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U.S.
Attorney’s Office June 24, 2014
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A former City of Detroit police officer was sentenced to
prison today for leaking sensitive and confidential law enforcement information
to a drug trafficker, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.
McQuade was joined in the announcement by FBI Special Agent
in Charge Paul M. Abbate and DEA Special Agent in Charge James Allen.
During a hearing before U.S. District Judge John Corbett
O’Meara, Lamar Coody, 35, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced to twelve months
in prison and one year of supervised release on his plea of guilty to
misprision of a felony. During an FBI and DEA investigation, Coody was captured
over a court-authorized wiretap leaking confidential information to a
Detroit-based multi-kilogram cocaine-trafficker. Coody leaked the information
while he was a sworn City of Detroit police officer. Included among the
information leaked by Coody to the cocaine dealer was the fact that a Detroit
police narcotics squad was investigating the dealer, and that the police had an
informant deep within the dealer’s organization. In addition, Coody fixed six
traffic tickets for the drug dealer, helped identify police surveillance
vehicles, and provided advice to the dealer about how to explain away cash
proceeds from drug sales. In return, Coody borrowed the drug trafficker’s
Corvette, Range Rover, and Cadillac Escalade, borrowed money, and was wined and
dined by the dealer. Coody was not directly involved in transporting or dealing
drugs or drug proceeds.
Deshon Catchings, the drug trafficker who received the
leaked information from Coody, was previously sentenced by Judge O’Meara to 151
months in prison for his cocaine trafficking. Six other defendants who
participated in Catchings’ drug trafficking organization also have pleaded
guilty and been sentenced to prison.
“By leaking information to a drug dealer under
investigation, this officer jeopardized the investigation and the safety of the
investigators,” McQuade said. “Officers who breach their duty to serve the
public will be held accountable.”
The case was investigated by agents of the FBI and the DEA.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David A. Gardey,
Steven Cares, and B. Michael Ortwein.
