Officer Pleads Guilty To Robbing Drug Dealers And Selling Their Stash

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Sep 9, 2015 7:04PM

An ex-officer from the Cook County Sheriff's Department has admitted to stealing drugs from drug dealers, re-selling their stash and pocketing the money.

Robert Vaughan, 44, pled guilty Wednesday to robbing 8 drug dealers from 2011 to 2013 with the help of two colleagues. Together the three officers pocketed $300,000 in profits from the illegal side-hustle while they were simultaneously working on duty as law enforcement tasked with combatting drug-trafficking, Vaughan's written plea agreement says.

ABC7 reports that Vaughan admits in his written plea to conducting drugs deals with known dealers, then arresting the dealers immediately after. He would typically let the dealers go without charges, but keep the drugs, which included marijuana, cocaine and banned cigarettes, for himself, then sell them to other traffickers.

Vaughan's schemes were first uncovered in November of 2014, when he and another cop accidentally robbed an undercover federal agent who was carrying 70 pounds of marijuana, according to WGN. Vaughan's partner was later found dead in an apparent suicide.

Vaughan is facing just one count of robbery, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a maximum fine of $250,000, according to ABC7.