislature will take up medical marijuana after an initiative failed to make the ballot, Philadelphia's "tainted justice" policing scandals undoes more drug convictions, and more.
[image:1 align:left caption:true]Marijuana Policy
Rhode Island Legalization Bills to Be Filed This Week. Rep. Scott Slater (D-Providence) says he will file a marijuana legalization bill in the General Assembly this week, and Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Cranston) will file companion legislation in the Senate.
Medical Marijuana
South Dakota Medical Marijuana Initiative Fails to Make Ballot. A proposed initiative from New Approach South Dakota has come up short on signatures and will not qualify for the November ballot. The group needed nearly 14,000 valid voter signatures to qualify, but, based on a sampling of 5% of the 16,000 signatures handed it, state officials said only slightly more than half were valid, leaving the group with only 9,000 valid signatures. New Approach South Dakota has 30 days to challenge the findings.
South Dakota Medical Marijuana Bill Filed. State Sen. Angie Buhl O'Donnell has filed Senate Bill 167, which would legalize the use of marijuana for medical reasons. The bill was filed last Friday, one day after the deadline for filing new bills, but lawmakers agreed to waive the rules after state officials rejected a medical marijuana initiative for lack of valid signatures.
Drug Testing
Tennessee Welfare Drug Test Program Finds Very, Very Few Positives. In line with the experience of other states that have embarked on public benefits drug testing schemes, Tennessee's program has had just 65 people test positive out of 39,121 tested. Another 116 people refused to participate in drug screening, disqualifying them from benefits. The state has spent $23,592 on drug testing so far.
Law Enforcement
More Philadelphia Drug Cases Overturned, Thanks to Crooked Cops. A judge last Friday quickly overturned 51 old drug convictions brought by a tainted Philadelphia Police drug unit. The six officers in the dope squad managed to win acquittals on federal corruption charges, but prosecutors and judges still consider their cases tarnished. With Friday's dismissals, the number of convictions overturned or cases dismissed has climbed to 699. Several hundred more convictions could be overturned in the coming months.
Wed, 02/10/2016
It's jail and prison guards gone wild this week! Most did their misdeeds for profit, but at least one did hers for love. Let's get to it:
[image:1 align:left]In New York City, a Rikers Island jail guard was arrested Sunday on charges she smuggled marijuana in to an inmate and had sex with him. Guard Nicole Bartley, 30, went down when a drug-sniffing dog stationed at the prison alerted on her. She said the inmate "played me for a fool."
In Fort Bend, Texas, a Fort Bend County sheriff's jail guard was arrested Monday for smuggling illegal drugs into the jail. Naveed Muhammed Islam, 19, went down after an internal investigation into allegations of a crooked guard at the jail. He is charged with bringing prohibited substances into a correctional facility, a third-degree felony.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, two former sheriff's officers and two prison guards pleaded guilty Tuesday to a drug dealing conspiracy in which 14 others have already pleaded guilty. The crew went down after undercover officers posed as members of a drug-dealing operation looking for crooked cops to aid their cause. Former Northampton County sheriff's captain Jason Boone and former lieutenant Jimmy Pair, Jr., both pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and bribery charges. The two prison guards were not named.
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a former Anamosa State Prison guard was sentenced last Wednesday to four years in federal prison for smuggling drugs, cell phones, and other contraband in to prisoners. Garrett Barton, 29, admitted not only to smuggling contraband, but also to being high while armed as a tower guard. He copped to one count of a Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right (accepting bribes).
In Memphis, four Shelby County deputy jailers were sentenced last Friday after being caught up in a sting involving smuggling what they thought was Oxycontin into the jail. Anthony Thomas got one month in prison, and Marcus Green, Brian Grammer, and Torriano Vaughan were sentenced to a year and a day. The four went down after an inmate alerted officials of the guards' willingness to subvert the law, and officials then set up the sting.
A Minnesota deputy steals dope and Christmas toys, an Indiana deputy coroner peddles pills, and a Texas narcotics officer gets nailed trying to rip off drug cartels. Let's get to it:
[image:1 align:left caption:true]In St. Cloud, Minnesota, a Meeker County sheriff's deputy was arrested Thursday for allegedly stealing drugs and from Drug Take Back boxes and toys from Christmas toy boxes. Deputy Travis Sebring went down after he was spotted digging through the Drug Take Back box in the main lobby of the Law Enforcement Center in Litchfield. Sebring has admitted taking medications for personal use, and he said he took the stolen toys and gave them to his family. He's facing nine charges, which weren't specified in local news accounts.
In LaPorte, Indiana, a LaPorte County deputy coroner pleaded guilty last Friday to peddling prescription opiates. Dawn Maxson, 47, copped to dealing in Schedule I and Schedule III controlled substances, and is looking at up to 12 years in prison when sentenced. She was busted in October selling 70 hydrocodone pills for $500 in a K-Mart parking lot and had originally faced seven counts of selling pills. She got the drugs through a legitimate prescription, but only used some of them and sold the rest.
In McAllen, Texas, a former Starr County narcotics officer was sentenced last Friday to seven years in prison for his role in a conspiracy that involved ripping off drugs from drug cartels. Noel Pena, 30, was a Rio Grande City police officer assigned to the Starr County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force when he agreed to provide a faked police report to an undercover agent posing as a drug trafficker who was looking for help in stealing a drug shipment. The fake report would make it appear that cocaine had been seized by the HIDTA, when it was actually to be ripped off. Pena was originally charged with two counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, but pleaded guilty to a single count in return for a lighter sentence.
Wed, 02/03/2016
[image:1 align:right]It's pretty quiet on the corrupt cops front this week. Maybe that's a good thing.
In Boston, a former Boston police detective was sentenced last Friday to a year's probation and a $5,000 fine for conspiring with another officer to obstruct an FBI inquiry into the Academy Homes street gang. Brian Smigielski, 43, sabotaged the FBI investigation out of spite after being ordered to turn control of the Boston Police's investigation into the gang over to the feds. He pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
In Sullivan City, Texas, a former Sullivan City police officer was indicted last Friday on charges he stole marijuana leaves from the departmental evidence room. Angel De La Mora allegedly claimed he needed the leaves for medical reasons for his relatives. It's not clear what the exact charge against him is.
Mon, 02/08/2016
New England is turning into a real marijuana legalization hotspot as Rhode Island is set to become the latest state in the region to try to free the weed, the South Dakota legislature will take up medical marijuana after an initiative failed to make the ballot, Philadelphia's "tainted justice" policing scandals undoes more drug convictions, and more.
[image:1 align:left caption:true]Marijuana Policy
Rhode Island Legalization Bills to Be Filed This Week. Rep. Scott Slater (D-Providence) says he will file a marijuana legalization bill in the General Assembly this week, and Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Cranston) will file companion legislation in the Senate.
Medical Marijuana
South Dakota Medical Marijuana Initiative Fails to Make Ballot. A proposed initiative from New Approach South Dakota has come up short on signatures and will not qualify for the November ballot. The group needed nearly 14,000 valid voter signatures to qualify, but, based on a sampling of 5% of the 16,000 signatures handed it, state officials said only slightly more than half were valid, leaving the group with only 9,000 valid signatures. New Approach South Dakota has 30 days to challenge the findings.
South Dakota Medical Marijuana Bill Filed. State Sen. Angie Buhl O'Donnell has filed Senate Bill 167, which would legalize the use of marijuana for medical reasons. The bill was filed last Friday, one day after the deadline for filing new bills, but lawmakers agreed to waive the rules after state officials rejected a medical marijuana initiative for lack of valid signatures.
Drug Testing
Tennessee Welfare Drug Test Program Finds Very, Very Few Positives. In line with the experience of other states that have embarked on public benefits drug testing schemes, Tennessee's program has had just 65 people test positive out of 39,121 tested. Another 116 people refused to participate in drug screening, disqualifying them from benefits. The state has spent $23,592 on drug testing so far.
Law Enforcement
More Philadelphia Drug Cases Overturned, Thanks to Crooked Cops. A judge last Friday quickly overturned 51 old drug convictions brought by a tainted Philadelphia Police drug unit. The six officers in the dope squad managed to win acquittals on federal corruption charges, but prosecutors and judges still consider their cases tarnished. With Friday's dismissals, the number of convictions overturned or cases dismissed has climbed to 699. Several hundred more convictions could be overturned in the coming months.
Wed, 02/10/2016
It's jail and prison guards gone wild this week! Most did their misdeeds for profit, but at least one did hers for love. Let's get to it:
[image:1 align:left]In New York City, a Rikers Island jail guard was arrested Sunday on charges she smuggled marijuana in to an inmate and had sex with him. Guard Nicole Bartley, 30, went down when a drug-sniffing dog stationed at the prison alerted on her. She said the inmate "played me for a fool."
In Fort Bend, Texas, a Fort Bend County sheriff's jail guard was arrested Monday for smuggling illegal drugs into the jail. Naveed Muhammed Islam, 19, went down after an internal investigation into allegations of a crooked guard at the jail. He is charged with bringing prohibited substances into a correctional facility, a third-degree felony.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, two former sheriff's officers and two prison guards pleaded guilty Tuesday to a drug dealing conspiracy in which 14 others have already pleaded guilty. The crew went down after undercover officers posed as members of a drug-dealing operation looking for crooked cops to aid their cause. Former Northampton County sheriff's captain Jason Boone and former lieutenant Jimmy Pair, Jr., both pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and bribery charges. The two prison guards were not named.
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a former Anamosa State Prison guard was sentenced last Wednesday to four years in federal prison for smuggling drugs, cell phones, and other contraband in to prisoners. Garrett Barton, 29, admitted not only to smuggling contraband, but also to being high while armed as a tower guard. He copped to one count of a Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right (accepting bribes).
In Memphis, four Shelby County deputy jailers were sentenced last Friday after being caught up in a sting involving smuggling what they thought was Oxycontin into the jail. Anthony Thomas got one month in prison, and Marcus Green, Brian Grammer, and Torriano Vaughan were sentenced to a year and a day. The four went down after an inmate alerted officials of the guards' willingness to subvert the law, and officials then set up the sting.
