BOSTON (AP) — An ex-Boston police officer has been sentenced to one year of probation and fined $2,000 fine for lying to federal agents investigating a street gang whose membership included his childhood friend.
Mel Steele said at his sentencing in U.S. District Court on Thursday that the case has “destroyed” him.
Prosecutors say Steele, while a member of the department’s gang unit, provided information to a life-long friend who was in a gang that was under investigation. He then lied about it to federal investigators. Steele pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement.
The 36-year-old Steele resigned from the force on Oct. 17, a week before federal prosecutors charged him.
Judge William Young called the case “remarkable” and said Steele betrayed the badge he swore to uphold.
