Philadelphia Prosecutor Busted for Filing False Police Report Against Ex-Boyfriend
Philadelphia Prosecutor Busted for Filing False Police Report Against Ex-Boyfriend
by Christopher Zoukis
Assistant District Attorney Lynn M. Nichols, 47, assigned to the homicide unit in Philadelphia, was arrested on October 4, 2013 for filing a false police report as part of a scheme to seek revenge against an ex-boyfriend.
Nichols, a 22-year veteran of the District Attorney’s office, resigned following her suspension for ethical violations related to the scheme.
Her troubles involved a pickup truck driven by her ex-boyfriend that was owned by another woman, who had reported it stolen. In October 2012, to protect her boyfriend, Nichols convinced a Philadelphia police officer to remove the truck from the National Crime Information Center’s database of stolen vehicles.
A year later, months after breaking up with her boyfriend, Nichols went to the home of the truck’s owner and told her she knew where it had been stored for the last year. The two conspired to get revenge against
Nichols’ ex. Nichols called 911 from the woman’s home phone, pretended to be the woman’s sister and filed a false police report claiming the vehicle had been stolen that day.
When the officers who took the report left, Nichols called a police department in New Jersey and said she had information that the “stolen” truck might be at a specific address. Officers located the pickup and determined it had not been stolen that day due to its condition. When they contacted the woman who owned the vehicle, she quickly confessed and admitted Nichols had put her up to the scheme.
Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams released a statement praising Nichols for her “long and successful career,” but said “[w]e must maintain the highest standards of conduct in [the District Attorney’s] office, and the legal process must take its course.”
Nichols pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief. She was sentenced on July 18, 2014 to one year of probation and $884 in restitution; charges of false reporting and obstruction of justice were dropped as part of the plea deal. She also has been suspended from practicing law by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Sources: www.nbcphiladelphia.com, www.philly.com, www.metro.us
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