Home St. Louis Press Releases 2011 Former Uplands Park Auxiliary Police Officer Pleads Guilty
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Former Uplands Park Auxiliary Police Officer Pleads Guilty

U.S. Attorney’s Office January 10, 2011
  • Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS, MO—The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that Justin Scott Biancardi, a former auxiliary police officer of the Uplands Park Police Department, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy against rights, when he willfully planned to unlawfully detain women, and did in fact detain them, for the purpose of stealing their money and property.

During the plea proceedings, Biancardi admitted that during 2009, he and former Uplands Park Police Department Officer Leon Pullen, Biancardi's field training officer, decided to "set up" prostitutes so that they could steal money and property from them. Pullen and Biancardi, while in uniform, would then effectuate traffic stops of these women, and then search their vehicles for cash, cellular phones, and other property of value. Pullen and Biancardi would then keep these items, never taking the items into evidence or filling out the requisite paperwork. Biancardi estimated that he participated in these "shakedowns" approximately 10-15 times.

Biancardi appeared today before United States District Judge Henry Autrey. He now faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and/or a fine of $250,000 when he is sentenced on April 13, 2011.

Pullen has previously entered a plea of guilty and is scheduled for sentencing on January 28, 2011.

This case was investigated by the St. Louis Division of the Federal Bureau Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Howard Marcus of the Eastern District of Missouri and Trial Attorney Eric Gibson, formerly of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

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