Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney

Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit

Sherry Boston, District Attorney

FORMER DEKALB POLICE OFFICER INDICTED IN DRUG DEALER THEFT SCHEME

April 6, 2018

Defendant Accused of Teaming with Drug Dealers to Steal $150K+ in Fake Traffic Stops

Decatur, Ga.- A DeKalb County Grand Jury has indicted a former police officer accused of orchestrating a theft scheme targeting drug dealers. 33-year-old Lori Monique Johnson is charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and 13-counts of Violation of Oath by Public Officer in the 14-count indictment returned Thursday afternoon.  

The charges against Johnson stem from a series of traffic stops between April 29, 2014 and March 13, 2015. The indictment alleges that Johnson, working in concert with drug dealers with whom she was affiliated, staged two traffic stops involving other unsuspecting drug dealers. During the stops, Officer Johnson is accused of “seizing” drug money from the motorists’ vehicles under the guise of her law enforcement authority. Legitimately forfeited funds should have been turned over to the DeKalb Police Department. Instead, Johnson is accused of diverting those funds to her drug dealer partners, who in turn, paid her for performing the fake traffic stops and making the fake seizures. Johnson is also accused of responding to another officer’s legitimate traffic stop and stealing money from those motorists as well. The amount of diverted funds between those three stops totaled more than $150,000. Johnson’s alleged scheme was uncovered through an investigation by the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Following indictment, a Grand Jury warrant was issued for Johnson’s arrest. She surrendered to authorities Thursday night and has since posted bond.

The case will be prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Anti-Corruption Unit. A trial date has not yet been scheduled.