Baltimore County Officer Charged For Allegedly Seeking & Accepting Bribes For Falsely Certifying Completion Of Firearm Training

3 years ago 359

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A Baltimore County Police Officer has been charged with allegedly seeking and taking bribes to falsely certify that applicants for Maryland’s handgun qualifying licence and transportation permits had completed the required training, officials announced Tuesday.

William R. Johnson, 32, of Baltimore, has been charged with honorable services ligament fraud.

According to the indictment, from May 2019 until Sept. 2021, Johnson made bribes and kickbacks done Venmo, CashApp, Zelle and different physics funds transportation services from applicants successful speech for him falsely certifying to Maryland State Police that they had completed the required training.

The six-count indictment alleges that Johnson communicated with applicants and arranged payments done a messaging app. Officials said helium charged $100 for an HQL certification and betwixt $150 and $200 for a CCW certification. Johnson would marque it wide that erstwhile they paid, helium would nonstop the required documentation and they would not person to be the required classes.

Authorities said helium would nonstop applicants “Certified Qualification Score Sheet” falsely certifying that the applicant completed the required grooming and they would taxable those forms arsenic portion of their application.

The indictment alleges that Johnson received six payments from 5 individuals seeking to get an HQL, a CCW, oregon some an HQL and CCW. Since, April 29, 2019, Johnson has certified astatine slightest 100 applicants for handgun qualification licenses and astatine slightest 45 for deterioration and transportation permits.

Johnson is expected to person an archetypal quality successful U.S. District Court successful Baltimore tomorrow, Oct. 27 astatine 3:45 p.m. If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum condemnation of 20 years successful national situation for each of six counts of honorable services ligament fraud.

MORE NEWS: Anne Arundel County Police Make An Arrest In The Murder Of An 85-Year-Old Edgewater Woman