Former MPD Sergeant Sentenced to 18-Month Prison Term,
Admitted Taking $40,000 From 85-Year-Old Victim
-Defendant Met the Victim While Investigating a Crime -

     WASHINGTON - Aisha Hackley, 36, a former sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), was sentenced today to 18 months in prison on a charge stemming from the theft of $40,005 from an 85-year-old District of Columbia resident, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

     Hackley, also is known as Aisha Jackson, pled guilty in August 2011 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to first degree theft from a senior citizen. The Honorable Ronna L. Beck ordered today that Hackley begin serving her sentence immediately. As part of her plea agreement, Hackley resigned last August from MPD and she since has paid full restitution.

     Hackley most recently was assigned to the Second Police District in Northwest Washington. According to a statement of facts signed by the defendant and submitted to the Court, the victim filed a police report in December 2010 in which she stated that her bank account was targeted in a lottery fraud scam. Bank of America also was alerted to the suspicious activity on the victim’s account. It was at this time that Hackley met the victim, in response to the police report. But instead of helping the victim, Hackley began stealing from the bank account herself.

     As part of Bank of America’s own investigation, an investigator spoke with Hackley, who said that she was assigned to work on the victim’s case. According to the investigator, Hackley said that the victim suffers from short-term memory loss and was not aware of what she was doing. In addition, Hackley said that the victim had provided her personal account information to unknown individuals who made web-based and Automated Clearing House payments.

     The victim once again contacted Bank of America on May 31, 2011, reporting a number of suspicious checks that were written against her account and made payable to “Aisha Jackson,” a name that she did not recognize. All told, 14 checks were made payable to the defendant or a relative of the defendant, totaling $40,005. In a subsequent search of the defendant’s home, law enforcement found blank checks from the victim’s Bank of America accounts.

     “This sentence is just punishment for Sergeant Hackley’s exploitation of one of the citizens she had sworn to protect,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “We will continue to pursue justice and full restitution for our senior citizens, who are far too often robbed of their life savings through fraud, deceit, and trickery.”

     “This is a great example of our police officers policing themselves,” said Chief Lanier. “A MPD officer’s tip led to the joint investigation with Bank of America and our internal affairs office, resulting in the arrest and conviction of this former MPD Sergeant. Integrity is a quality that officers must live by, and when that is compromised, even officers of the law are not immune to the laws they are entrusted to enforce.”

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen and Chief Lanier praised the honest, hard-working and dedicated men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department who assisted in bringing the case to a successful conclusion. They especially acknowledged the efforts of Detective Vincent Tucci, Agent Sylvan Altieri and Sgt. Daniel Harrington, as well as Detective Tammy Chaffe of the Prince George’s County Police Department, and Cheryl Harrison, an investigator for Bank of America. Finally, they cited the work of Criminal Investigators Matthew Kutz and John Marsh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie G. Miller, who prosecuted the case.

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