Mel Steele, a former Boston police officer who worked in Jackson Square, was charged last month with making false statements to the FBI, according to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office.
Steele, who was on the Boston Police Department (BPD) Youth Violence Task Force, allegedly made the false statements to the FBI during an investigation into the Academy Homes Street Gang (AHSG), a violent drug gang that is based in Roxbury’s Academy Homes housing development. Steele has resigned from BPD.
BPD and Rudolph Miller, who is Steele’s attorney, both did not respond to requests for comment.
According to the press release, Steele was allegedly a long-time friend of an AHSG associate and provided assistance to that associate, including running a license plate check on an unmarked BPD vehicle that was being used to conduct surveillance on AHSG. Steele is also alleged to have contacted a State Trooper to attempt to get information about a gang member’s pending charges. He is alleged to have made false statements to the FBI in May 2011 about the aforementioned events.
If convicted, Steele faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.