WASHINGTON D.C.— A federal grand jury in Georgia charged Angel Reyes and Gloria Gallego with conspiring with former Lowndes County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Stacks to use Stacks’ law enforcement make unlawful traffic stops so Gallego and Reyes could demand money to avoid arrest or deportation or both.
This violated the motorists’ constitutional rights to be free from unreasonable seizures, officials said.
Specifially, the indictment charges Reyes and Gallego with working with Stacks to unlawfully stop motorist T.C., and to use the threat of arrest and deportation to take $300 from T.C.
Additionally, the indictment charges Reyes with working with Stacks to detain motorist E.B. without probable cause in order to facilitate a robbery of E.B.’s home, according to officials.
The civil rights conspiracy charge against Reyes and Gallego carries a sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment. The additional charges for both carry a sentence of up to a year in prison, officials said.
Stacks plead guilty in April to conspiring to use his law enforcement authority to unlawfully detain and take money from motorists, officials said.