ST. LOUIS -- A police dispatcher pocketed thousands of dollars raised for an injured police officer and gambled the money away.
On Monday, April Briscuso was sentenced to five years, all of which were suspended. She was placed on five years of probation, 60 days of ‘shock’ time in jail, and will be required to pay the $9,500 in retribution within 30 days. Briscuso is not allowed to enter any gaming facility.
“She made a mistake but with that comes accountability and consequences,” said Officer Craig Tudor, who read an impact statement at Monday’s sentencing. “I wanted to express how her actions have affected not only my life and my wife, but also anybody that is in my position.”
When a patrol car crash paralyzed Hazelwood Police Officer Craig Tudor in 2016, Hazelwood dispatcher April Briscuso put out the call for fundraisers. She hosted several events and collected as much as $75,000 in Tudor’s name.
Briscuso chose not to say anything at Monday’s sentencing. Officer Tudor said that she has never reached out with an apology, but he’s not angry and, “we are all called to forgive people.”
