Pima County Sheriff's Department's former chief deputy was sentenced to probation in federal court Friday.
Christopher Radtke, who had served a second-in-command to the county sheriff, pleaded guilty in February to three misdemeanor counts of theft of federal funds, after he was indicted in September onΒ felony counts of conspiracy to launder money and theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. His plea was accepted by a judge this morning.
Radtke was sentenced to one year of probation. He also was fined $3,000 and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service in the next year.
The charges stemmed from a 2015 Star investigation about cafes located in sheriff's headquarters and the Pima County jail, rent-free and without a required county contract.
After the news story ran, the FBI began an investigation into the department's use of federal money and learned that Radtke and others embezzled roughly $500,000 in money seized under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO.
In February, Radtke told a federal judge that since 1998, the department was involved in practices to divert RICO money intended for the sheriff's auxiliary volunteers fun, that was intended for crime fighting and prevention purposes.
Radtke admitted that he became part of the practice about six years ago. The three charges he pleaded guilty to are for theft of less than $1,000.Β
To date, no one else has been charged in connection with the investigation.
