CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced a former Cook County police officer to 7 1/2 years in prison for robbing drug dealers while on duty.
Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that 45-year-old Robert Vaughan of Frankfort admitted in a plea agreement to robbing eight drug dealers from 2011 to 2013, earning $300,000. Prosecutors say he stole cocaine, marijuana and contraband cigarettes. He pleaded guilty last year to one count of robbery.
Prosecutors say Vaughan would arrest suspects but keep the narcotics and release them without charges. They say Vaughan sold the narcotics in exchange for cash. Prosecutors say he also stole marijuana based on tips from informants.
Vaughan was arrested in November 2014 along with another officer after stealing 70 pounds of marijuana from someone they believed was a drug courier but actually was an undercover federal agent.