A former New York State Police trooper was convicted of evidence tampering, leaking confidential information regarding a major narcotics investigation in Western New York, Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday.
Rosalia Flower, 35, of Lancaster, was found to have taken photographs on her personal cellphone of classified information, which was shared with a friend. According to James, that leaked photograph was shared with targets of the investigation, causing part of the investigation to shut down.
Flower resigned from state police and plead guilty last week to one count of attempted tampering with physical evidence, a misdemeanor.
"We hold our law enforcement professionals to the highest standards and trust them to keep New Yorkers safe,” James said in the release. “This investigation was compromised because a trooper flagrantly disregarded her duty and put law enforcement officers and New York families in danger."
The investigation resulted in 17 arrests.
As part of her conviction, Flower is barred from serving as a police or peace officer for the state.