Read it and weep...

SPRINGFIELD – A federal grand jury indicted a Springfield police officer last week on fraud charges. This federal indictment charges Officer Charles Johnson of the Springfield Police Department with three counts of mail fraud and one count of unlawful use of credit cards.

The indictment against Johnson has four counts of some of the most common fraud charges in the country. A former federal prosecutor says, however, that the defendant is an unlikely one.

“In my 27 years of experience, I never had a police officer involved in a credit card fraud,” said David C. Jones, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Springfield.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri says Johnson applied for credit through Capital One and PayPal but used another person's name to open the accounts from 2003 to 2005. The indictment says Johnson used the victim's personal information to defraud the credit companies of $1,000 or more.

Jones was a federal prosecutor for 27 years and is now a criminal defense attorney.

“It would appear that he caused or actually obtained credit using someone else's credit information and then used that credit to obtain services or goods from the credit card companies,” said Jones, who has no involvement in this case but looked at it at the request of KY3 News.

The three counts of mail fraud involve each time a credit card company sends a bill through the mail to the unknowing victim.

“Each mailing of an envelope under the mail fraud statute is a separate count,” said Jones.

Johnson, who has been with the Springfield Police Department for about a year, is on paid administrative leave, effective Wednesday. Police Chief Lynn Rowe offered no further comment. Neither did the leader of the police union, other than to say it's a huge shock.

“It's sad that it's a police officer but people sometimes do things you don't expect,” said Jones.

If convicted, Johnson could face more than 20 years in prison and/or a fine up to $250,000.

Article & Video

edited title

Lynn Rowe is still chief there?

He was the Police Chief when I first moved there in 1993!

LAX HIRING STANDARDS

MO is becomming well known in the national news for cops doing stupid shit.

Quoted: Stupid is as stupid does, amazes me when someone pisses a career away.

Amen.  Where I work I've seen more than a handful of guys get canned for having a sexual relationship with a female that was off limits (e.g. on probation).  I hope the memories of the sex is a comfort as they are flipping burgers.

Will this affect LGF

Quoted: The indictment says Johnson used the victim's personal information to defraud the credit companies of $1,000 or more.

" I'll take felony arrest, 20yr jailtime, 1/4million dollar fine, loss of job-house-family-friends,and public humiliation for $1000, Alex...."