STATE TROOPER INDICTED FOLLOWING JOINT FBI-STATE POLICE PUBLIC                                      CORRUPTION/PROSTITUTION INVESTIGATION

     Martin C. Carlson, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, today announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Harrisburg returned a four-count indictment against Shawn Dillard, age 39, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Dillard, a trooper in the Pennsylvania State Police, was charged with making false statements to the FBI, obstruction of justice, facilitation of interstate prostitution and conspiracy to obstruct justice and to facilitate interstate prostitution.

     The Indictment charges that Shawn Dillard was a trooper for the Pennsylvania State Police, stationed at Troop H, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. One of his duties as a trooper was to conduct anti-prostitution patrols at, among other places, the Gables Truck Stop in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

     In March 2004, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. Department of the Treasury commenced a grand jury investigation, code-named “Precious Cargo,” into the nationwide prostitution of minors and adult young women. The “Precious Cargo” investigation identified numerous pimps, primarily from Toledo, Ohio, who were running a nationwide prostitution ring out of the Gables Truck Stop, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. Ultimately, sixteen individuals were convicted in the U.S. District Court in Harrisburg for trafficking in juveniles and adult women.

     During the course of the investigation, Shawn Dillard would warn those involved in prostitution about undercover law enforcement activity and law enforcement sweeps at the Gables Truck Stop. The indictment further charges that Trooper Dillard, under color of the authority of his position as a member of the Pennsylvania State Police, took a young woman being prostituted at the Gables Truck Stop into custody and offered, in exchange for sexual favors, to reduce the charges against her. Finally, the indictment alleges that Dillard lied to federal agents about his involvement in these illegal activities.

     U.S. Attorney Carlson stated that, as the direct result of the defendant’s actions in warning prostitutes and pimps of undercover operations and law enforcement sweeps, the defendant corruptly impeded the due administration of justice.

     In announcing these charges, Carlson noted that federal investigators worked closely with the Pennsylvania State Police during the corruption investigation. According to Carlson: “This indictment represents the latest chapter in an outstanding law enforcement partnership dedicated to ensuring excellence, and n honesty in law enforcement. The public is well-served by the exceptional work, and outstanding example, of the Pennsylvania State Police and the federal Bureau of investigation.” Carlson also noted that Trooper Dillard is the second member of the anti-prostitution task force prosecuted for obstructing the investigation. In April of this year, Kevin Coleman, a former State Trooper, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice charges relating to his having warned prostitutes and pimps about law enforcement activities at the Gables Truck Stop.

     If convicted, Shawn Dillard faces a total of 25 years imprisonment and fines of up to $1,000,000. The case was investigated by the Harrisburg office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Affairs Division of the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Zubrod has been assigned to prosecute the case.

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An Indictment or Information is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the Grand Jury and/or United States Attorney against a defendant. A charged Defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the United States has proven the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant has pled guilty to the charges.