Former Montgomery County Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Illegally Accessing a Government Computer to Obtain Information

Greenbelt, Maryland - Former Montgomery County Police officer Delores Culmer, age 37, of Silver Spring, Maryland pleaded guilty today obtaining unauthorized information from protected government computers for her personal financial gain or commercial advantage.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations; and Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Sparkman of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office. The investigation in this case was initiated by the Montgomery County Police Department.

U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said, "I am grateful to Chief Manger and the Montgomery County Police Department for their assistance."

According to Culmer’s guilty plea, on at least 20 occasions from August 2008 to April 2010, Culmer, then a Montgomery County Police officer, used her police powers to access law enforcement databases to obtain unauthorized information. For example Culmer inappropriately accessed the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, as well as the Maryland Inter-agency Law Enforcement System (MILES) database, to conduct wanted persons checks on her boyfriend, a person with whom her sister was having a dispute, and a friend of Culmer’s boyfriend. Culmer also performed unauthorized registered motor vehicle checks on Culmer’s boyfriend’s brother and a person with whom Culmer’s boyfriend was having a dispute.

Culmer faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for June 13, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Montgomery County Police Department, ICE - Homeland Security Investigations and IRS - Criminal Investigation for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Su, who is prosecuting the case.