Arkansas cop helped FBI in ‘drug bust’ – but he was actually the target, feds say
.jpg "Former Greene County, Arkansas, Sheriff’s Office Lt. Allen Pillow pleaded guilty to stealing $30,000 in an undercover operation by the FBI, authorities say. Getty Images | Royalty Free")
An Arkansas law enforcement officer thought he was helping FBI agents in a drug bust, authorities say.
But they were actually watching him.
In November 2019, the FBI called Green County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Allen Scott Pillow to a Lowe’s Home Improvement Store in Paragould, north of Jonesboro, for assistance in drug operation, authorities say. The agents said they’d been tracking a narcotics cash delivery from Tennessee to Missouri, and eventually Arkansas.
The vehicle was now parked in front of the store with a glass drug pipe and bundles of cash in plain view, according to court documents. The agents told Pillow he needed to recover the evidence and count the money in the backpack because they didn’t have jurisdiction in the state, authorities say.
Unbeknownst to Pillow, the car was staged and the FBI knew exactly how much money was in the backpack — $76,000. The FBI conducted the undercover operation after learning Pillow might be “abusing his role,” authorities say.
Later in the day, Pillow told FBI agents the backpack had $45,600, leading them to suspect he stole $30,400, authorities say. When they searched his home, agents discovered $27,820 in an attic safe and another $2,300 in Pillow’s possession, authorities say.
Pillow pleaded guilty Monday to theft of government funds. He could go to prison for up to 10 years.
“The appalling criminal actions of former Lt. Scott Pillow revealed his lack of integrity and greed,” FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge Diane Upchurch said in a news release. “Quite simply, he betrayed his brothers and sisters in law enforcement.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 6:56 PM.