Baltimore Cop Busted For Providing 'Protection'
On a freelance basis, that is
A Baltimore police officer accepted cash payments and provided protection for a man she believed to be a drug dealer — a man who was actually working with department investigators and FBI agents to build a criminal case against her, authorities alleged Friday.
Ashley Roane, a 25-year-old patrol officer in the Southwestern District, agreed to access law enforcement databases listing informants and other sensitive information for the drug dealer, and provided Social Security numbers to him as part of a scheme to obtain false tax refunds, prosecutors said.
Roane was taken into custody Friday and will not appear in court until Monday, officials said. If convicted of all charges, she faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 17 years, U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said.