Former Water Valley Police Officer Sentenced

OXFORD, Miss. – (PRESS RELEASE) Felicia C. Adams, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, and Daniel McMullen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi, announce that:

John David Hernandez, 35, of Olive Branch, Mississippi, was sentenced on October 31, 2013 by United States District Judge Glen H. Davidson, following his plea of guilty in July 2013 to one count of extortion under color of official right, one count of money laundering, and one count of obstruction of a federal investigation. The charges arose out of Hernandez, while a Water Valley,

Mississippi Police Officer, receiving money from a drug trafficker in return for providing law enforcement information.

Judge Davidson ordered Hernandez to serve 12 months and one day in custody on each count of conviction, to run concurrently, followed by 3 years supervised release. The United States Attorney’s Office obtained a forfeiture in the form of a money judgment against Hernandez in the amount of $5,000.00.

United States Attorney Felicia C. Adams stated that:

“Hernandez’s actions were reprehensible. He abused his authority, violated the law and the public trust. Today’s sentence demonstrates that such actions undermine the rule of law and will not be tolerated. While the majority of law enforcement officers are hardworking professionals who risk their lives daily for our safety, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those officers who break the law and violate the public trust.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force initiative. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Clyde McGee IV and Samuel D. Wright.