A 33-year-old former police officer of Nigerian descent, Sinmi Asomuyide, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison—followed by three years of supervised release—for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl while on duty in Indiana, United States.
Abuse of badge and on-duty abduction
According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Asomuyide was convicted in June 2026 on federal charges of deprivation of rights under color of law, witness tampering, and destruction of records.
Prosecutors revealed that on June 30, 2024, while serving with the Kokomo Police Department in Indiana, Asomuyide encountered the 14-year-old victim after her father reported her as a runaway.
While transporting her to a youth center, he switched off his body-worn camera and secretly used her phone to call his personal TextNow number to establish contact.
Later that night, after logging a request for overtime duty, he left the police station in full uniform, picked up the teenager from a family friend’s residence under the pretext of returning a confiscated item, handcuffed her, and drove her to an isolated warehouse parking lot where he assaulted her inside his patrol vehicle.
DNA evidence and prior misconduct uncovered
Following the victim’s report to authorities, forensic investigators recovered DNA evidence inside Asomuyide’s police cruiser matching him, alongside digital records showing internet searches on how to erase his TextNow messaging account.
Court documents further revealed that Asomuyide had previously resigned from a police department in Virginia following a similar misconduct allegation involving a 15-year-old girl, but concealed the circumstances during his recruitment into the Kokomo Police Department.
Justice Department and FBI condemn betrayal of trust
Reacting to the sentencing, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated that the defendant had been held accountable for a horrific crime against a child, expressing hope for the survivor’s recovery.
U.S. Attorney Tom Wheeler and FBI Special Agent in Charge Timothy O’Malley condemned the gross abuse of authority, noting that law enforcement officers entrusted with protecting vulnerable children must face the full weight of federal law when they violate their oath.
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