By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
FOUR police officers were charged yesterday with attempting to extort a suspect in a $1.475m airport bank truck heist in November 2023.
One of the officers, Sergeant Deangelo Rolle, 33, was charged alongside former Chief Superintendent Michael Johnson and attorney Bjorn Ferguson earlier this month in connection with a bribery scandal linked to the bank truck heist.
Rolle, along with officers Chavez Sawyer, 33, Benson Miller, 57, and Nelson Miller, 39, appeared before Senior Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux on a charge of attempted extortion.
Prosecutors allege that the men, while employed as public officers, attempted to demand money belonging to the Bank of the Bahamas from Akeil Holmes on November 3, 2023.
Holmes, a former ICS security officer, is accused of stealing $1.475m from the bank during a security vehicle heist at Lynden Pindling International Airport on November 2, 2023. He is awaiting trial.
The four officers, who were interdicted at police headquarters before their 4pm arraignment, elected to have their case heard before the magistrate and pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution did not object to bail, which was set at $8,000 with one or two sureties each. As part of their bail conditions, they must sign in at their local police station every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday by 6pm. They were also ordered not to contact or interfere with any witnesses.
Their attorney, Calvin Seymour, attempted to reduce the bail amount, citing the late hour of their arraignment, but the magistrate upheld the original conditions.
Their trial is scheduled for April 7–11.
Michael Johnson, who headed the Criminal Investigation Department before announcing his retirement, was previously charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, stealing, receiving, and accessory after the fact to stealing. Ferguson is charged with accessory after the fact to stealing, while Rolle also faces a charge of abetment to stealing.
Johnson is accused of involvement in the alleged theft of $90,000, which was reportedly taken from the $1.475m stolen during the airport bank security heist while in police custody that same year.
A voice note, purportedly capturing a conversation between several men about the alleged bribe, was leaked in May 2024. The leak reportedly triggered a months-long investigation by police.
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