FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WEDNESDAY - September 10, 2008

FORMER ROBESON COUNTY SHERIFF RECEIVES SENTENCE

RALEIGH - United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that WALDO “PAT” STALLINGS, 47, of Lumberton, North Carolina, a former deputy sheriff in Robeson County, was sentenced in federal court before United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle to six months’ imprisonment followed by two years supervised release.

A Federal Grand Jury returned a Superseding Criminal Indictment on November 8, 2007. On May 9, 2008, STALLINGS pled guilty to making false, fictitious and fraudulent statements to federal agents.

Responding to the sentencing, United States Attorney George Holding stated, “When servants of the people are involved with and perform illegal acts, it shakes the trust of the people; hopefully, the outcome of these cases will start to restore the public’s faith.”

This case is a part of the Operation Tarnished Badge investigation of the Robeson County Sheriff's Office. To date, Operation Tarnished Badge has resulted in 23 convictions to various federal criminal violations, including, conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the government, conspiracy to commit satellite piracy, conspiracy to commit kidnaping, conspiracy to distribute cocaine and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Operation Tarnished Badge is an ongoing investigation at this time.

The investigative agencies involved in Operation Tarnished Badge are the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division; the United States Secret Service; and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.