A Far North Queensland police officer has been sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment for extorting money from a member of the Mareeba community.
Michael Angel Cifuentes today pleaded guilty in the Cairns District Court to two counts of extortion.
The 39-year-old Detective Senior Constable at Mareeba CIB was arrested following a Crime and Misconduct Commission investigation in February this year.
Cifuentes had demanded $8000 from a man he had come into contact with during a previous police investigation.
The court was told that during tape-recorded telephone conversations and video-taped meetings, the police officer threatened to have the man’s children removed from his care unless he complied with the officer’s demands.
CMC investigators arrested the officer after he accepted the second of two $4000 payments during a meeting in a Mareeba park. Cifuentes’s house was later searched and money from the earlier payment was found in a disused freezer.
CMC Director of Misconduct Investigations Russell Pearce says Cifuentes’s actions have had a detrimental effect on the Mareeba community and local police.
‘It’s a very sad state of affairs. The repercussions from this officer’s conduct have impacted upon his family, his colleagues and his local community,’ Mr Pearce said.
‘I expect his conduct was an enormous blow to police officers serving the Mareeba community.
‘The vast majority of Queensland’s police officers uphold the law and perform an outstanding job.
‘It takes only one dishonest officer to tarnish the reputation of the Police Service. In a small community, like Mareeba, there can be a significant loss of confidence in the local police.
‘In this day and age, most people have no hesitation in reporting police misconduct. It is almost inevitable that corrupt police will be exposed. Those who are tempted to cross the line should think twice. It is not worth the risk,’ Mr Pearce said.
ENDS
