FORT DEPOSIT, Ala–Former Fort Deposit, Alabama police officer was arrested Tuesday on charges of stealing money from motorists on Interstate 65 in central Alabama and subsequently trying to conceal his criminal activity.
Carlos Tyson Bennett, 36, of Greenville, Ala., was charged in an eight-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama and unsealed Tuesday. He is charged with one count of conspiracy against rights, four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, and three counts of obstruction of justice.
The indictment alleges that between April 2009 and July 1, 2009, Bennett conspired with a fellow officer to stop vehicles under the guise of legitimate law enforcement activity and to steal cash from drivers and passengers in violation of their constitutional right to be free from unreasonable seizures of property. The indictment further alleges four specific thefts in which Bennett, aided and abetted by the other officer, stole between $100 and $200 per victim. In addition, Bennett is charged with obstructing justice on three separate occasions. According to the indictment, Bennett also provided a fabricated story to a law enforcement official and sought to prevent the communication of information relating to these offenses to law enforcement officers.
If convicted, Bennett could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on the conspiracy charge; one year in prison and a fine of $100,000 on each of the deprivation of rights charges; and 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each of the obstruction charges.
