COLUMBUS, Ohio — A former Columbus police narcotics officer was sentenced to more than five years for conspiring to distribute fentanyl.
John Kotchkoski, 33, pleaded guilty in 2022 as part of an agreement that includes forfeiting cash, firearms, vehicles including a Cadillac Escalade and a Corvette and a $500,000 money judgment against him. As part of his sentencing on Tuesday, Kotchkoski will receive five years of supervised release after his prison sentence of five years and five months.
According to court documents, the amount represents a conservative estimate of the proceeds he personally obtained by committing the crime.
Kotchkoski, along with another Columbus narcotics officer Marco Merino, was arrested in September 2021 by federal agents after authorities said the two conspired to traffic fentanyl from June to September 2021.
The elaborate plot was uncovered through cellphone data, confidential sources, FBI agents and recorded conversations. The two officers were netted in an FBI sting during the transportation of what they thought were illegal drugs.
Following his arrest, Kotchkoski remained in jail after allegations surfaced that he threatened to have Merino's family killed if Merino ever talked about any of their illegal activity.
The prosecutor argued Kotchkoski's culpability was greater because he was a police officer and he knew the dangers and risks of fentanyl.
During the sentencing, Judge Edmund Sargus Junior noted the significance of that year. It was a tragic year for overdose deaths. In Franklin County, 825 people died from overdose deaths in 2021. Most of them were caused by fentanyl. Sargus noted that Kotchkoski’s actions likely exposed many other people to the risks of the drug.
Kotchkoski apologized in court for his actions saying he was “blinded by money and greed” and “I knew the acts I committed were wrong and reckless.”
Sargus took Kotchkoski’s cooperation with the investigation into consideration when arriving at the sentencing. He said other cases wouldn’t have moved without his cooperation.
“Like most human beings, he’s not perfect,” said Sam Shamansky, Kotchkoski’s attorney. “The majority of John's career was personified by perfection. The end of it was ruined by his selfish and greedy acts, which he acknowledged. It takes a real man and courageous person to say it takes a real man and a courageous person to say out loud, 'Hey, I really screwed up. I put people at risk. I besmirched my reputation. I brought shame upon my department' and he stood there and took it like a man which takes great courage.”
The court also acknowledged Kotchkoski’s assistance in implicating three other officers and pointing out the vulnerabilities inside the Columbus Division of Police that allowed his crime to happen.
“The property room was vulnerable. The Columbus Police Department set-up was vulnerable like many institutions. It's got strengths and weaknesses and through our help that weakness, that vulnerability has been resolved and that saves lives,” said Shamansky.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant filed departmental charges against the two former officers. Merino resigned from his position and Kotchkoski was terminated.
Merino pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than eight kilograms of fentanyl and accepting bribes to protect the transportation of cocaine. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.