A former Tucson police officer who resigned from the department in the midst of a prostitution scandal has relinquished his state police certification, documents show.
The Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training Board voted Wednesday to allow Michael McGuire to permanently give up his Arizona peace officer certification “without admitting any allegations that may have been made against him,” AZPOST documents obtained by the Arizona Daily Star show.
Without his certification, McGuire will be unable to work as a peace officer in Arizona.
The agreement also stipulates that McGuire waives his right to any hearing, appeal or judicial review of the matter.
McGuire was a sergeant and 15-year veteran of the department when he resigned last June, after TPD officials began an internal investigation into several department employees’ alleged involvement in a long-running prostitution ring in Tucson.
Between the criminal investigation, internal affairs investigation and McGuire’s own statements, investigators determined that he was a customer of illegal massage businesses, the AZPOST document says.
In addition, McGuire admitted to paying for sex as far back as December 2013, the document says.
Investigators found that McGuire exchanged text messages with the alleged operator of one of the prostitution businesses while he was on duty, according to TPD’s internal affairs report.
Last April, during his first interview with internal affairs investigators, McGuire admitted to receiving a “VIP massage,” which ended with a sexual act, the report shows.
He told investigators that he’d received legitimate massages before, and this was his first and only VIP massage. But when asked during how many other appointments the masseuse had touched his penis, he said, “Pretty much all of them,” the report says.
McGuire also admitted to paying money for each massage, the report says.
When investigators asked him if he engaged in acts of prostitution, McGuire said, “… it would be, fall under prostitution, I guess,” according to the report.
During his second interview with internal affairs in June, McGuire admitted to having received massages from another woman that ended in sexual acts, requested a break and resigned from the department, the report said.
Despite his resignation, the internal investigation continued, and in July Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor announced that McGuire’s final disposition was changed to “terminated.”
The Pima County Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute any of the officers who were part of the criminal investigation into the businesses.
Another terminated officer, Daniel Santa Cruz, is also facing loss of his certification.
In December, the board voted to initiate proceedings against Santa Cruz, whose case will be heard before an administrative judge. The board will meet sometime in the next several months to vote on the judge’s findings.
