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The United States Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Kentucky
PRESS RELEASE
August 24, 2007
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A former Kentucky State Police Trooper, Rodger Wayne Cooper, was sentenced to three months in prison and ordered to pay $22,800 in restitution by United States District Court Judge Karen K. Caldwell.
Cooper pleaded guilty on May 16, 2007 and admitted to stealing the money from the Kentucky State Police narcotic fund.
Cooper, who was part of the Drug Enforcement Special Investigation Branch headquartered in Lexington, Ky., embezzled the money which was supposed to be used for undercover cash purchases of illagal narcotics and payments to informants.
Between January of 2005 and June of 2006, Cooper made several debit card withdrawals from the narcotic fund, including approximately $16,500.00 in 2005 and approximately $6,300.00 that he converted for his own use. The account at Farmers Bank & Trust Company in Frankfort, was funded by the United States Department of Justice and the Kentucky State Police.
Amul R. Thapar, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Captain Joe Williams of the Kentucky State Police jointly made the announcement after the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Kentucky State Police and the FBI. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick H. Molloy.