A former Braddock police officer who pleaded guilty on Friday to a series of robberies and thefts he committed while on the job in 2011 and 2012 will serve a prison sentence.

“I am not challenging the evidence,” defendant James Scuffle, 31, of Plum told Westmoreland County Judge Rita Hathaway.

Scuffle told the judge he originally planned to reject the plea bargain that called for a sentence of two to six years because it was six months too long. But he accepted the deal after meeting privately with defense lawyer Lee Rothman.

“If you went to trial, and if you were convicted, you could get a significantly longer sentence, especially because you were a police officer and you abused your power,” Hathaway said.

Scuffle enlisted recovering heroin addicts to help him burglarize several homes in Westmoreland County and then blackmailed them to keep quiet about the crimes, prosecutors said. Scuffle took cocaine from his Braddock police locker to give to a woman so she would not cooperate with police during the investigation, police said.

According to police, Scuffle plotted burglaries at a campground in Donegal Township and a store in New Alexandria and stole a motorcycle.

In 2012, police said, Scuffle stole a credit card during a prostitution arrest he made while on duty in Braddock.

Scuffle's former girlfriend, Billie Jo Fosnaught of West Deer, testified that Scuffle gave her a camouflage, 12-gauge shotgun he confiscated from a Braddock police case to sell for cash to purchase drugs.

Prosecutors said more than $40,000 of emergency equipment including bunker gear, boots, special coats and traffic vests, ropes and gloves were recovered from Scuffle's home. Police said the equipment was the property of the Wilkins Township Volunteer Fire Department in Allegheny County.

Rich Cholodofsky is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.

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