Retired Detroit cop gets 15 months in prison for accepting bribes

A retired Detroit cop was sentenced to 15 months in prison for accepting bribes, becoming the second public official to be jailed as part of a broadening FBI investigation into corruption in the towing industry.

Alonzo Jones, 55, accepted about $3,200 in cash bribes from July 2019 to May 2021 in exchange for falsifying state forms that enabled a confidential source and undercover agent to take ownership of abandoned vehicles. State law requires those vehicles to be sold at a public auction.

Jones resigned in 2019 after overseeing the Detroit Police Vehicle Auction.

The FBI investigation, dubbed Operation Northern Hook, is targeting corrupt ties between public officials and the towing industry.

Former Detroit City Councilman Andre Spivey was the first public official to be sentenced to prison for his role in the scandal. Spivey was sentenced to two years in prison for accepting more than $35,000 in bribes.

The FBI also raided the homes and offices of Councilman Scott Benson and former Councilwoman Janeé Ayers in August. They have not yet been charged.

So far, the investigation has led to criminal charges against five current and former Detroit cops.

In a previous towing scandal, six Detroit cops were sentenced in an extortion scheme.

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