Former Detroit Police Officers Sentenced for Extortion

U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of Michigan
25 April 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Former Detroit Police Department Officers James Robertson and Marty Tutt were sentenced yesterday to 24 months imprisonment (Robertson) and 12 months imprisonment (Tutt) for accepting bribes from automobile collisions shops in exchange for referring stolen and abandoned vehicles recovered in the City of Detroit to the shops, United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced today.

Schneider was joined in the announcement by Timothy Slater, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Patricia Armstrong, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Detroit Division and Chief James Craig, Detroit Police Department. The defendants were actively employed with the Detroit Police Department at the time of the offenses.

James Robertson, age 45, and Marty Tutt, age 30, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland. Robertson previously pleaded guilty to two counts of extortion. Tutt also previously pleaded guilty to two counts of extortion.

According to the facts alleged in the informations and further developed at the plea hearing and in sentencing briefing, Robertson and Tutt each accepted cash payments from owners/operators of Detroit collision shops in exchange for referring abandoned vehicles to the shops for repairs and for writing police reports.

Robertson and Tutt are the second and third defendants to have been sentenced as a result of this investigation. The others awaiting sentencing or a trial are:

• Jamil Martin, 46, pleaded Guilty to an Information charging 1 count of Extortion

• Charles Wills, age 52, pleaded guilty to two counts of Extortion charged in a Superseding Indictment.

• Deonne Dotson, age 45, is awaiting trial.

All of the Officers were charged with engaging in extortion for using their official positions as Police Officers to refer cars to certain collision shops in exchange for cash payments.

“These defendants are an unfortunate exception to the majority of Detroit Police Officers who are courageous, dedicated public servants,” U.S. Attorney Schneider said.

"The misconduct and abuse of authority displayed by these officers is unfortunate, and contrasts with the commitment to the rule of law demonstrated by the vast majority of the men and women of the Detroit Police Department each day", said Timothy R. Slater, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit FBI.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Detroit Police Department and the following agencies from the FBI Detroit Area Corruption Task Force: Michigan State Police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility, Investigative Operation Division.

The FBI Detroit Area Corruption Task Force is comprised of personnel from the Detroit Division of the FBI; Michigan State Police; Michigan Department of Attorney General; Detroit Police Department; U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility, Investigative Operations Division; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and

Fraud Investigations; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General; U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General; U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General; and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the Inspector General.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah Resnick Cohen and Craig A. Weier.