NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A former Metro police sergeant was sentenced Wednesday after being indicted by a federal grand jury back in May.
43-year-old James Dunaway was sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of stealing more than $100,000 during the execution of search warrants. He pled guilty back in June.
According to a release, Dunaway was a supervisor in the MNPD Specialized Investigation Division- Narcotics Division. He was responsible for monitoring and executing search warrants.
Police said that he stole a portion of the cash discovered and seized at each location a warrant was served:
The November 18, 2015 search of a residence off Pleasant Hill Road in Nashville, where more than $100,000 was seized;
The April 10, 2017 search of a residence off Robertson Road in Nashville, where more than $500,000 was seized;
The April 26, 2017 search of a residence off Pleasant Hill Road in Nashville, where more than $182,000 was seized;
The September 13, 2017 search of a residence off Spencer Enclave Way in Nashville, where more than $70,000 was seized; and
The November 15, 2017 search of a hotel room in which the MNPD Office of Professional Accountability had placed marijuana, $28,000 in cash and video cameras for the purpose of conducting an integrity check. Video cameras captured Dunaway placing money in his pockets during the search and the indictment alleges that Dunaway stole $5,860.00 during the execution of this search warrant.
U.S. Attorney Donald Cochran said Dunaway embezzled and used more than $100,000 of the cash for his own use.
“James Dunaway betrayed the families of Nashville and the men and women of this police department,” said Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson. “Our sting investigation showed that he greedily and selfishly stole money in a scheme that sickened all of us. I am grateful to U.S. Attorney Don Cochran and the FBI for agreeing with our request to prosecute Dunaway in the federal system.”
Dunaway will also receive three years of supervised release after his sentence is served.