Zollicoffer v. Prince George’s County Police Department
Summary
The Mission
Join us in supporting a real-life hero, Lieutenant Sonya Laura Zollicoffer (from now on, “Sonya” or “Lt. Zollicoffer”), as she courageously battles against corruption and injustice within the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD). Sonya's tale is one of betrayal and resilience, a gripping saga that exposes a web of conspiracy and retaliation at the highest levels of law enforcement.
Sonya's 20-year career, marked by unwavering dedication to duty and integrity, was abruptly derailed by corrupt officials intent on covering up a multimillion-dollar corruption scheme. Despite rising to the rank of Police Lieutenant, Sonya faced deceit, fraud, and fabricated charges orchestrated by those that she once served alongside.
Sonya is a mother, a grandmother, and a true contributor to her community. By 2018, she had become a highly respected and revered Police Lieutenant, one of only eight Black Women Lieutenants in a Police Department of close to 1,200 officers.
Sonya's meticulous investigative talents threatened to uncover the truth behind decades of corruption involving active-duty PGPD officers. As she fought for justice, she was met with obstacles, deception, and retaliation orchestrated by her superiors, including destroying vital evidence depicting illegal actions.
Now, Sonya is taking her battle to the courtroom, challenging the PGPD's actions through legal avenues. But this will be a long and arduous fight against formidable opponents determined to silence her.
That's why we need YOUR help. Your donation will fund Sonya's court battles, providing her with the resources to fight corruption and injustice. Together, we can send a powerful message to police departments across the USA that such abuses of power will not go unchallenged.
Join us in supporting Sonya as she fights for truth, transparency, and accountability in law enforcement. Every dollar counts in this vital battle for justice.
Please help us make a difference and ensure that Sonya's story ends with justice served.
We would greatly appreciate any amount you can provide to help Sonya win her case.
She alone can't pay for all the astronomical legal expenses. It is a shame that individuals are required to be able to afford impossible amounts of legal costs to obtain justice. Out of any amount of money from the award upon winning the case, Sonya will donate the funds raised here to a non-profit that will help others in the same struggle to afford the costs of seeking justice.
We Thank You in advance for your donation!
Serving as a Television Spokesperson for the Department
Overview of the Case – Why Sonya Will Win!
This case is about a conspiracy to cover up a multimillion-dollar corruption scheme that spanned decades and reached the highest levels of the PGPD. To protect their millions in graft & corruption, corrupt police officials conspired to destroy the 20-year career of a brilliant and dedicated Black Woman who rose to the exalted rank of Police Lieutenant and was on the cusp of earning her Captain’s rank when these corrupt officials succeeded in forcing her out of the PGPD through deceit, fraud, lies, misrepresentation, destruction of evidence, fabricated charges, and a kangaroo court convened by co-conspirators.
Three different Maryland police departments, PGPD, Anne Arundel County PD, and Howard County PD, joined the conspiracy. They assembled and convened the kangaroo court, whose outcome was pre-determined. This was an unprecedented marshaling of forces, and co-conspirators convened for the sole purpose of silencing Sonya.
Sonya, known for her brilliant and meticulous work, was promoted to Lieutenant. But shortly after that, Sonya’s illustrious 20-year journey takes a tumultuous turn when she is abruptly transferred from her role as an investigator in the PGPD Internal Affairs Division (“IAD”) and sent to the patrol division during Sonya’s recovery from breast cancer.
Sonya's transfer from IAD is revealed as a sinister ploy to mask the illegal actions of two police officers charged in an IAD Case that Sonya was prosecuting and to retaliate against her for her involvement in a successful employment discrimination lawsuit. But the coverup was not only about those two officers. It was an effort to cover up a decades-long, multimillion-dollar corruption scheme that used active duty PGPD police officers, including the two officers that Sonya was investigating, to perform various security and protection services for all sorts of nefarious characters – this during times when these police - were presumably on-duty and being paid by the PGPD. They feared that due to Sonya’s superior investigative talents, she would uncover their malfeasance and jeopardize their lucrative cash flow.
The plot thickens when Sonya’s assigned IAD Case is reassigned to another investigator, Sgt Winston Wilson, without her knowledge or consent and without her supervisor’s knowledge. Despite Sonya’s best efforts to investigate further and uncover the truth, she is met with obstacles and deception orchestrated by her superiors, including Captain Watkins, who never informed her or her supervisor of the reassignment, and Major Kathleen Mills – who may have been the ringmaster in all of this.
As Sonya navigates the murky waters of PGPD's internal affairs, she faces disciplinary action based on trumped-up charges of "Unbecoming Conduct" and "Violation of Laws; Misrepresentation of Facts." The charges stem from Sonya’s seeking the official videotape in her case after discovering that the vital 7 minutes depicting the illegal & excessive use of force had been erased from her copy. Sonya reasoned that vital evidence had been destroyed if the official PGPD video also lacked these 7 minutes. When Sonya inquired about the destroyed evidence, she was subjected to the full force and fury of the PGPD Brass.
Sonya then contacted her Union, the Fraternal Order of Police (“FOP”) for help. But, having joined the conspiracy, the FOP, fully aware of the fatal conflict of interest they were creating, assigned Atty Shaun Owens to represent her, the exact attorney they assigned to represent the two officers that Sonya was prosecuting for excessive use of force. Above her protests and Atty Shawn Owens' questionable representation, Sonya is demoted and forced to retire, a move orchestrated to protect the offending officers and corrupt Police Brass and to retaliate against Sonya for her unwavering dedication to justice.
Through it all, Sonya stands firm, challenging the PGPD's actions through legal avenues. She alleges anticipatory breach of contract, claiming that the defendants breached a settlement agreement negotiated with Sonya and her co-plaintiffs while simultaneously continuing retaliatory actions against Sonya despite promising to cease such behavior. Sonya's resilience and determination serve as a beacon of hope, highlighting the importance of standing up against injustice and fighting for what is right, even in the face of adversity. This will send a message to police departments all over the USA that these sorts of shenanigans will not stand.
As her story unfolds in the courtroom, the world will watch with bated breath, eager to see justice served and the truth revealed. Sonya's saga is a stark reminder of the power dynamics and conflicts of interest that can plague institutions of authority, underscoring the need for transparency, accountability, and integrity in all aspects of law and justice.
Again, we would like to ask you to please donate as much as you can to help Sonya on her road to seeking justice through the legal system.
She alone can't pay for all the astronomical legal expenses. It is a shame that individuals are required to be able to afford impossible amounts of legal costs to obtain justice. Out of any amount of money from the award upon winning the case, Sonya will donate the funds raised here to a non-profit that will help others in the same struggle to afford the costs of seeking justice.
Thank You!
