Nottingham Man Who Was Baltimore Policeman Admits To Lying To FBI

BALTIMORE, MD — A Nottingham man who was a member of the Baltimore Police Department pleaded guilty to making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer. The case stemmed from an incident in 2009 when he was on an organized crime division squad investigating drug trafficking.

Victor Rivera, 48, of Nottingham, admitted he lied during a federal investigation with the FBI in 2019. Investigators were looking into misconduct after the federal racketeering case involving the Gun Trace Task Force unfolded in 2017.

Rivera had been an officer with the Baltimore Police Department since 1994. After a large cocaine bust in February 2009, prosecutors said, Rivera took some of the drugs and sold them to a confidential informant, receiving $20,000 for selling the cocaine.

When FBI agents interviewed Rivera in November 2019 about the incident, he told them he had not heard of anybody taking drugs or money after the group seized 41 kilograms of cocaine while conducting the investigation in the 1400 block of Ellamont Street, court documents say.

"All I remember is goin' back to headquarters to layin' it out for the news," he said when asked what the next move was after officers found the drugs, according to his plea agreement.

In fact, Rivera and two other officers found 3 kilograms of cocaine in the Baltimore police surveillance van that had not been turned in, and they agreed to sell it and split the proceeds, according to the plea agreement. The other officers were identified as Keith Gladstone and Ivo Louvado in the plea agreement.

Rivera faces up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000, the plea agreement says.

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