Two Denver Police Officers Facing Felony Theft Charges
Two Denver police officers have been charged with one count each of felony theft after they allegedly billed off-duty hours to a private employer for hours not worked. Officers Michael Pineda, 50, and Santana Pineda, 26, were arrested in Tuesday, July 26, 2022.
According to Denver police, the internal affairs investigation was initiated after it was discovered that the officers were not present at a scheduled, non-department paid off-duty job at the store located at 36th and Quebec Street on April 15.
Investigators spent hours reviewing surveillance video provided by the store and comparing it to the officers' timesheets. They discovered 23 shift discrepancies for Michael Pineda valued at $5,070 and 18 shift discrepancies for Santana Pineda valued at $3,751.50 for work not completed.
The officers began working off-duty for the store in October 2021, however, videos from the store as part of the investigation only went as far back as Feb. 28.
The Denver Police Department released this statement, "The Denver Police Department takes seriously any allegation of misconduct by officers, whether the complaint is initiated internally or externally, and has a robust disciplinary process which includes the Denver Department of Safety and the Office of the Independent monitor, a civilian oversight agency. When the evidence obtained through an Internal Affairs investigation indicates a possible law violation, such as in this case, the findings are presented to the Denver District Attorney's Office for determination as to whether or not criminal charges are appropriate."
Michael Pineda joined the Denver Police Department in 2004, and Santana Pineda, Michael's son, joined the department in 2019. Both officers are assigned to the DPD Patrol Division. They were placed on paid administrative leave on July 11 and then placed on non-paid administrative leave due to the felony arrest.
