Alabama: In a rare victory for ethics enforcement in the Cotton State, a Lauderdale County jury returned a guilty verdict on November 7, 2025, against a former state judge accused of public corruption. According to the Alabama Political Reporter, Gilbert Porterfield Self, Sr., former presiding judge of the state’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit, was convicted after a three-week trial on 16 felony counts and one misdemeanor, including using his office for personal gain, lying to the Examiners of Public Accounts, and committing perjury before the Lauderdale County Grand Jury to escape accountability. Evidence showed that he repeatedly misused County judicial accounts to fund family vacations to Montana and the beach, as well as writing checks to himself for conferences he did not attend and to float his overdrawn personal bank accounts. Some of the personal items purchased with the funds included a couch, prescription eyeglasses, and alcohol.

California: KTVU in Oakland reported that a wrongful death claim was filed against the city of Brentwood on November 3, 2025, by the family of Yolanda Ramirez, 72, blaming her October 3 death on Off. Aaron Peachman and fellow cops from the city Police Department (BPD). Ramirez was arrested a week earlier during a “family disturbance,” when cops violently handcuffed the “visibly elderly woman” in front of six witnesses who saw one cop strike her head against a patrol car window. But family attorney Melissa C. Nold said that none of the witnesses was interviewed by BPD detectives or the office of Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton. BPD stated that Ramirez tried to flee the scene and suffered a medical emergency in a patrol car after she was apprehended. The lawsuit claims that she vomited on herself at the scene and suffered a brain bleed, undergoing emergency surgery at a hospital where she later died.

Florida: WOFL in Orlando reported that former Volusia County Sherrif’s Office (VSO) Dep. Douglas Meyer, 37, was arrested and charged with running a check kiting operation targeting several credit unions. The VSO said that Meyer wrote and cashed $5,000 in bad checks before the scheme was uncovered – even showing up at one bank while in uniform to pressure staff to cash the phony check. Tipped off to the VSO internal investigation, Meyer resigned before his arrest on November 2, 2025. Two days later, Sheriff Mike Chitwood melted down Meyer’s badge before an audience of deputy recruits; video of that event quickly went viral on social media.

Florida: Martin County Sheriff’s Office Dep. Justin Case Lee was fired and arrested on November 20, 2025, after an investigation revealed that he solicited prostitutes online, arranging meetups where he appeared in uniform and arrested them on drug charges. WPEC in West Palm Beach reported that supervisors became suspicious when they noticed a pattern of improbably high felony drug arrests from his limited traffic stops. Sheriff John Budensiek confirmed that Lee was “ordering” the prostitutes online and fabricating reasons for stopping their vehicles, calling the rogue operation potential entrapment. Lee was hired without any previous law enforcement experience and had spent three years on the job when he was arrested. He was charged with making a false statement under oath and tampering with evidence, after lying about the incidents to State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl and then attempting to wipe his smartphone. He was booked into the County Jail and released on a $30,000 bond. Up to 50 criminal cases in which Lee was the primary witness may have to be dropped due to his compromised credibility.

Georgia: Former Braselton Police Department (BPD) Chief Michael Steffman, 49, was arrested on charges of stalking, harassing communications, and violation of oath by a public officer on November 19, 2025, following a months-long investigation by the state Bureau of Investigation. According to WAGA in Atlanta, Steffman is accused of systematically abusing automated license plate recognition (ALPR) systems to harass and stalk multiple individuals. BPD has been using the Flock ALPR since 2012. The Chief’s arrest occurred just hours after the town announced his abrupt retirement. Steffman was booked into the Jackson County Jail. His case was turned over to the Piedmont Judicial Circuit for prosecution.

Illinois: After his 23 years spent wrongly imprisoned for a 2001 Chicago murder he did not commit, Kevin Jackson’s petition for a certificate of innocence drew a challenge from Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke on September 26, 2025, the Chicago Tribune reported. “[I]t is clear that the trial record contains significant evidence of petitioner’s involvement in the offenses,” Burke’s filing declared. But the state court that tossed Jackson’s conviction in October 2024 agreed that his conviction was based on nothing but testimony of eyewitness who later recanted. All claimed that they were coerced by Chicago Police Dets. Brian Forberg and John Fostore, who were also accused of coercing testimony later recanted in another overturned murder conviction of Maurice Patterson in 2011. The Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) in Burke’s office initially refused to review Jackson’s case before it was revealed that a CIU attorney was married to Det. Forberg. Other CIU attorneys were then assigned to the case, finding “[in]sufficient integrity” in Jackson’s conviction and recommending that it not “be allowed to stand.” Jackson, now 44, needs the certificate of innocence to collect from Illinois’ Wrongful Conviction Compensation Fund. He has also filed a civil suit for damages – not coincidentally the same month that Burke decided to contest his certificate request.

Louisiana: WVUE in New Orleans reported that an officer with the City’s Park Police, Clarence Lee Evans, 45, was arrested by the state Bureau of Investigation on November 12, 2025, for a bizarre scheme to help a juvenile get pregnant. Investigators determined that he contacted a minor on the social media app “Just A Baby” and traveled to St. Landry Parish to meet her at a hotel, where he provided his semen for her to manually insert in herself. Evans was booked on two felony counts of indecent behavior with juveniles and one count of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles. He was awaiting extradition to the St. Landry Parish Jail.

Maryland: Baltimore Police Department (BPD) Off. Robert A. Parks was indicted on November 12, 2025, on charges including second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault, following a wild incident captured on video the previous month that has since gone viral. WYPR Baltimore Public Media reported that the video showed Parks accelerating his patrol vehicle through the Park Heights neighborhood toward an unnamed man in a grassy area, striking him. The man managed to scramble back to his feet before Parks continued the pursuit across a sidewalk and through a chain-link fence into a backyard. The five-year BPD veteran surrendered to cops and was charged with reckless driving and misconduct in office. State’s Attorney Ivan Bates stressed that his dangerous actions warranted the same severity of charges as any civilian using a vehicle as a weapon. Parks and was suspended without pay on November 10 and turned himself in two days later. He faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison if convicted.

Maryland: Former Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office Dep. Steven Abreu, 33, was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years on May 29, 2025, for multiple counts of rape, sexual offense, and misconduct in office. According to WBOC in Salisbury, Abreu was found guilty at a December 2024 jury trial on 29 of 34 counts, after prosecutors proved he abused his authority to sexually assault three women while on duty in 2022. In one case, he offered a woman a ride in his patrol car before assaulting her; in another, he returned to the home of a woman he had met during a service call under the pretense of dropping off a pamphlet for victims before assaulting her, too.

Mississippi: WJTV in Jackson reported that Ruleville Police Department (RPD) Off. Antonio Artez Wade, 36, was arrested in Gulfport on November 13, 2025, on federal charges of extorting an undocumented migrant. According to court documents, Wade was conducting a traffic stop in the tiny town (pop. 2,000) on September 17, 2025, when he discovered the vehicle occupant lacked identification or legal status. Wade then attempted a shakedown, demanding a $2,500 payment in exchange for his “help.” He was charged with extortion, blackmail, and deprivation of rights under color of law. U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner said that “[n]o traffic stop should ever turn into a shakedown.” If convicted, Wade faces up to 20 years in prison.

Missouri: According to St. Louis Public Radio, St. Louis County Sheriff Alfred Montgomery, 28, who was newly installed in office in January 2025, was temporarily removed on October 29, 2025, after he was federally indicted for abusing his authority. During his brief tenure, Montgomery had County Jail Director Tammy Ross handcuffed when she refused him access to an unnamed detainee who had accused a deputy, also unnamed, of sexual assault. Ross sued to have Montgomery removed from office, sparking an FBI investigation that resulted in the federal indictment, which alleged that Montgomery demoted deputies suspected of cooperating with FBI investigators and threatened the jobs of employees he believed were informants. Magistrate Judge John Bodenhausen of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri placed Montgomery on house arrest in October 2025 after the sheriff was discovered with a “burner” cellphone allegedly used to make the threatening calls. State Attorney General Catherine Hanaway (R) then filed the motion to remove Montgomery from office, her third since his indictment, saying that a sheriff “sitting in jail cannot credibly lead a law enforcement agency.” But Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer refused to play along before conducting a trial; that concluded on November 25, 2025, but no ruling has yet come down.

Montana: Former Troy Police Department (TPD) Off. Layton Artigo, 23, was fired on November 12, 2025, when investigators obtained a search warrant for his electronic devices and allegedly found evidence that he used Snapchat and other apps to groom minors for sex. Artigo was then hit with felony charges including grooming of a child for sexual offense and tampering with physical evidence, according to KPAX in Missoula. An investigation began after detectives learned that Artigo was communicating with several minors in the area. Charging documents confirm that he sent sexually explicit messages to one minor even after she disclosed that she was only 17. When investigators searched his residence, they found signs of attempted evidence destruction, including a burned computer in the oven and empty bleach containers. After fleeing to Southern California, Artigo turned himself in on November 14 and was awaiting extradition.

New York: Former New York State Trooper Thomas Mascia, 28, received a six-month prison sentence on October 22, 2025, plus five years of probation, after pleading guilty to felony charges including falsely reporting an incident and tampering with physical evidence. According to CBS News, Mascia claimed he was shot in the leg while checking a disabled vehicle in October 2024, prompting a massive manhunt for a “dark skinned” suspect. Investigators later determined that Mascia shot himself, deliberately scattering shell casings to stage the attack. As part of his plea deal, Mascia was ordered to pay $289,511 in restitution to cover the cost of the sham investigation. Prosecutors suggested that he staged the event for attention, possibly to impress an ex-girlfriend. Mascia’s parents were also charged, after an illegal assault weapon was found during a search of the home they shared with him.

New York: Former DEA Agent Joe Bongiovanni, the first agent in western New York convicted of public corruption, remains unsentenced following his October 2024 conviction for protecting drug dealers. WIVB in Buffalo reported that the U.S. Probation Department recommended a prison term of 20 to 24 years in its pre-sentencing report, but the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York rejected it on October 20, 2025, when Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo found that the report included unproven allegations and overstated Bongiovanni’s culpability regarding the total drug volume distributed by the dealers. Judge Vilardo then determined that the federal sentencing guidelines, based on his findings, would call for a sentence closer to 8 to 10 years – significantly less than the 30 to 34 years that the prosecution requested, though far exceeding the defense request of two years. A new pre-sentence report was ordered.

Pennsylvania: Trib Total Media reported that Eric Doutt, 56, the former Chief of the Arnold Police Department (APD) and also a New Kensington-Arnold School Board member, was arrested on felony drug charges in Armstrong County by the office of state Attorney General Dave Sunday (R) on November 13, 2025. The charges stemmed from an incident in Rayburn Township on October 23, 2025, though specific details were not disclosed in court records. Doutt retired from the APD in January 2024 and was most recently employed as a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center police officer. He was charged with six felony counts of manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, along with one count of criminal use of a communication facility. Unable to post his $250,000 bail, he was being held in the Armstrong County Jail. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for November 19, 2025.

United Kingdom: Hertfordshire Police paid £20,000 ($26,295 USD) in damages in November 2025 to Rosalind Levine, 47, and Maxie Allen, 50, after they complained that they were subjected to unlawful arrest earlier in the year for posting criticism of their daughter’s school in a private WhatsApp group. BBC News reported that six police officers took the couple into custody in January 2025, in front of their three-year-old, detaining them for 11 hours on suspicion of harassment and malicious communication. Cops later admitted that the “legal test around necessity of arrest was not met” when school officials complained about “upsetting and derogatory social media posts.” Allen and Levine denied using any language more abusive than calling a school employee a “control freak.”

Virginia: Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) Off. Jalin Phillips was under investigation after allegedly running over and killing 62-year-old Trina Jones as she lay injured from an earlier hit-and-run to which he was responding on September 23, 2025. According to Law & Crime, dashcam footage showed Phillips nearing the scene where Jones lay injured but still conscious in the street. Phillips’ vehicle, traveling between 14-17 MPH, then failed to stop – even though a bypasser had attempted to create a barrier – fatally striking Jones and prompting the officer to exclaim, “Please do not tell me I just ran her over!” After Jones’ death, FCPD Chief Kevin Davis said, “It’s never a good thing when a police department anywhere has contact with a citizen…and a life is lost.” Phillips, a two-year veteran, was placed on restrictive duty, while fellow deputies attempted to track down the driver who hit Jones initially.

Washington, D.C.: Bloomberg Law reported that FBI Director Kash Patel allegedly forced out the head of the agency’s Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) on October 31, 2025. Steven Palmer, a 27-year FBI veteran, was told to resign or be fired after media reports surfaced of Patel’s personal flight on an agency plane to see his girlfriend – details that were publicly traceable and that Patel himself had disclosed. Palmer, who oversaw the FBI’s aviation units, was reportedly given the ultimatum when Patel erupted in “fury” over negative media coverage of the taxpayer-funded trip. It was unclear why Palmer was blamed, since Patel himself posted details of the flight to social media. Palmer was the third CIRG chief to leave or be forced out in the 10 months since Patel was appointed to helm the FBI by Pres. Donald J. Trump (R).

Wisconsin: A Zion Police Department (ZPD) officer and her wife, a former Lake County corrections officer, were arrested on felony child abuse charges on November 12, 2025, according to the Lake and McHenry County Scanner. ZPD Off. Shazay M. Molleda, 40, was charged with strangulation, suffocation, and child abuse. Her wife, Brittany L. Molleda, 28, was also charged with intimidating the victim. The criminal complaint alleges that Shazay Molleda choked the child until she was “barely breathing,” while Brittany Molleda repeatedly struck her daughter with a spatula. The child sustained multiple abrasions and red marks, undermining the couple’s claim that they were intervening during a “mental health episode.” ZPD put Shazay Molleda on administrative leave. Three of the four charges against both parents are felony offenses and carry lengthy prison sentences. They were held in the Kenosha County Jail.  

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