Former Metro East Police Officer Sentenced to Prison for Fraud

Former Metro East Police Officer Sentenced to Prison for Fraud

The following press release was published by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys on Jan. 26. It is reproduced in full below.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - A former police officer in the Village of Alorton, Illinois, will be

spending time in federal prison after falsifying thousands of hours on his timesheets. Ricky Perry,

51, of East Saint Louis, Illinois, was sentenced to 10 months confinement today, consisting of 5

months in prison and 5 months of home confinement after his release.

United States Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said, “The overwhelming majority of police officers are

honorable public servants who place their lives in harm’s way to protect the rest of us. But there

must be consequences for those rare situations when officers break the laws they swore to uphold.

We will continue to enforce the law in an evenhanded way against all who break it."

FBI Special Agent in Charge David Nanz said, “The cornerstone of the public’s trust

in law enforcement relies on the expectation that each person who takes the oath to protect and

serve the public will do so with integrity. The FBI is committed to maintaining trust in law

enforcement by holding all those who break the law accountable for their actions."

According to court documents, Perry started as a patrol officer with the Alorton Police Department

in August 2017. Within his first six months, Perry began falsifying his timecards to hide the fact

that he wasn’t really patrolling the jurisdiction during his shifts. In fact, nearly every shift

that Perry claimed to be patrolling Alorton, he absconded from the jurisdiction without

justification or approval. He usually went to his home outside of Alorton, where he parked his

patrol car outside his house and sometimes ignored calls from dispatchers. Perry was often the only

patrol officer on duty at the time.

Between May 2018 and April 2021, Perry spent about 4,000 hours on the clock as an Alorton patrol

officer while improperly outside the jurisdiction. He received $60,346.25 based on his

misrepresentations. As part of his sentence, Perry was ordered to pay this money back in

restitution in addition to a small fine. He will also spend one year on supervised release after

his time in prison and home confinement.

The investigation was conducted by the Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force, which

consists of agents with FBI Springfield, and the Illinois State Police.

The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith and Luke J. Weissler.

Citizens are encouraged to report suspicions of public corruption to the Southern Illinois Public

Corruption Task Force Tip Line at (618) 589-7373.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys

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