Matthew L. Dailey, 45, of Howard, Ohio, is going down for six long years behind bars after being sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right. The former Mount Vernon Police Department Detective Sergeant abused his badge to traffic drugs, steal from the evidence room, and line his pockets — all while wearing the uniform he betrayed.
Dailey, once trusted to uphold the law, instead turned the Mount Vernon Police property room into his own personal drug depot. As evidence custodian, he pilfered methamphetamine, bath salts, ecstasy pills, and oxycodone — then handed them to a long-time informant to sell on the street. The profits? Split straight down the middle, with Dailey taking cash for contraband ripped from active investigations.
The scheme unraveled in September 2015 when Dailey was placed on administrative leave. A routine inventory of the property room revealed glaring gaps: crack and powder cocaine missing from a drug awareness kit, hundreds of oxycodone pills vanished, and bulk quantities of meth and synthetic drugs gone without a trace. Worse, investigators found Dailey had forged official evidence destruction orders — multiple copies stashed in his desk and filing cabinet like receipts from a criminal DIY project.
But the theft wasn’t the full horror. Dailey also bought and sold drugs directly. Over seven months, he met with a second confidential informant nearly five days a week, purchasing large quantities of oxycodone. He pressured the same informant to traffic marijuana, meth, and cocaine on his behalf. All the while, Dailey remained armed — prosecutors confirmed he possessed a firearm during the commission of these drug trafficking crimes.
The fallout is staggering: nearly forty active cases compromised by Dailey’s treasonous actions. His betrayal didn’t just undermine justice — it poisoned the integrity of every case touched by the evidence he stole or falsified. His guilty plea on December 21, 2015, included an agreement to pay restitution to the Mount Vernon Police Department, forfeit all weapons, and accept a lifetime ban from any law enforcement employment.
The sentence was handed down today by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Benjamin C. Glassman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, hailed the coordinated takedown by the FBI, DEA, Ohio BCI, and the Mount Vernon Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica H. Kim and Douglas W. Squires prosecuted the case, ensuring Dailey’s badge didn’t grant immunity — just a one-way ticket to federal prison.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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