Cincinnati police officers charged with allegedly reporting no more than $ 50,000 in off-duty income

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

A federal grand jury has charged a Cincinnati police officer with failing to report the tens of thousands of dollars made off-duty at nightclub jobs in the area.

Diondore Winstead, 44, of Cincinnati, is charged with filing false tax returns on three counts. He allegedly failed to report more than $ 58,000 from outside work in the 2015, 2016, and 2017 tax years.

Winstead was first charged with a federal criminal complaint and arrested on August 18 for the complaint.

According to court documents, Winstead is being charged as part of an investigation into suspected drug money laundering organizations that operate as nightclubs in Cincinnati. Promoters allegedly use drug revenue to pay artists and performers in the nightclubs to generate revenue that appears legitimate.

Winstead, a Cincinnati police officer more than 16 years old, worked off duty in the clubs and received cash payments from promoters.

Vipal J. Patel, Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Representative, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and the Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac announced the charges. United States Assistant Attorney Kenneth L. Parker is representing the United States in this case.

Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) are assisting the investigation into this case.

An indictment is just an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven in court.