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Press Release

Philadelphia Police Officer Indicted on False Statement and Obstruction Charges

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Michael Kennedy, 49, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged by Indictment with six counts of making materially false statements to the FBI, one count of obstruction of justice, and one count of conspiracy to make a false statement.

According to the Indictment, the defendant participated in the execution of a Philadelphia Police Department search warrant while on duty as a police officer. During the execution of that warrant, Kennedy is alleged to have pocketed evidence, that is, cash proceeds of drug trafficking that was on a nightstand. Subsequently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated reports that Kennedy stole this cash. The Indictment alleges that the defendant, when interviewed by FBI agents and Philadelphia Police Department Task Force Officers, made a number of false statements about the incident. The Indictment further alleges that the defendant obstructed justice by corruptly persuading another Philadelphia Police Department officer, and conspiring with that officer, to lie to the FBI about the incident in order to create an alibi and corroborate Kennedy’s false statements.

“The charges against Officer Kennedy allege behavior that is in stark contrast to values police officers are supposed to embody,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Our community expects everyone in law enforcement to follow the law, and justice demands it. Thank you to the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department for their dedicated work on this investigation.”

“As law enforcement officers, we must be held to the highest of ethical standards,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “The public’s trust is critical for our justice system to function properly. That's why the FBI will do everything in its power to hold accountable an officer whose criminal actions undermine that trust.”

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 55 years’ imprisonment, including a federal Guidelines Range of a period of incarceration. 

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department Task Force Officers, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Denise S. Wolf and Joseph LaBar.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Contact

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
615 Chestnut Street, Suite 1250
Philadelphia, PA 19106

JENNIFER CRANDALL
Media Contact
215-861-8300

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Updated April 14, 2021