A New York State Police narcotics investigator has been arrested for allegedly tipping off a fentanyl dealer about a covert investigation and then lying to the feds.
Michael O’Flaherty, 42, of Poughkeepsie, exploited his position of public trust to help a “prolific” drug dealer evade law enforcement, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement Thursday.
The unidentified dealer, who previously served as an informant for the state police under the supervision of O’Flaherty, was “responsible for distributing tens of thousands of potentially deadly fentanyl pills,” according to Williams.
O’Flaherty is accused of telling the dealer about a 2022 investigation into fentanyl pill distribution linked to multiple overdose deaths in upstate New York’s Dutchess County.
According to a report released that year, Dutchess County had the highest rate of overdose deaths in the state, with 43.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Among the 106 opioid-involved OD deaths recorded in the county in 2022, 98 of them involved fentanyl, officials said.
When speaking with members of the team assigned to the fentanyl investigation, O’Flaherty “expressed a willingness to assist,” but maintained a personal relationship with the dealer unbeknownst to his supervisors, prosecutors said.
While pretending to collaborate with his colleagues, O’Flaherty allegedly told the dealer about the ongoing investigation, advised them to destroy evidence and even “tried to dig for sensitive details about the investigation,” including the identity of another confidential source within the dealer’s network.
He also tried to hide the nature of his relationship with the dealer by failing to tell his supervisors about personal phone calls and texts they’d exchanged, and ultimately by lying to federal investigators.
O’Flaherty was arrested Thursday morning and charged with obstructing justice and making false statements to federal agents.
“The defendant’s alleged conduct betrayed the oath he swore to protect New Yorkers and jeopardized the safety of fellow law enforcement officers,” U.S. Attorney Williams said in a statement.