Former Fort Deposit, Alabama Cop Carlos Tyson Bennett was arrested today on charges of stealing money from motorists on Interstate 65 in central Alabama under the guise of law enforcement and subsequently trying to conceal his criminal activity.
According to the Justice Department, Bennett, 36, of Greenville, Alabama was charged in an eight-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama and unsealed today. 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 2009, Bennett conspired with a fellow officer to stop vehicles to steal cash from drivers and passengers in violation of their constitutional right to be free from unreasonable seizures of property.
The indictment also 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.
