Former Pine Lawn Lt. Steven Blakeney Gets 51 Months

Former Pine Lawn Lieutenant Steven Blakeney was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for a politically charged arrest that shredded the public trust. The conviction stems from a 2013 scheme to sabotage a mayoral candidate through false criminal allegations, a brazen abuse of power that federal prosecutors called a textbook violation of civil rights.

On March 31, 2013, while serving as a police officer with the Pine Lawn Police Department, Blakeney conspired with others to fabricate evidence and orchestrate the arrest of a candidate running for mayor of the city. According to trial testimony, Blakeney directed an individual to falsely report that the candidate had stolen a campaign poster from a local business—allegations made up from whole cloth and lodged without probable cause.

Blakeney didn’t stop at the false report. He personally arranged for the candidate’s arrest, weaponizing his badge to interfere with a democratic election. The arrest, based on lies, was not just a miscarriage of justice—it was a targeted strike against a political opponent under the thin guise of law enforcement.

In January, a federal jury convicted Blakeney on three counts: one felony count of conspiracy against rights, one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, and one count of falsification of records. The verdict laid bare a pattern of corruption that turned a local campaign into a criminal enterprise led by a sworn officer.

Today, United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. handed down the 51-month sentence and immediately remanded Blakeney into the custody of the United States Marshals. No fines were imposed beyond the prison term, but the damage to public confidence in Pine Lawn’s law enforcement lingers long after the gavel fell.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Reginald Harris. Federal authorities emphasized that no public official is above the law, especially when they use their power to silence political rivals through illegal arrests and fabricated charges.