A former Memphis police officer, Arica Hutchison, admitted to stealing over $18,000 in Crime Stoppers reward money and was sentenced to six months in federal prison. Although the case had been kept under wraps, investigators recently uncovered the details through federal court records.
Hutchison, a veteran officer of 17 years, had access to the Crime Stoppers database, where she manipulated information to help herself and a co-conspirator, identified as “KB,” obtain fraudulent payouts. From August 2023 to February 2024, Hutchison used her position to enter fake data, leading to two significant reward payouts.
Hutchison was responsible for reviewing Crime Stoppers tips and passing them on to investigators. However, in late 2023, records show that she altered the database to divert two separate rewards before their scheduled payouts.
Hutchison may not have been aware that the system logged every modification made by users, leaving a clear trail of her actions.
On January 10, FBI agents from the Memphis Field Office conducted surveillance and witnessed “KB” collecting the reward money at a designated Crime Stoppers payout location. Through this scheme, Hutchison and her accomplice managed to pocket $18,500 in rewards.
Hutchison was placed on leave in February 2024 as the investigation unfolded. She resigned from the Memphis Police Department in April, just before the internal probe concluded. By June 3, she faced a federal charge for conspiracy to commit theft from a program receiving federal funds and pleaded guilty the same day. Two weeks ago, Hutchison was sentenced to six months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. In addition to her sentence, she is required to pay $22,000 in restitution and complete a range of court-mandated programs, including mental health counseling, financial literacy classes, and substance abuse treatment.
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