Alaska: Alaska Public Media reported that former Anchorage Police Department Off. Nathan Keays, 45, convicted of conspiring with a ConocoPhillips employee to embezzle over $3 million from the firm, is seeking a new trial, alleging his conviction was tainted by a secret romantic relationship between two federal prosecutors and the prior sexual misconduct of the presiding judge. Keays’ motion for a new trial, filed on June 26, 2025, argues that former U.S. District Court Judge Joshua Kindred, 46, who presided over Keay’s trial, was compromised by an inappropriate relationship that he maintained with the fiancée of lead prosecutor James Klugman, Criminal Division Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the District of Alaska. That would be Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Vandergaw, whose nude photos that she shared with Kindred were uncovered by federal Department of Justice (DOJ) investigators, giving the lie to denials of those and other sexual misconduct allegations that the judge gave – to the Judicial Council of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit – shortly before his abrupt resignation in July 2024. However, prosecutors insisted that Vandergaw played only an incidental role in Keays’ case, and that there was no evidence her relationship with Klugman had prejudiced it.

Arizona: Former Tempe Police Department (TPD) Off. Demetrius Domonique Mitchell was arrested on July 10, 2025, and charged with collecting over $24,000 in fraudulently claimed overtime. KTVK/KPHO in Phoenix reported that Mitchell allegedly falsified timecards for nearly 300 hours that he never worked, defrauding the city of $24,149.11 in unearned wages and benefits over a two-year period. TPD detectives utilized body-cam footage, phone records, and GPS data to uncover the discrepancies. Chief Kenneth McCoy said that his officers “are held to a higher standard,” though the four-year veteran was allowed to resign shortly before his arrest.

Arizona: According to the Arizona Daily Star, Bart Conrad Yager, 39, an agent with the Tucson Sector of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), was indicted on June 26, 2025, on a staggering 24 felony charges, including 10 counts of child sex trafficking. Unsealed by the Cochise County Attorney’s Office, the indictment also included charges of pandering, attempted child sex trafficking, and fraud stemming from incidents between July 2023 and March 2024. Additionally, prosecutors filed five drug-related felony charges accusing Yager of possessing and selling anabolic steroids in 2025. Yager was arrested by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility on June 17, 2025, after an investigation initiated in September 2023. That inquiry yielded evidence that he solicited sex while on duty, making numerous payments for it to women, including a minor who was a known sex trafficking victim. When consummating these assignations in hotels, the agent even billed the stays to the government with fraudulent travel reimbursement requests. A separate rape allegation from 2014, which CBP reportedly never investigated, also resurfaced. Yager, hired in 2011, was the latest in a series of CBP employees in Arizona to face sexual misconduct charges. He was being held in Cochise County Jail.

California: The USAO for the Northern District of California reported that a federal jury convicted former Rohnert Park police officer Joseph Huffaker, 40, on six counts, including conspiracy to commit extortion and impersonating a federal officer, on July 11, 2025. Huffaker and fellow officer Brendan Jacy Tatum, who previously pleaded guilty and testified against him, engaged in a brazen scheme beginning in December 2017: While off-duty and out of uniform, the duo targeted drivers believed to possess large amounts of marijuana, impersonating federal agents to seize the cannabis and cash under threat of arrest. They subsequently sold the stolen drugs. The FBI launched an investigation after a victim reported being “shaken down.” Huffaker also falsified police records to cover their tracks. His sentencing is scheduled for October 2025.

Colorado: David McConkie, 47, a former Deputy District Attorney in El Paso County who was also once a prominent leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was sentenced to five years of supervised probation on July 1, 2025, after pleading guilty to one count of criminal attempt to commit sexual assault on a child. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed two sexual assault charges, to which he pleaded not guilty in 2024, KKTV in Colorado Springs reported. McConkie was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a child over a nine-year period from 2004 to 2013, beginning in the victim’s infancy. The former partner at Torbet, Tuft & McConkie in Colorado Springs lost his law license when it was suspended in May 2025, according to the Colorado Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel. Judge Erin Sokol encouraged the father of five, now divorced from their mother, to find a new career to support them, citing his parental obligations for the leniency shown to the former prosecutor. “It’s the hypocrisy that is difficult for me to swallow,” the judge admitted.

Kentucky: A remarkable string of luck finally ran out for former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison on July 21, 2025, when he was sentenced to 33 months in prison for use of excessive force during a March 2020 raid on the home of Breonna Taylor, a young Black EMS worker who was fatally shot. According to Politico, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings rejected a recommendation of no prison time filed by the DOJ under Attorney General Pam Bondi, after she was nominated by incoming Pres. Donald J. Trump (R) earlier this year. Calling that recommendation “incongruous and inappropriate,” the judge also expressed shock that more people were not injured when Hankison fired 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment and another next door. He is the only cop to receive a prison sentence who was involved in the raid, which didn’t gain media traction until Minneapolis cops killed George Floyd two months later, igniting nationwide protests against police mistreatment of non-Whites like him and Taylor. Jennings also imposed three years of supervised probation on Hankinson, whose federal charges resulted in a mistrial when an earlier jury deadlocked on them in 2023. He was acquitted on state charges of wanton endangerment in 2022. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Taylor’s family, also denounced the government’s recommendation, calling it an “insult.”

Kentucky: Frankfort mom Christen Johnson filed suit against the Kentucky State Police (KSP) on June 25, 2025, after body camera footage was released showing her unnecessary arrest in July 2024 – in her own front yard and in front of her young children. WLEX in Lexington reported that KSP Trooper Myron Jackson, accompanied by fellow trooper Jason Briscoe, pulled over the car driven by Johnson’s mother, Christina Calvert, allegedly for an expired tag, just as Calvert turned into her daughter’s driveway. When Johnson emerged from her home, Jackson repeatedly ordered her inside, though she was on her own property. He ultimately handcuffed and arrested Johnson for “interfering” as she filmed the interaction with her cellphone. A judge has since dismissed her charges, finding no probable cause for her arrest. Johnson’s attorneys, Patrick Brennan and William E. Branco of Johnson Branco and Brennan, LLP in Frankfort, filed suit for her in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky on June 25, 2025, accusing Jackson and Briscoe of the appalling violation of her First and Fourth Amendment rights. Both were still assigned to KSP Post 12 in Frankfort as of July 2025.

Maryland: A Montgomery County jury found former FBI agent Eduardo Valdivia, 41, guilty of six counts of second-degree rape on July 18, 2025, for sexually assaulting three clients in his secret tattoo studio. According to The Washington Post, Valdivia, under the alias “Lalo Brown,” lured his victims with free tattoos and modeling promises. Prosecutors argued that Valdivia used his skills as an undercover agent to manipulate and control the three women, aged 18, 20, and 21. His defense counsel claimed that the sex was consensual, but the jury credited the victims’ testimony against the “master manipulator.” Valdivia was previously acquitted on charges stemming from a shooting aboard a D.C. Metro train, which he claimed was self-defense. His sentencing on the rape conviction is set for October 14, 2025. For the rape convictions, he faces decades in prison when sentenced.

Mississippi: Former Southaven Police Department (SPD) Off. Tony Herring, Jr. was sentenced to 10 yearsin prison on July 14, 2025, for his role in a multi-county car theft operation, the DeSoto Times-Tribune reported. The sentence is the maximum permitted under state law for one count of accessory after the fact to commit auto theft, the charge to which Herring pleaded guilty in March 2025. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and court costs. Herring was terminated from SPD following a 2023 investigation that revealed he abused his authority as a law enforcement officer when he actively assisted in stealing vehicles and shielded co-conspirators then from detection by other cops.

New Hampshire: In an eyebrow-raising development, all domestic violence charges against former Hillsborough County prosecutor Thomas Rogers, 35, were dropped following his double arrest over the weekend of the July 4, 2025 holiday, according to WMUR in Manchester. Rogers, who worked in the County’s Special Victims Unit prosecuting domestic abuse cases, was charged with assaulting a woman and violating bail conditions. Arrested twice on July 3 and 4, 2025 for simple assault-domestic violence – and later charged also with breach of bail and stalking – Rogers was released after an agreement reached just days later on July 7, 2025. That deal mandated one year of good behavior and a negative drug and alcohol test. Though Rogers has since resigned, the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence voiced strong concerns over the rapid dismissal of his case. Executive Director Lyn Schollett insisted that “[n]o one – regardless of their status or position – is above accountability,” and she called for an independent review of Rogers’ case and all domestic violence cases that he handled, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability.

New York: On July 9, 2025, former Mount Vernon Police Department Sgt. Mario Stewart, 46, was sentenced to six months in prison for repeatedly tasing a handcuffed, mentally ill man. According to Blue Water Healthy Living, Stewart pleaded guilty in January 2025 to deprivation of rights under color of law during the March 2019 incident, when he fired his Taser on the unnamed 20-year-old seven times over two minutes – including four times in the painful “dart” mode – even after the man cried out for help in Spanish. Prosecutors called his actions a serious abuse of authority against a vulnerable individual in distress, emphasizing that Stewart’s extensive training should have prevented such bad judgment. Despite a plea for leniency, citing his family commitments and otherwise praiseworthy career, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas ruled that a custodial sentence was necessary for deterrence. Stewart will also serve one year of post-release supervision, with the first six months under home confinement.

New York: The Gothamist reported that Christopher Terranova, 35, a former youth outreach officer with the New York City Police Department (NYPD), was sentenced on July 17, 2025, to a hefty 40 years in prison for sexual exploitation and coercion of minors. Terranova, who even bought a house in Texas near one of the minors that he sexually assaulted, was found guilty of preying on multiple young boys, including a 12-year-old he met while on duty. Prosecutors said that Terranova used his position to groom and manipulate victims, sending and soliciting explicit photos and engaging in sexual acts. One victim, a 15-year-old who reported a robbery to the cop, turned in Terranova after receiving explicit messages, including a photo of the older man’s genitalia. Like the fox in charge of the henhouse, Terranova’s responsibilities as a youth coordinator officer at NYPD’s 121st Precinct in Staten Island included informing minors about the potential dangers of online communications. He was allowed to retire after his 2023 arrest.

New York: A federal lawsuit filed on July 3, 2025, accused Troy Police Department Off. Taylor Gamache of abusing his authority when he arrested a driver who simply honked his car horn to alert the cop that the traffic light both were waiting on had turned green. According to the Albany Times Union, city resident Matthew Edwards claimed that he gave a “short toot” of his horn on July 19, 2024, after Gamache, in an idle patrol car, appeared too preoccupied to notice the green light. For that Gamache then allegedly circled the neighborhood before angrily confronting Edwards at his home. According to the lawsuit, Edwards attempted to avoid a conflict, but he was charged with obstructing government administration, resisting arrest, and unlawful horn use. State law expressly permits horn use for “reasonable” warnings, which may well explain why charges against Edwards were later dismissed. His suit accuses the cop of false arrest, battery, and official misconduct.

Pennsylvania: Former Philadelphia Police Department Off. Mark Dial, who fired six shots at close range into a vehicle during a traffic stop, killing the driver, was sentenced to nine and a half months in jail and immediately paroled on July 17, 2025, according to ABC News. Dial, 29, had already served 10 months following his 2023 arrest, so with credit for that he was freed shortly after the sentencing hearing concluded. The lenient sentence drew dismay from District Attorney Larry Krasner and the family of the victim, Eddie Irizarry. A jury in May 2025 acquitted Dial of murdering the 27-year-old Irizarry, instead convicting him of voluntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and possessing an instrument of crime in the fatal 2023 shooting. Body camera footage showed Dial rapidly approaching Irizarry’s car and firing through the rolled-up window, as another officer yelled that there was a weapon inside – though that detail was disputed at trial, with prosecutors claiming that the other cop cried “knife,” while Dial’s defense said that he really warned there was a “gun.” The sentencing judge noted that the shooting was not “a classic voluntary manslaughter case,” and that Dial rushed Irizarry to the hospital after the shooting. But Krasner said the sentence fell “way below” guidelines that suggested four-and-a-half to nine years. Irizarry’s aunt, Zoraida Garcia, deplored the leniency, too, saying, “My nephew’s life doesn’t matter at all.”

Pennsylvania: On July 15, 2025, Center Township Police Department (CTPD) Off. John J. Hawk was sentenced to five years’ probation, after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter, assault, and reckless endangerment, The Guardian reported. The lenient sentence stems from a November 2022 incident in which Hawk, who was off-duty, killed Kenneth Vinyard, a 48-year-old bystander attempting to assist police at a shooting scene outside a Walmart. Hawk, who was not in uniform, confronted Vinyard, striking him in the chest and performing a leg-sweep that caused Vinyard to fall and hit his head, leading to his death. Attorney General Dave Sunday (R) said that Hawk’s “actions contributed to the death of a man who was not a threat.” Vinyard’s family described him as “the family glue,” emphasizing their brokenness despite the apology from the now-former officer. The family reportedly accepted nearly $1 million to settle a lawsuit against Center Township and Hawk, who is no longer on the CTPD force.

Pennsylvania: Lehigh Valley Live reported that former Palmer Township Police Department (PTPD) Off. John “J.T.” Smoke was sentenced on July 16, 2025, to nine to 24 months in county prison, followed by three years of probation, for corruption of minors. Smoke was assigned to Easton Area High School when a 16-year-old student claimed that he exposed himself to her during a FaceTime call. She also said that he sent her money and explicit images. He was arrested in April 2024, a month before his employment with PTPD ended. He pleaded guilty in May 2025. Despite his clean record and law enforcement career, the judge emphasized that Smoke “violated” a “duty of trust” that he accepted with his employment. Smoke had been free on $50,000 unsecured bail since his arrest.

Tennessee: According to Atlanta Black Star, Tennessee’s Memphis Police Department (MPD) was accused of a cover-up after Ring doorbell footage contradicted officers’ claims in the July 2024 arrest of Mario Shaw. The video showed Offs. Taiyuan Brooks and Kevin Shannon assaulting the 49-year-old on his own porch, punching, kicking, tasering, and even biting him following a dispute with a neighbor over dog poop. But their official report falsely claimed that Shaw assaulted them. WATN in Memphis reported that Shaw spent roughly a week in the Shelby County Jail, with his dog left unattended, before his charges were dismissed in December 2024. An internal MPD review found “no disciplinary action warranted” against the officers, though, excusing their “hard-hand techniques” because Shaw was “possibly armed” – a claim also contradicted by the video. Critics, including a former prosecutor, said it was “clearly a false report,” and filing it was a felony. Shaw’s attorney, Murray Wells, planned to file a lawsuit against MPD over the arrest. Shaw told a reporter, “There’s so much crime in Memphis, why wouldn’t they go do their job and do some real police work instead of com[ing and] beat[ing] up on old people.”  

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