A former Pennsylvania police officer is facing up to 20 years in prison on federal drug charges based on accusations that she abused her position to find information on individuals that had outstanding drug-related debts to her boyfriend. According to police reports, her boyfriend then used that information to burn, vandalize or repossess vehicles owned by the debtors.

The former officer was previously employed as a police officer for the Pittsburgh Housing Authority but left the state when she did not receive a position with the Pittsburgh Police Bureau. She was working for the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland at the time of her arrest. Now the former officer is charged with computer fraud, as well as possession and intent to distribute cocaine.

According to the affidavit, the former officer and her boyfriend purchased various properties in Pennsylvania and other states in order to launder drug proceeds. The affidavit did not mention the officer's boyfriend, and only referred to him as a "major drug trafficker".

In addition, she allegedly used law enforcement databases to run registration checks on vehicles that purportedly belonged to one of her boyfriend's associates. A few months after she ran a registration check on a vehicle, each was reportedly vandalized by an unknown individual.

Prior to her relocation to Maryland, the former officer was focused on building her career in Pittsburgh. A spokesman for the Pittsburgh Housing Authority confirmed that the officer was a member of their police force from 1997 until 2003, but did not give any details on the officer's performance during that time.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Officer accused of aiding drug-dealer boyfriend", Rich Lord, 18 March 2011