WASHINGTON — A former officer with the Metropolitan Police Department was sentenced to over a year in prison on Wednesday in connection to a bribery scheme.
Investigators say Vincent Forest, 36, sold crash victim's confidential information for cash.
On Jan. 11, Forrest was found guilty of conspiracy, bribery, and making false statements following a jury trial. In addition to serving 20 months in prison, he was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and forfeit $15,000.01.
According to evidence, beginning in April 2019, Forrest used his official access to MPD’s law enforcement sensitive database to review and record victim contact information from traffic crash reports that contained the names and contact information of the individuals involved.
Forrest sent this stolen information to Raquel DePaula, 43, of Beltsville, Maryland, using an encrypted communications application. DePaula, who owned RD Legal Solutions, LLC, acted as a “runner,” providing the victims' information to local attorneys in exchange for referral fees. The attorneys then reached out to the crash victims within days of their collisions in violation of D.C. law.
During the trial, DePaula testified that she paid Forrest between approximately $1,200 and $1,800 in bribe payments per week in exchange for the stolen contact information. The evidence at trial showed that over the course of the scheme, she paid Forrest over $15,000 and received contact information for 2,667 traffic crash victims.
On Oct. 6, 2021, DePaula pleaded guilty to one count of bribery of a public official. On April 1, she was sentenced to five years of probation. DePaula and Forrest are the sixth and seventh defendants to be convicted in connection with the illegal sale of traffic crash reports by MPD officers. Previously, MPD Officers Walter Lee and Kendra Coles, MPD employee Aaron Willis, business owner Marvin Parker and law firm employee Michelle Cage pleaded guilty to related charges.