Bryson-Taylor Wayne Banks, 31, of Cartersville, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to Unlawful Notification of Electronic Surveillance, admitting he tipped off a drug trafficker about an FBI wiretap—an act that blew open a federal investigation and endangered agents on the ground. The former Cartersville police officer and Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force member knowingly sabotaged a planned arrest by warning a confidential source to alert Tomas Pineda Mendoza not to pick up two kilograms of methamphetamine.
The FBI was surveilling inmate Francisco Palacios Baras, known as “Shorty,” via court-authorized wiretaps on two contraband cell phones he used to orchestrate meth deals from inside a Georgia state prison. Agents discovered Mendoza was a key associate and set up a takedown after the drug handoff. But the morning of the operation, Banks—after being briefed by the FBI in good faith—immediately contacted his own confidential source and instructed her to warn Mendoza: the FBI was watching, they were tapping Shorty’s phones, and the pickup was a trap.
Mendoza scrubbed the exchange. Over the compromised wiretap, he told Shorty that “one of the girls” had warned him, that he’d spotted surveillance teams outside his apartment, and that law enforcement was listening in. Shorty immediately stopped using the tapped phones, collapsing the FBI’s intelligence pipeline and forcing agents into emergency safety protocols. The breach didn’t just kill the operation—it exposed investigative methods and put agents at risk.
According to U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak, Banks “made a decision to side with the drug dealers and sabotage an FBI investigation.” Pak added, “He placed his fellow law enforcement officers in imminent danger, and sold out his oath to uphold the law.” FBI Atlanta’s Special Agent in Charge David J. LeValley called the betrayal “disheartening,” stating, “Banks will now have time to reflect on his decision, as he more than likely will spend time in prison, alongside the drug dealers he chose to side with.”
Despite the setback, the FBI rebuilt the case. Both Shorty and Mendoza were eventually arrested and convicted in connection with meth distribution. Shorty was sentenced to 9 years and 7 months; Mendoza received 10 years and 10 months. Their convictions stand, but only after months of lost intelligence and heightened danger—all triggered by a cop who broke his badge.
Banks’ sentencing is set for May 11, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Herskowitz and Garrett Bradford. Lieutenant Michael Bettikofer of the Cartersville Police Department emphasized, “Mr. Banks’ actions do not reflect the values or culture of the Cartersville Police Department.” No further internal discipline has been disclosed.
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Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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