A former DeKalb County police officer pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges that he helped others hide a stolen vehicle, unlawfully accessed a government database and lied to federal agents.
Donald Bristol, 41, of Lilburn entered his guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced Oct. 18.
Beginning in April 2010, Bristol used his position as a police officer to help two defendants conceal the fact that they possessed a stolen car, authorities said.
Bristol also illegally accessed a law enforcement database to provide his associates information about criminal histories and existing warrants, federal prosecutors said.
Bristol also made false statements to federal agents when asked about his involvement in the case, according to a 10-count federal indictment handed up May 25.
“This defendant was a criminal in a police officer’s uniform,” U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a news release. “The evidence showed that during his tenure as a police officer, he violated the very laws that he had sworn to enforce -- and then lied about it to federal agents.”
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