I've am of the opinion that there should be an additional "breaking public trust" penalty for such crimes. These criminals are not just stealing, they are creating an intangible crime: destroying confidence in law enforcement and government.

A former Detroit police detective charged with accepting bribes from a towing company pleaded guilty in federal court Friday.

Michael Pacteles, 45, of Southgate, was accused of accepting bribes, including a vehicle and more than $3,000 in cash, from an operator of a towing company in exchange for favors to the operator, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Detroit.

Federal prosecutors said Pacteles removed stolen vehicles from the Detroit Police Department's database instead of properly recovering those that were in the towing company's possession.

Also charged in the federal government's corruption investigation was City Councilman Andre Spivey, who pleaded guilty in 2021 to accepting $35,900 in bribes from an undercover law enforcement agent and a confidential FBI source in exchange for his political influence on a pending vehicle towing ordinance. Spivey was later sentenced to two years in prison.

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