Former Glendale Police Officer and Associate Indicted for Crimes Related to Cocaine Trafficking, Including Lying to the FBI and Illegally Accessing Crime Databases

DENVER—Scott T. Black, age 39, of Firestone, Colorado, and Oscar S. Garcia, age 35, of Aurora, Colorado, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to drug trafficking, making false statements, and unauthorized access of law enforcement databases, U.S. Attorney John Walsh, FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle, and DEA Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Barbra Roach announced. Garcia was arrested early Thursday morning without incident. Black, a Glendale Police officer at the time of the alleged crimes, turned himself in to FBI special agents at the Lakewood Police Department mid-day Thursday. Garcia appeared in U.S. District Court in Denver yesterday afternoon, where he was advised of his rights and the charges pending against him. Black is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Denver at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix to be advised of his rights and the charges pending against him. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is seeking detention.

According to the indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury on January 6, 2014, but restricted from public view prior to the arrest of the defendants, Garcia is charged with trafficking cocaine to people known and unknown to the grand jury. Black allegedly assisted Garcia with the cocaine trafficking by using his official law enforcement position to request Glendale Police Department dispatchers to “run” license plates through the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). This was done in order to facilitate the defendants’ alleged drug trafficking. Black is also accused on two separate instances of lying to an FBI agent. The trafficking conspiracy alleged in the indictment allegedly started in March 2011 and continued through December 2013. To the best of our knowledge, no other Glendale Police officers were involved in this incident.

Garcia faces three counts of possession with intent to distribute and knowingly distribute cocaine, which carries a penalty of not more than 20 years in federal prison and up to a $1,000,000 fine per count. He faces one count of use of a communications facility to facilitate drug trafficking, which carries a penalty of not more than four years’ imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine. He faces one count of intentionally gaining unauthorized access to a computer, which carries a penalty of not more than five years’ imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine. Garcia faces one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, which carries a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and up to a $5,000,000 fine. Lastly, defendant Oscar Garcia faces one count of conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to a computer data base. That crime carries a penalty of not more than five years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

Black faces one count of use of a communications facility to facilitate drug trafficking, which carries a penalty of not more than four years’ imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine. He faces two counts of intentionally gaining unauthorized access to a computer, which carries a penalty of not more than five years’ imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine per count. Black faces two counts of knowing and willfully making a materially false representation (to an FBI agent), which carries a penalty of not more than five years’ imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine. Lastly, the defendant faces one count of conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to a computer data base. That crime carries a penalty of not more than five years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Aurora Police Department. The Glendale Police Department cooperated during all aspects of the investigation.

The defendants are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Conner and Guy Till.

The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.