Thirteen active police officers and one retired officer in Prince George’s County have been indicted for allegedly working second jobs as private security guards at apartment complexes while on duty for the police department.

The indictment was announced by Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy on Thursday afternoon.

She said the officers allegedly held the second jobs from at least January 2019 to March 2021, and that the alleged misconduct was uncovered in part due to an internal complaint received earlier this year. The charges are also related to a separate federal indictment last year of a former Prince George’s County police lieutenant who operated a private security company that employed active-duty police officers; he pleaded guilty to tax evasion and obstruction of justice earlier this year.

Braveboy said the 14 current and former officers — who ranged in rank from Police Officer First Class to Corporal — face charges ranging from misconduct to misdemeanor and felony theft.  They all joined the department between 2011 and 2016, and were as young as 29 and as old as 45. In addition to accusations that they “double-dipped,” or got paid for working two jobs simultaneously, some of the officers are also accused of providing false information to the owners of the apartment complexes where they worked as security guards to justify their continued employment.

If found guilty on the most serious charges, the officers could face up to five years in prison.

The officers charged in the indictment are Corporal Nick Agapov, Corporal Jonathan Haskett, Corporal Mathew Obordo, Corporal Matthew Cotillo, Corporal Joshua Hitchens, Corporal Chris Hall, Corporal Michael O’Connell, Corporal Kyle Cook, Corporal Travis Popieilarcheck, Corporal Anthony Brooke, Corporal Brandon Farley, Police Officer First Class Christopher Oliver, Police Officer First Class John Mcintosh, and retired Corporal James Lubonski.

“In the face of the surging crime we have seen over the past few weeks, it is very difficult to have to bring a case like this to the public. However it is critical to our system of justice that those sworn to protect us operate with integrity and have credibility with my office, our judicial officers, and the citizens who serve on our juries,” she said. “Public safety cannot operate without integrity. The badge has to mean something. What it means in Prince George’s County is that our officers are not above the law.”

DCist/WAMU was unable to immediately contact the officers or determine if they are currently represented by any attorneys. An indictment is merely an accusation, and each of the officers will be afforded due process.

The indictments come as the Prince George’s County Police Department, which employs more than 1,400 officers, continues to attract scrutiny and negative publicity for officer conduct on and off the job. On top of allegations of police brutality, internal complaints of racial discrimination have led to lawsuits and resulted in the sudden resignation of former Chief Hank Stawinski in June 2020.

Speaking on Thursday, Chief Malik Aziz — who took the job just over a year ago — called the allegations against the 14 officers “deeply troubling” and said they represented “a disheartening day” for the department as a whole. But he also said the fact that the alleged misconduct was exposed via an internal complaint showed that the department could hold its own accountable and that its internal culture was changing.

“We have officers who stepped up and realized some wrongdoing may be occurring. It was started internally, which is a positive for the police department,” he said, referring to the investigation. “If it is in the culture, that would indicate the culture is at a turning point. It demonstrates a department heading in the direction of procedural justice.”

Aziz also said that the investigation had prompted the department to change its own policies on officers holding second jobs. As of July 2021, he said, police officers have been prohibited from working for private companies that provide security to commercial establishments. He also said the department has started using software that all officers have to use to log in and out of their second jobs, and that the Internal Affairs Division has stepped up site visits of the locations where officers who have approved second jobs work.

“We remain on a road to restore our noble and trusted police brand,” said Aziz.