A former Maryland State Trooper, Justin Riggs, has pleaded guilty to federal charges, admitting to conspiring with a drug trafficking organization by attempting to sell confidential informant information. The 35-year-old from Smithsburg, Maryland, also acknowledged using a communication facility to facilitate drug distribution and violating Maryland’s bribery laws. The plea agreement sets his potential prison sentence between four and nine years, pending court approval.
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According to court records, Riggs was part of a Maryland State Police team investigating drug and firearm trafficking in Western Maryland. Beginning in December 2022, while still serving as a trooper, he created a fake Facebook account to contact a suspected drug distributor. Posing as an agent for a federal agency, he offered to disclose the identity of a confidential informant in exchange for money. Over the following months, Riggs repeatedly communicated with the drug distributor, seeking to sell the information.
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The case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Maryland State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Prosecutors Christine Goo and Sean Delaney are handling the case. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher will schedule Riggs’ sentencing at a later date.
Article by multiple RFHC contributors.
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