A former Las Vegas Metro cop was indicted on excessive force and obstruction of justice charges for allegedly beating up a woman and trying to cover it up, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday.
Officer Richard Thomas Scavone, 49, faces up to 30 years in prison and $500,000 in fines for allegedly roughing up an unnamed female suspected to be a prostitute, referred to only as A.O. The incident occurred in January of 2015.
“The indictment alleges that Scavone grabbed the victim around the neck with his hand and threw A.O. to the ground; struck A.O. in the forehead with an open palm; twice slammed A.O.’s head onto the hood of his patrol vehicle; and slammed A.O. into the door of his patrol vehicle,” the DOJ said in a statement. “The obstruction charge alleges that on or about Jan. 6, 2015, Scavone knowingly falsified and made false entries in a document with the intent of impeding, obstructing and influencing the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the FBI.”
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department fired Scavone after viewing body camera footage of the incident. In the footage, the woman allegedly says “You’re abusing me for no reason.”
The excessive force charge has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The obstruction of justice charge comes with a maximum 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine. Scavone also received a misdemeanor battery charge from the incident last year.
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