Phoenix police officer resigns after arrest on federal fraud charges

PHOENIX — A former Phoenix police officer is facing federal fraud charges after recently being arrested by the FBI, authorities said.

Toni Richardson submitted her letter of resignation before she was formally terminated, the Phoenix Police Department said in a press release Wednesday.

Richardson was arrested Dec. 1 on an Nov. 23 indictment charging her with conspiracy, bank fraud and money laundering, federal court records state. She has pleaded not guilty.

Police said the department was in the process of terminating her employment prior to receiving her resignation due to the circumstances surrounding the arrest.

“The city of Phoenix takes allegations of criminal conduct by our employees very seriously,” the department wrote in the release.

“The alleged actions of this employee go against the core values of the city and everything we stand for as public servants.”

The indictment alleged that Richardson and co-defendant Willie Mitchell sought and obtained pandemic relief funding for a social club by falsely claiming it had numerous employees whose jobs the funding would protect.

Instead, the money was spent on personal expenses and transferred into personal accounts, the indictment said.

Court records indicated Mitchell was arrested last week in Texas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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