Ex-Detroit cop pleads guilty to lying to FBI during investigation

A former Detroit police officer pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday after federal prosecutors said he lied to FBI agents during an investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

Dametri J. Wade, 26, of Detroit, pleaded guilty in a news release to making a false statement in U.S. District Court in Detroit. A plea hearing was held on Tuesday.

Wade’s sentencing is set for February 5. He faces a prison sentence of up to five years. His lawyer could not immediately be reached on Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors accused Wade in September of this year.

They said Wade was driving a police scout car and was at the scene of a robbery on August 11, 2022, on Saint Maron Street in Detroit. That’s where perpetrators of a theft used false documents to make it appear as if they were there to evict the owner on a court-authorized eviction notice, according to Wade’s plea agreement.

It said Wade was there to further the ruse that this was a legitimate eviction. Wade was interviewed by FBI agents on Dec. 19, 2022, and lied about why he was at the location, according to the settlement.

It indicates that Wade told officers he believed an eviction would occur, when he knew there would not be an eviction, but instead a theft to steal personal property. He knew his statements were false, according to the plea agreement, and knew it was illegal to make false statements to the FBI.

It stated that his false statements were material to the investigation conducted by the FBI.

“Lying to law enforcement is never acceptable, but it is inexcusable for an officer sworn to uphold the law,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in the news release. “Today’s sentencing should send a strong message that no one, not even a police officer, is above the law.”

Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI in Detroit, stated that Wade’s actions “do not represent the exemplary standards of the Detroit Police Department.”

She added that the FBI’s Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force will “relentlessly pursue any form of public corruption, ensure accountability for those who break the law and safeguard the public’s trust in those committed to the protecting our great community.”

Contact Christina Hall: [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.

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