15 Corrupt Police Officers Serving Life Inside Prison

Number 15 - Choni Kenny

Sealed by the fate of a kiss, corrupt police officer Choni Kenny had no idea of the trouble she would eventually end up in when her superiors saw the moment she kissed Drug-dealer Josh Whelan who was serving a sentence at HMP Forest Bank in Manchester.

An anti-corruption investigation found Kenny, 27, had passed information on to two criminals and had romantic relationships with both of them.

Kenny, who had served in the force since 2020, was found to have had a casual sexual relationship with Whelan who was described as a committed criminal and a "physical but casual" relationship with former schoolmate Rahim Mottley after the relationship with Whelan ended.

Whelan, 31, was in possession of 20 different mobile phones while serving time in prison between 2021 and 2023 and their use was funded by Kenny.

Judge Flewitt said it was an "aggravating feature" that it was clear from conversations Kenny knew Whelan was a drug dealer.

Helping him to supervise that operation from prison, he tasked Kenny to keep him up to date with police intelligence and provide confidential information.

Kenny was formally dismissed from the force at an accelerated misconduct hearing and jailed for three years and nine months at Liverpool Crown Court.

Number 14 - Dennis Perkins

Spending 17-years as a deputy with the sheriff’s office of Livingston parish, outside Louisiana’s capital of Baton Rouge, the depravity of Perkins crimes while he was a serving police officer are almost unimaginable.

Dennis Perkins faced nearly 80 felony charges after his arrest at one point and was fired from the sheriff’s office. His now ex-wife, Cynthia Perkins, formerly a public schoolteacher, was also arrested.

Once the commander of the Livingston sheriff’s office’s special tactical team, the former Louisiana sheriff’s deputy has been given a 100-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to a spree of sexual abuse crimes, including child abuse.

Cynthia Perkins pleaded guilty to reduced charges in exchange for a 41-year sentence and gave evidence against her ex-husband.

The bulk of the charges against the pair involved a child younger than 13 and mean Dennis Perkins will never be released from prison.

Number 13 - Braulio Gonzalez

Prosecutors argued that Gonzalez lived a double life, behind the scenes, he was a very violent and very dangerous person, yet out in public, he worked for the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Gonzalez was arrested in 2018 after a girl told a psychologist he assaulted her several times when she was between 8 and 10 years old, court records show.

She also told an interviewer for the Florida Department of Children & Families that he had pointed a gun at her and threatened to kill a relative if she told anyone.

Gonzalez had been allowed to keep his job despite multiple allegations that had repeatedly beaten and abused his former lovers.

Gonzalez's defense lawyer, Bruce Lehr, had asked for a 25-year sentence, unfortunately for Gonzalez, he was sentenced to life in prison.

Number 12 - Joseph James DeAngelo Jr

One of the most notorious serial offenders in American history, DeAngelo's case baffled law enforcement for decades due to his ability to evade capture despite committing a staggering number of crimes.

Later collectively named the Golden State Killer by true crime author Michelle McNamara, DeAngelo conducted numerous murders, rapes, and burglaries—across California from 1974 to 1986.

He was a former police officer in Exeter and Auburn, California, but was fired in 1979 after being caught shoplifting dog repellent and a hammer.

Also a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War, DeAngelo committed over 100 break-ins, attacked over 50 women and carried out at least 14-murders.

DeAngelo was finally identified through genetic genealogy—a revolutionary approach that used DNA from crime scenes matched against public genealogy databases like G.E.D-match.

He was arrested on April 24, 2018, at the age of 72 while living quietly in Citrus Heights, California but faked frailty and showed signs of being a psychopathic narcissist with a compulsion for control.

In June 2020, DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of kidnapping, admitting responsibility for numerous uncharged rapes and burglaries as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

In August 2020, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Number 11 - David Carrick

A former firearms officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command of the Metropolitan Police, Carrick committed a series of horrific sex crimes over nearly two decades while using his badge and position to intimidate, manipulate, and silence his victims.

Carrick pleaded guilty to 85 serious offenses against at least 12 women that occurred over a 17-year span, often while Carrick was a serving officer.

Carrick was a serial predator who used his police identity to gain victims’ trust or intimidate them into silence and told women that no one would believe them because he was a cop.

He controlled every aspect of victims' lives, including what they ate, what they wore, and when they could leave the house. He also deprived some women of food, locked them in small rooms or cupboards, and kept them in a constant state of fear.

His modus operandi involved meeting women through dating apps or socially, quickly establishing control through charm and domination, then isolating victims, often physically and psychologically.

Carrick was reported to police multiple times over the years for domestic abuse, harassment and assaults, yet none of these incidents resulted in disciplinary action or his suspension from duty.

In 2021, a woman came forward following media attention on police misconduct after the murder of Sarah Everard by officer Wayne Couzens and Carrick was finally arrested and charged.

He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 36 life sentences with a minimum term of 32 years before parole eligibility with the judge describing him as having taken “monstrous advantage” of his position of power and trust.

Such was the severity of the crimes, a nationwide review of police vetting procedures was ordered in the United Kingdom.

Number 10 - Roy Oliver

Former police officer Oliver of Balch Springs Police Department, Texas, was a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and joined the police department in 2011.

One night in 2017, police were called to a party after reports of underage drinking. When officers arrived, Jordan Edwards, a 15-year old high school freshman, honor student, popular athlete left the party in a car with his friends.

As the car was driving away from the scene, Roy Oliver fired his rifle into the vehicle, striking Jordan in the head killing him instantly while he was sat in the passenger seat.

Oliver initially claimed the car was reversing aggressively toward officers, which led him to open fire, however, bodycam footage contradicted this claim.

Oliver was fired from the Balch Springs Police Department within days of the shooting, charged with murder on May 5th, 2017, and found guilty of murder on August 28th, 2018.

Hailed as a landmark ruling for police accountability in Texas, Oliver was sentenced to 15 years in prison and forced to pay a $10,000 fine with civil rights groups praising the verdict.

Roy Oliver is currently serving his sentence in a Texas prison and must serve at least half his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Number 9 - Michael Nealy

A former police officer from Mannford, Oklahoma, Nealy was convicted of the second-degree murder for the 2019 killing of his police chief, Lucky Miller, during a law enforcement conference in Pensacola Beach, Florida.

On the night of November 10, 2019, hotel guests reported loud noises, including shouting and banging, coming from Nealey and Miller's room.

Witnesses heard someone yelling, "Stop it, Mike!" and when hotel security responded, they found Nealey on top of Miller, who was unresponsive. Miller was pronounced dead at the scene.

The medical examiner determined that Miller died from blunt force trauma to the head and asphyxiation by strangulation and smothering. Both men had high blood alcohol levels, with Miller's at 0.334 and Nealey's at 0.294.

In March 2021, a jury found Nealey guilty of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison in April 2021.

Nealey did not testify during the trial and his defense argued that he was too intoxicated to form intent and that the incident was a tragic accident.

8 - Henry Solis

Solis, an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, encountered 23-year-old Salome Rodriguez Jr. outside a bar in downtown Pomona on March 13th, 2015.

Solis pursued Rodriguez and shot him multiple times, resulting in Rodriguez's death, fled the scene with assistance from his father and crossed the border into Mexico.

He was apprehended by Mexican authorities in Ciudad Juárez approximately two months later and extradited back to the United States to face charges.

During the trial, Solis claimed he acted in self-defense, asserting that he was attempting to arrest Rodriguez after an alleged assault. However, prosecutors argued that Solis's actions were not consistent with those of a law enforcement officer and that he had no legal justification for the shooting.

The jury found Solis guilty of second-degree murder, and he was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison. Solis had only been with the the Los Angeles Police Department for four months at the time of the killing.

Number 7 - Jessie Hernandez

In September 2013, Jessie Hernandez Jr., a former police officer from Corpus Christi and Robstown, Texas, shot two Selma police officers responding to a domestic disturbance call.

One of the officers, Tiffany Kierum, was shot in the face but survived after arriving to reports of reports of a man dragging a woman by her hair into a house.

Corporal Balderamas was shot in the leg but managed to return fire, injuring Hernandez who had opened fire on their arrival.

In August 2015, Hernandez was convicted of aggravated assault of a public servant and sentenced to life in prison—the maximum penalty for the charge. The jury deliberated for several hours before reaching the verdict.

During the trial's punishment phase, Hernandez's wife testified about a history of domestic abuse, including an incident where he shoved her against a wall, resulting in a broken clavicle.

Hernandez served as a police officer in Corpus Christi and Robstown but was dismissed in 2009 for misconduct and was placed on administrative leave in 2007, after shooting two suspects who had rammed his patrol car.

Number 6 - Nicholas Tartaglione

Convicted in 2023 for the brutal 2016 murders of four men in Orange County, New York, Tartaglione, who had transitioned from law enforcement to drug trafficking, suspected that Martin Luna had stolen approximately $250,000 intended for a cocaine purchase.

On April 11, 2016, Tartaglione lured Luna to a bar in Chester, New York. Luna arrived with his nephews, Miguel Luna and Urbano Santiago, and a family friend, Hector Gutierrez.

Inside the bar, Tartaglione restrained and brutally beat Martin Luna for over an hour. When Luna failed to disclose the whereabouts of the missing money, Tartaglione strangled him to death using a zip-tie.

The three accompanying men, having witnessed the murder, were taken to Tartaglione's property in Otisville, New York, where they were each executed with a single gunshot to the back of the head.

The bodies were buried in a shallow grave on Tartaglione's property and remained undiscovered until December 2016, when the FBI's Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force located them.

In April 2023, Tartaglione was found guilty on multiple counts, including four counts of murder, four counts of kidnapping, narcotics conspiracy and kidnapping conspiracy.

At sentencing, Tartaglione maintained his innocence, asserting that he was framed and highlighting his past work in animal rescue, however he was sentenced to four consecutive life terms in federal prison and the judge describing him as a "monster."

Number 5 - Jovanny Crespo

On January 28, 2019, around 11:20 p.m., a Newark police officer initiated a traffic stop near Clinton Avenue and Thomas Street. The driver, Gregory Griffin, 46, fled the scene with passenger Andrew Dixon, 35, in the vehicle.

Officer Crespo joined the pursuit and, over the course of the chase, exited his patrol car multiple times to fire at the fleeing vehicle. In total, Crespo fired seven shots at three different locations during the pursuit.

Griffin was struck in the head and later died from his injuries, while Dixon was critically injured with Crespo claiming he saw a gun inside the vehicle, justifying his use of deadly force.

However, other officers testified that the car's tinted windows made it impossible to see inside, casting doubt on Crespo's assertion.

In June 2023, after a 10-week trial and four days of jury deliberation, Crespo was convicted on multiple charges including two counts of second-degree official misconduct, second-degree aggravated assault and first-degree aggravated manslaughter.

On May 31, 2024, Superior Court Judge Michael Ravin sentenced Crespo to a total of 27 years in prison telling him he must serve at least 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Number 4 - Aaron Dean

On October 12, 2019, around 2:30 a.m., a neighbor called a non-emergency police line to report that the front door of 28-year old Atatiana Jefferson's home was open.

Dean and another officer responded to the call. Without announcing themselves as police, they quietly searched the perimeter of the house.

Dean approached a rear window and, upon seeing movement inside, shouted, "Put your hands up! Show me your hands!" before firing a single shot through the window, fatally striking Jefferson.

At the time, Jefferson was inside playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew. A handgun was found near her body, which she had reportedly retrieved upon hearing noises outside.

Dean resigned from the police force two days after the shooting and was arrested on a murder charge with his trial beginning on December 2022.

Dean claimed he fired in self-defense, believing Jefferson was pointing a gun at him, yet prosecutors contended that Dean failed to follow police protocol by not announcing his presence and that his actions were reckless.

The jury found him guilty of manslaughter, a lesser charge than murder. On December 20, 2022, Dean was sentenced to 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days in prison.

Number 3 - Michael Valva

On the night of January 16, 2020, temperatures dropped below 20°F. Thomas Valva and his 10-year-old brother, Anthony, were forced to sleep on the concrete floor of the unheated garage without blankets or mattresses.

The following morning, Thomas was found unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at the hospital with a body temperature of 76°F.

Surveillance footage revealed that Michael Valva, a NYPD officer, had hosed down Thomas with cold water and verbally abused him before his collapse.

Valva was convicted of second-degree murder and child endangerment in the 2020 death of his 8-year-old son with prosecutors presented evidence of ongoing abuse during the trial.

Valva's defense argued that he did not intend to kill Thomas and that he tried to save him. The jury deliberated for about seven hours before returning a guilty verdict. Valva was sentenced 25 years to life in prison.

Angela Pollina, Valva's then-fiancée, was also charged with second-degree murder and child endangerment at a seperate trial with her defense arguing that she was not responsible for Thomas's death and had attempted to intervene.

Number 2 - Derek Chauvin

Minneapolis police officer Chauvin arrived at a Minneapolis store that had reported George Floyd on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill.

Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for approximately nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and repeatedly stated he couldn't breathe.

Floyd became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The incident was filmed by a bystander, Darnella Frazier, and the footage went viral, leading to widespread outrage and protests.

Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, charges that further enraged the black community and Floyd's supporter base.

The three other officers involved—J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao—were also fired and later charged with aiding and abetting the murder.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison upgraded Chauvin's charges to include second-degree unintentional murder, carrying a maximum sentence of 40 years. The three other officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The trial of Derek Chauvin commenced in Hennepin County District Court. The proceedings were livestreamed, making it the first criminal trial in Minnesota to be entirely televised. The trial included testimony from medical experts, law enforcement officials, and eyewitnesses.

After deliberating for about 10 hours over two days, the jury found Chauvin guilty on all three charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for the second-degree unintentional murder charge, the most serious of the three. The sentencing took into account the severity of the crime and Chauvin's abuse of his position as a police officer.

Chauvin pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations related to Floyd's death and the 2017 assault of a 14-year-old Black boy. He admitted to depriving both victims of medical care while they were in his custody.

Chauvin was further sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights and for the 2017 assault with the sentence to run concurrently with his state sentence.

Chauvin was attacked at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona by inmate John Turscak and sustained serious injuries but survived, later transferred to Federal Correctional Institution in Big Spring, Texas, a low-security federal prison, for safety reasons.

Number 1 - Wayne Couzens

Couzens joined the Kent Special Constabulary in 2002 and later served with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary before transferring to the Metropolitan Police in 2018.

In February 2020, he was assigned to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, responsible for guarding diplomatic premises, including the U.S. Embassy.

Despite his position, Couzens had not undergone enhanced vetting or the mandatory two-year probation period required for such roles.

Metropolitan Police officer Couzens, who was off-duty on March 3rd, 2021, stopped 33-year-old Sarah Everard while she while was walking home in Clapham and falsely arrested her for breaching COVID-19 restrictions.

He then drove her approximately 80 miles to Ashford, Kent, where he murdered her. Her body was discovered a week later in woodland near Ashford.

Couzens may well have got away with the crime, had it not been for a passing vehicle which had captured the arrest on a dashcam as it was happrning.

Couzens was sentenced to a whole-life order, meaning he will serve his life sentence without the possibility of parole. The judge emphasized the breach of trust involved, as Couzens had used his position as a police officer to commit the crime.

Couzens was further sentenced to an additional 19-months in prison for three counts of indecent exposure committed between November 2020 and February 2021.

In 2021, Couzens was moved from Belmarsh Prison in London to Frankland Prison due to security issues and because he has a huge target on his head and has attempted suicide on multiple occasions.

This article was originally published at https://www.networth25.com