Overview

• U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Justin Riggs to six years in federal prison and three years of supervised release for bribery and drug distribution conspiracies.
• Investigators say Riggs created a fake Facebook account in December 2022 to contact a drug distributor and negotiate payment for details on an active narcotics informant.
• Riggs, who had served with the Maryland State Police since 2012 and worked on a Western Maryland trafficking task force, resigned after his 2023 arrest.
• Prosecutors warned that revealing the informant’s identity to a violent drug trafficking ring exposed the source to potential retaliation or death.
• Defense attorneys argued his misconduct stemmed from psychological trauma, financial pressures and chemical exposure during his law enforcement career.