A former New York City police officer has been convicted of armed robbery and drug trafficking charges, following a two-week trial in Brooklyn.
Jose Tejada, a 17-year veteran of the NYPD, was found guilty of armed robbery conspiracy and narcotics distribution conspiracy charges. Tejada was assigned to the 28th Precinct in Harlem at the time of the robberies.
The charges arose out of Tejada’s commission of multiple robberies and attempted robberies in Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx in 2006 and 2007. Some of these robberies were committed while Tejada was on duty and in uniform.
The evidence presented at trial showed that Tejada participated in multiple armed robberies and attempted robberies, netting thousands of dollars in cash and multiple kilograms of cocaine. During one attempted robbery, Tejada used his status as a police officer to demand and gain access to a private residence, where he brandished his service weapon to intimidate the innocent family and attempted to handcuff a victim.
Tejada, along with other members of his robbery crew, also stole five kilograms of cocaine hidden inside a car in Upper Manhattan and three kilograms of cocaine at gunpoint in another robbery. In an incident at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Tejada and his crew staged the arrest of a corrupt airline employee who was part of a scheme to smuggle narcotics into the United States through incoming commercial flights.
Tejada faces a maximum sentence of 80 years’ imprisonment upon sentencing by United States District Judge John Gleeson. The defendant was previously convicted in November 2013 of obstruction of justice for his role in helping other members of his robbery crew avoid arrest.
The case was investigated by the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, comprising DEA special agents, NYPD officers, and New York State Police investigators, and the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Division, Police Impersonation Investigation Unit.
Related Federal Cases
- Willie J. Wofford, Armed Drug Trafficking, New York 2018 · Illinois
- Ira Hall, Drug Trafficking and Firearms Offenses, New York 2017 · Illinois
- Tony Darrel Pittman, Armed Drug Trafficking, North Carolina 2022 · North Carolina
- Carlos Javier Figueroa, Murder, Drug Trafficking, New York 2023 · New Hampshire
- Shakespeare Cruz, Drug Trafficking Conspiracy, New York 2014 · Tennessee
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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