Former Scranton police sergeant sentenced to prison
May 4—SCRANTON — A former Scranton police sergeant will spend six months in prison for taking thousands of dollars as compensation for patrols he never worked, a federal judge ordered.
Jeffrey Vaughn must surrender to the federal Bureau of Prisons by 2 p.m. June 1 to begin his sentence, which U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani noted is at the top of the range he could impose.
The sentence shocked Vaughn's attorney, Paul Walker, who argued punishment had been meted out in the humiliation Vaughn endured and the embarrassment he's caused his family and former profession, in which he served well. If Vaughn, 51, had not been a police officer, prison would not be considered, Walker said.
That he was a police officer is why prison should be considered, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey St. John said. Vaughn left people living in four lower-income housing complexes "high and dry" night after night, the attorney added.
"For the past year, I've thought about this day," Vaughn said. "I made an error in judgment."
Vaughn must pay back $11,234 in restitution — an amount Walker said he was prepared to pay in full Thursday by cashier's check. The amount covers payment he received for work never performed at Scranton Housing Authority complexes and payment for unworked roving patrol shifts to find drunken drivers, the judge said.
However, the housing authority wanted more than $22,000 in restitution stemming from a conspiracy involving other police officers, Mariani said, citing a statement the authority sent to the judge. St. John said in court Vaughn is being held responsible for what he is ultimately responsible.
"People of the City of Scranton expect, and I believe have a right to expect, city police officers will not steal public funds," Mariani said.
Attempts to reach housing authority officials Thursday were unsuccessful.
Vaughn, who last worked as supervisor of a small unit focused on finding guns and drugs, was one of three city officers placed on leave last year while federal investigators looked into extra-duty patrols of publicly funded housing. The only one criminally charged, Vaughn pleaded guilty Jan. 26 to one felony count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds.
Between July 31, 2021, and April 22, 2022, Vaughn was paid for working 77 extra-duty shifts at Midtown Apartments, Village Park Apartments, Hilltop Manor and Valley View Terrace. For 58 of those shifts, totaling 266 hours, federal prosecutors could show he was either at home or out of the area.
The Police Department and the housing authority have a memorandum of agreement in which the police assign two officers to work extra overnight shifts three days a week. It is meant to provide safe, decent and sanitary living environments for their residents.
Former union president and retired acting juvenile Officer Paul Helring coordinated the extra-duty program, according to city records. In 2021, Helring made $22,933.02 in extra-duty pay, the highest in the department that year.
After Helring, Detective Sgt. David Mitchell's $18,770.01 in extra-duty pay was the year's second highest amount, followed by Vaughn's $16,409.48.
Together, the three made more than a fifth of the $254,995.04 in extra-duty funds paid in 2021 to 62 police officers.
They also were all put on paid leave around the same time last year while the FBI and U.S. attorney's office investigated the program.
Helring, 47, who was hired in March 1999, was awarded a disability pension in August, according to a letter he sent to Police Chief Thomas Carroll.
Vaughn, a city police officer since Dec. 11, 2000, was terminated by the city Jan. 30. His base pay in 2022 was $80,527. Walker said in court Thursday that Vaughn will not receive a pension.
Mitchell, 44, has been a police officer since March 1999. He has been on paid leave for nearly a year. In that time, the city has paid out $102,588.54 to Mitchell in gross pay, according to a Right to Know Law request.
Asked this week about the length of time Mitchell has been on paid leave, Carroll noted investigations can take time.
"We are not privy to that investigation," he said.
Attorney Jason Mattioli, one of Helring's attorneys, declined to comment Thursday. Mitchell's attorney, Chris Caputo, could not be reached Thursday afternoon.
Vaughn must also pay a $2,100 fine, spend two years on supervised release and undergo mental health treatment and treatment for a gambling addiction. Mariani noted Vaughn gambled vast sums at area casinos, even after he pleaded guilty in federal court.
Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100, x5187; @jkohutTT on Twitter.
