Former Omaha Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Improperly Accessing a Protected Computer

United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that on August 27, 2013, Kevin Cave, age 37 of Bellevue, appeared before United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon and entered a plea of guilty to one count of exceeding authorized access to a protected computer for private financial gain. The charge carries a possible penalty of up to five years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine or both, and can be followed by up to three years of supervised release.

Cave was employed as an officer with the Omaha Police Department. In that capacity, he had access to the NCJIS (Nebraska Criminal Justice Information System) database maintained by the Nebraska Crime Commission. NCJIS is linked to numerous other databases within the state of Nebraska and other states and can provide officers with information on suspects or witnesses to include criminal history information, drivers’ license information, employment information, and parole and probation information. Commencing in 2010 and continuing until August 2012, Cave conducted unauthorized NCJIS searches on behalf of car dealerships seeking to repossess cars. He conducted the searches because he was being paid up to $200 for each lead that led to a successful repossession. Between on or about March 2, 2010 and August 21, 2012, Cave received at least $16,050 from the dealerships for having done so.

Sentencing is set for November 15, 2013. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.