June 06, 2016
A Philadelphia police officer was charged Monday with extortion for allegedly seizing pills from a suspected drug dealer.
Thomas Vitanovitz, 32, was working as an officer of the 24th district when he "unlawfully took property and things of value" from the alleged drug dealer, allege court documents filed by U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger.
On July 21, 2015, Vitanovitz allegedly and wrongfully seized 50 pills of what he believed to be a controlled substance from an individual identified only as "Person One" in information provided by federal prosecutors.
If Vitanovitz is convicted of all charges, he would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a possible fine, supervised release, and a $100 special assessment fee, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
