MANNING, S.C. (AP) - A former police chief in South Carolina will spend a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $80,000 in seized cash from a traffic stop in 2015.
A federal judge sentenced Gary Blair Shaffer, former chief of the Manning Police Department, to prison time and a year of court-ordered supervision, U.S. Attorney Peter McCoy announced Tuesday.
The money was seized at a traffic stop and placed in an evidence room that Shaffer had access to. Authorities said Shaffer took the cash from the evidence room and, over the following months, made large cash deposits totaling $78,514 into his personal banking account.
Law enforcement officers first contacted Shaffer after a tip to the FBI. Shaffer ultimately pleaded guilty to theft of government funds and making a false statement to law enforcement.
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