Police Officer Charged with Public Corruption Crime

The announcement of this criminal charge against Pullum was made at a press conference held in Madison this afternoon by U.S. Attorney Vaudreuil, Madison Police Chief Michael C. Koval, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Shields, Jr., and ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joel L. Lee.

Pullum, a police officer with the Madison Police Department, was arrested today at the Madison Police Department’s West District Station by FBI agents.  If convicted of this offense, Pullum faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

The complaint filed against Pullum alleges that on December 17, 2015, in an investigation that began after a citizen tip, he was directed to make contact with a citizen providing information to the police, who was in fact an FBI undercover officer.  The undercover officer told Pullum that she was angry at her drug dealing boyfriend and that there may be cocaine and money in a parked car.  The complaint alleges that Pullum opened the trunk of the car, and removed a bag containing $3,950 in prerecorded FBI-owned money and placed it in his vehicle.

The complaint further alleges that Pullum called for a drug detection canine to assist in a possible search of the undercover car, but that he failed to turn over the money he had earlier removed from the car and he failed to log any money into evidence from his shift. 

After the Madison Police Department received the citizen tip, the department’s Internal Affairs Division immediately contacted federal authorities.  The charge against Pullum is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the full cooperation of the Madison Police Department.  The prosecution of this case will be handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Reinhard.