A former police officer in metro Atlanta has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for accepting bribes and illegally accessing a confidential law enforcement database, federal officials said Thursday.
Nathan VanBuren, 35, took bribes from someone he arrested in 2015 as a Cumming police officer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“VanBuren violated his oath of office and broke the laws he swore to uphold and enforce,” U.S. Attorney “BJay” Pak said. “His crimes undermine the hard work of his fellow officers, as well as the community’s trust and respect for police officers.”
MORE: Former officer convicted of selling police information to arrestee
In July and August 2015, VanBuren asked the arrestee for a loan, saying his wages were being garnished and that he had incurred debt due to his son’s medical expenses.
His claims were not true, and the citizen reported VanBuren’s actions and agreed to cooperate with authorities, officials said.
They met later, and in exchange for $1,000, VanBuren unlawfully accessed a database and gave the results of the search to the citizen, federal officials said.
VanBuren resigned before he was fired by Cumming police. He was convicted of honest services wire fraud and computer fraud in October.
He will be on probation for two years after his prison term ends.
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