Detroit police officer indicted for taking $15,000 in cash bribes from a drug trafficker

Crime scene photo - Stock image by Gerald Altman/Pixabay

Detroit Police Officer Michael Mosley, 47, of Detroit, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on two counts of bribery for taking $15,000 in cash bribes from a drug trafficker, according to a prepared statement by U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider. He was joined in this announcement by Rainer S. Drolshagen, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the indictment, Officer Mosley is a nineteen year veteran of the Detroit Police Department.  In April 2019, Mosley was a member of the Police Department’s Major Violators Unit.  During an April 3, 2019 search of a drug trafficker’s residence pursuant to a search warrant, Detroit police officers, including Mosley, discovered two kilograms of heroin, one kilogram of cocaine, and six firearms.  The drug trafficker then confessed to owning the three kilograms of drugs to Mosley, and the trafficker signed a confession.  Subsequent to the April 3 search, Mosley remained in contact with the drug trafficker in an effort to secure the trafficker’s cooperation concerning other criminal activity.

The indictment further alleges that, at a certain point, the drug trafficker offered Officer Mosley a cash bribe of $15,000 in exchange for not pursuing criminal charges based on the three kilogram drug seizure.  Officer Mosley agreed to the deal.  On May 2, 2019, Officer Mosley collected $10,000 in cash, which the drug dealer had left for Mosley in the backyard of an abandoned house in Detroit.  On May 23, Officer Mosley accepted another $5,000 in cash left for him at the abandoned house.  In exchange, Officer Mosley gave the trafficker the original copy of the drug trafficker’s signed confession. 

Each of the two bribery charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.   

“Although the vast majority of police officers in Michigan are fully dedicated to protecting the public, sometimes there is an infrequent example of an officer driven by corruption and greed,”explained Schneider.  “I am thankful to Detroit Chief of Police James Craig for his commitment to combating corruption, so that the rare example of bribery does not overshadow the outstanding work of so many other great police officers.”

“Officer Mosley allegedly engaged in conduct that betrayed the oath he took to faithfully serve the people of Detroit,” added Drolshagen. “His behavior should not take away from the outstanding work done each day by the vast majority of law enforcement professionals at the Detroit Police Department.”

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Gardey.

An indictment is only a charging document and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt