East St. Louis Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Violation

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on March 30, 2010, ANTONIO C. MCWHERTER, age 47, of Belleville, Illinois, pled guilty to an information charging him with deprivation of civil rights.

The violation occurred on January 30, 2009, in East St. Louis, Illinois, when the defendant, while acting under color of law as a police officer for the East St. Louis Police Department, struck an individual in the mouth without legal justification. The assault occurred in the booking area of the East St. Louis Police Department. As part of the plea agreement in the case, MCWHERTER agreed to immediately resign from the police department and not to seek other employment in law enforcement or with the military in a position that would require him to supervise, care for, direct, or manage soldiers, detainees, or prisoners.

According to U.S. Attorney Cox, “The citizens of East St. Louis and the rest of the Southern District of Illinois have the right to expect competent law enforcement free from illegal or unconstitutional conduct by police officers. While the overwhelming majority of police officers in this district do a tremendous job under sometimes difficult circumstances, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will vigorously prosecute the few who break the law.” The offense of conviction carries with it a penalty of a term of imprisonment of up to one (1) year, a fine of not more than $100,000, or both, and a term of supervised release of not more than one (1) year. Sentencing is currently scheduled for May 26, 2010, in East St. Louis, Illinois.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Department of Justice Trial Attorneys Patricia Sumner and Jeff Blumberg and Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.