Former Bridgeton Police Officer Sentenced for Bribery and Obstruction of Justice

ST. LOUIS—The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that SCOTT WILLIAM HAENEL, O’Fallon, Missouri, was sentenced to 24 months in prison on charges of taking a $5,000 bribe and obstructing a federal law enforcement investigation.

According to court documents, a person cooperating with the FBI met with Officer Haenel on several occasions between November 2010 and January 2011. At one of these meetings Haenel was paid $5,000 in cash (which had been provided by the FBI as part of the investigation) in exchange for his agreement to assist in a money laundering scheme involving drug trafficking money. Haenel also agreed to assist by using his position as a police officer to help conceal the illegal activity. On January 21, 2011, when Haenel learned that DEA agents and St. Charles police officers were investigating this person for money laundering and were going to go to his residence to attempt a search, Haenel tipped him off about the search. Haenel advised him to get all of the money out of the residence before officers arrived.

Haenel, also assigned to the North County Municipal Enforcement Group, pled guilty in April to one felony count of accepting a bribe and one felony count of obstruction of justice. He appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Reginald Harris is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.