Former Prince George’s County police officer sentenced to 16 months in prison for tax evasion

GREENBELT, Md. - A former Prince George's County lieutenant was sentenced Monday to 16 months in federal prison for a tax evasion charge in connection with a separate business he ran. 

Edward Scott Finn, 48, of Dunkirk, Maryland will now have to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss, totaling $367,765. The U.S. District judge also ordered Finn to serve two years of supervised release after his 16-month prison bid. 

"Law enforcement officers are not above the law, and we will hold them accountable as we would anyone for their criminal actions," said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. 

"Despite Finn’s position of trust as an officer of the law, he lied and stole from the government.  He used his Secondary Law Enforcement Employment (SLEE) to propel his greed," said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. "Today’s sentence articulates financial crimes do not pay." 

According to court documents, Finn served on the Prince George's County Police force from December 26, 1995 to April 26, 2021. 

From 2014 to 2021, Finn admitted to using his private company Edward Finn Inc. (EFI), and employed off-duty police officers to provide security services to apartment complexes and other businesses, primarily in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, to manage and operate his Secondary Law Enforcement Employment (SLEE) companies. 

Court docs show Finn underreported a total of more than $1.3 million of EFI income on his tax returns between 2014 and 2019. He also admitted to creating false business expenses to lower his taxes by writing checks to friends and family and using business funds to buy a boat, a car, and other items for his personal use.