Crime & Safety

Middlesex Sergeant Guilty on Cocaine Charges

The sheriff's officer was pressuring an inmate for money and drugs and conducted a drug transaction with an undercover state trooper, according to the district attorney's office.

Michael Dell'Isola, 52, of Somerville, a sergeant with the Middlesex County Sheriff's Department, was found guilty Wednesday on charges that he received money and cocaine from an undercover state trooper, according to an announcement from the Middlesex District Attorney's office.

Dell'Isola was found guilty after a six-day jury trial in Middlesex Superior Court, the announcement said.

According to a statement from Middlesex County District Attorney Gerard Leone, "This defendant abused his position of authority by participating in illegal drug activities while on duty as a sergeant in the Middlesex Sheriff's Department."

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According to the DA's office, Dell'Isola was pressuring an inmate to provide him with money and cocaine, and in an investigation into the matter, state police followed several phone calls in which Dell'Isola told an undercover officer he wanted the money and drugs.

On May 2, 2011, Dell'Isola met with an undercover officer at a coffee shop in Woburn, and the trooper handed Dell'Isola a coffee cup filled with cocaine and $500, the announcement says. He was subsequently arrested.

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In court Wednesday, Middlesex Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Fahey sentenced Dell'Isola to one year in prison, six months to be served and the remainder suspended for five years following probation conditions, which includes attending a drug treatment program, according to the announcement.

In an statement emailed to Patch, Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian said that after receiving an anonymous tip, his office conducted an investigation into allegations of drug use by Dell'Isola. The Sheriff's Office's internal affairs unit "immediately" turned over information gathered during its probe to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and worked with the State Police throughout the subsequent investigation.

"The actions of Mr. Dell'Isola in this case are troubling, but they should not be allowed to taint the good work performed each and every day by the dedicated men and women of the Middlesex Sheriff's Office," Koutoujian said in the statement. "I would like to thank the Massachusetts State Police and District Attorney Gerry Leone and his staff for their hard work and professionalism throughout this case."


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