The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit has upheld the felony obstruction of justice conviction against former Albuquerque police officer Brad Ahrensfield, court records show.
Ahrensfield was sentenced to six months and a day in prison in September 2011 for tipping off a friend about a 2009 investigation into allegations of narcotics and stolen merchandise trafficking out of the friend's business.
Last year's trial was the second against Ahrensfield. In 2010, he was found innocent of lying to the FBI , and the jury hung on the obstruction of justice charge.
A hrensf ield's attor ney, Jason Bowles, said he plans to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"The government acted unethically," Bowles said Wednesday, the same day the Appeals Court issued its opinion. "I'm taking this case as far as I can to expose the government for what they did to a guy who did not commit a crime."
He said Ahrensfield likely will have to report for his prison term some time in the next 90 days -- unless the high court agrees to hear the case within that time.
A local and federal law enforcement task force began investigating The Car Shop, where A hrensf ield's son worked, in September 2009 after getting tips that drugs and stolen goods were being trafficked out of the shop. A confidential informant bought drugs from one of the shop's mechanics on three occasions, according to authorities.
Ahrensfield was not involved in the investigation, but he learned about it from a fellow officer and told Shawn Bryan, the shop's owner, about it.
Bryan, a close friend of Ahrensfield's, has not been charged with any crime.
Copyright 2012 - Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
