Law Enforcement Officers Indicted on Public Corruption Charges
Other Defendants Also Charged in Connection with the Investigation

CHARLOTTE, NC—Two federal indictments were unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Charlotte charging a reserve deputy sheriff with the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office and police officers with the Cherryville Police Department with multiple counts related to the misuse of their official position to provide protection for the transportation of goods they believed to be stolen, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Two non-law enforcement defendants were also charged for their role in the conspiracy.

Chris Briese, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division; and Greg McLeod, Director of the State Bureau of Investigation (NC SBI), join U.S. Attorney Tompkins in making today’s announcement.

The defendants named in one indictment are Frankie Dellinger, 40, a reserve police officer with the Cherryville Police Department; Wesley Clayton Golden, 39, a reserve deputy sheriff with the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office; and Mark Ray Hoyle, 39, all of Cherryville, North Carolina. They are each charged with one count of conspiracy to transport and/or receive stolen property, four counts of transportation of stolen property, one count of conspiracy to extort under color of official right, one count of money laundering conspiracy, four counts of money laundering and aiding and abetting, and three counts of possession of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Dellinger faces one additional count of extortion under color of official right.

In a separate criminal indictment, Casey Justin Crawford, 32, and David Paul Mauney, III, 23, patrol officers with the Cherryville Police Department; and John Ashley Hendricks, 47, all of Cherryville, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to transport and/or receive stolen property and one count of conspiracy to extort under color of official right. Crawford is also charged with one count of program fraud bribery in connection with his role in the conspiracy.

According to allegations contained in the first indictment, beginning in August 2012, Dellinger, Golden, and Hoyle conspired with undercover law enforcement agents to provide “protection” for tractor trailers transporting through Gaston County what the defendants believed to be stolen merchandise, such as televisions, generators, and motor vehicles, with a total retail value in excess of $158,000. The defendants also conspired to provide “protection” for the transportation of cash in excess of $400,000, which they believed to be proceeds from the sale of stolen goods.

The second indictment alleges that beginning in May 2012, Crawford, Mauney, and Hendricks conspired with undercover law enforcement agents to provide “protection” for truckloads of stolen merchandise, which purportedly included, among other things, televisions, generators, and chain saws, allegedly worth over $300,000; as well as cash totaling over $300,000 in proceeds from the sale of stolen merchandise.

According to allegations contained in the two indictments, on multiple occasions, Dellinger, Golden, Crawford, and Mauney used their credentials and legal authority to assist with the transfer or transport of stolen goods and/or cash proceeds from the sale of stolen goods in exchange for monetary bribes. Hendricks’s role in the scheme was to assist Crawford and Mauney by conducting counter-surveillance. Hoyle assisted the conspiracy by representing himself as a law enforcement officer.

The defendants were arrested this morning and will have their initial appearances today in U.S. District Court in Charlotte. The conspiracy to transport and/or receive stolen property charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The transportation of stolen property charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The conspiracy to extort under color of official right charges carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The extortion under color of official right charges carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The money laundering conspiracy charges carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The money laundering and aiding and abetting charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The possession of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison, and the program fraud bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The investigation is handled by the FBI and SBI. The prosecution is handled by Michael Savage of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.