Six police officers from the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments in California paid others to take online college courses for them, in an effort to get bachelor's degrees and secure higher pay.
Now, they face jail time instead.
Five of the six officers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud earlier this year. Antioch Police Department's Morteza Amiri, the only one two went to trial, was convicted by a federal jury last week.
In one of the texts shared at Amiri's trial, he wrote to the person taking his courses that he would pay "per class."
"[D]on't tell a soul about me hiring you for this," Amiri wrote. "[W]e can't afford it getting leaked and me losing my job."
Amiri received two convictions with a maximum of 20 years in prison; his sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 12. The other five officers were Patrick Berhan, Amanda "Nash" Theodosy, Samantha Peterson, Ernesto Mejia-Orozco, Brauli Rodriguez Jalapa.
In April, Peterson was sentenced to three years of supervised release and to perform 100 hours of community service. The remaining officers' sentences are scheduled for later this year.
"Amiri engaged in a calculated conspiracy to defraud his police department of taxpayer funds. His actions were a violation of the law and a grave betrayal of public trust," FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp said in a Friday statement. "Amiri and his co-conspirators' deception has no place in law enforcement. With this conviction, he now faces the consequences of his actions."
