Prince George’s County to pay $1 million in collapsed police case settlement

Prince George’s County will pay $1 million to settle the federal civil rights lawsuit filed by officers swept up in the collapsed double-dipping case, a payout that puts a fresh price tag on one of the county’s most costly police controversies.

The settlement closes a civil claim brought by 13 active Prince George’s County police officers and one retired officer after they were publicly indicted and suspended without pay. Their lawsuit said they were unfairly targeted by a flawed and biased investigation, and the county’s agreement now resolves that dispute without erasing the fallout that followed the arrests.

The criminal case began with a dramatic announcement on August 25, 2022, when then-State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy and former Police Chief Malik Aziz said a grand jury had indicted the officers on misconduct-in-office and theft charges. Prosecutors alleged the officers were being paid by the county while also working private security for Prince George’s County apartment complexes, a claim that quickly became one of the department’s most controversial moments in recent years.

Less than six months later, on January 23, 2023, the State’s Attorney’s Office dropped the charges. The office said newly discovered evidence, including more detailed records, witness statements and witness impeachment materials, undercut the case and showed it should be handled internally by police leadership instead. That collapse is what opened the door to the federal lawsuit and the settlement announced this week.

The agreement also includes an option allowing some officers to seek transfers to specialty units, a sign that the county is trying to move beyond the case while still addressing the damage it caused inside the department. Some of the officers have returned to duty, but the public stigma of the indictments has lingered.

The $1 million payout adds to Prince George’s County’s long record of expensive police litigation. In 2021, the county paid $2.3 million to settle a separate discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought by Black and Latino officers, after county taxpayers had already spent more than $17 million fighting that case. Together, the two settlements show how badly failed police cases can drain public money and weaken trust in county institutions long after the headlines fade.