Texas Cop Busted for Sex with Robbery Suspect and Falsifying Overtime Pay

Edinburg police officer Robert Alvarez already had his fifteen minutes of fame back in 2009, when he appeared in an episode of “Gangland,” a television show on the History Channel. As a gang investigator, Alvarez was a respected law enforcement professional whose skills were highlighted on the national cable TV series in an  episode entitled, “Trinity of Blood” (you can read the transcript here).

From TV Spotlight to Grand Jury Indictment: One Texas Cop’s Fall From Glory

Today, Robert Alvarez has not only been suspended from his job as an Edinburg cop, he was suspended back in December 2010, but this week he’s been indicted and charged for some very serious crimes: (1) having sexual relations with a female robbert suspect in the jail and (2) submitting inflated time sheets to get higher overtime pay.

And, in the indictment Alvarez is also alleged to have (3) used his powers to get cell phone records subpoenaed, so he could keep track of another woman (not the inmate) with whom he was having a sexual relationship.  Wow.

There’s more: the actual indictment against Edinburg cop Robert Alvarez is reported to include 8 different counts of wrongdoing.

Doing their usual thorough job, the Texas Rangers were responsible for the investigation and accumulation of evidence against Edinburg gang detective Alvarez.  Based upon their work, the actual indictment officially includes 3 counts of misuse of official information, 2 counts of violation of civil rights of a person in custody, 2 counts of tampering with a governmental record and 1 count of theft by a public servant.  (The violation of civil rights of a person in custody is legalese for having sex with an inmate – that’s a big no-no, obviously.)

Edinburg Cop Faces Significant Jail Time for Bad Acts Discovered by Texas Rangers Investigation

Alvarez, if convicted, will face both fines and significant jail time.  For example, under Texas Penal Code 39.06, the crime of misuse of official information comes with a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in prison as well as a $10,000 monetary fine. 

Robert Alvarez is scheduled to be arraigned today in an Hidalgo County courtroom.  One wonders how many TV cameras will be there.