James Darrell Hickox, 38, of Callahan, who was a former Nassau County Sheriff’s Deputy and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force Officer, was sentenced to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for a number of federal crimes.
These crimes include conspiring to distribute narcotics, defrauding the United States, and tax evasion.
U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger issued a ruling that also includes the confiscation of firearms, ammo, and monetary gains that are connected to Hickox’s criminal acts. Hickox pleaded guilty to the charges on May 15, 2024.
Hickox was found to have committed significant offenses from 2017 to 2023 by abusing his position as a law enforcement official to engage in corrupt acts, according to court documents.
Hickox took drugs and money that had been taken as evidence during criminal investigations, and he worked with a co-conspirator to illegally distribute them. The following crimes were included:
- Taking more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana and a kilogram of cocaine from evidence and giving them to drug dealers to sell for him.
- Submitting fake documents to hide the thefts, including papers that falsely claimed that the marijuana had been destroyed.
- Distributing fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
- Concealing over $420,000 in cash earnings from his illegal operations in order to avoid paying taxes.
In March 2023, federal authorities searched Hickox’s home and found 263 grams of fentanyl, cocaine, and more than $195,000 in cash.
Investigators also discovered a modified weapon that was working as a machine gun, four firearms that had been taken from law enforcement evidence lockers, and methamphetamine pills that were being stored at his workplace at the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.
Law enforcement officials have condemned the case in the strongest terms, stressing the harm that Hickox’s actions have done to the public’s faith.
Bill Leeper, the sheriff of Nassau County, expressed his profound displeasure in Hickox, saying, “He betrayed the oath he took to become a police officer and lost his career.”
“Law enforcement officers who operate as though they are above the law betray the badge and the citizens they swore to protect,” Kristin Rehler, FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge stated. “This case exemplifies the FBI’s commitment to holding public servants accountable if they violate the very laws they promised to uphold.”
He also disappointed his coworkers and the community. It is law enforcement officers that do foolish things like this that cause our citizenry to lose confidence and trust in our profession.
Ron Loecker, the Special Agent in Charge of the Tampa Field Office of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, emphasized the importance of greed in Hickox’s offenses.
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“Rather than enforcing the law, he made money from the crimes that he was supposed to be looking into.”
We will keep looking into claims of public corruption and track the money in order to prosecute anybody who misuse their position of trust for their own benefit.
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