Mississippi officer charged with extortion, blackmail during traffic stop

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GULFPORT, Miss. — An officer with the Ruleville Police Department in Mississippi is now in jail and facing criminal charges after allegedly extorting an illegal immigrant during a routine traffic stop, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

36-year-old Antonio Artez Wade is charged with extortion under Title 18 of the U.S. Code, blackmail under Title 18 of the U.S. Code, and deprivation of rights under color of law in violation of Title 18 of the U.S. Code.

The attorney’s office said court records show that when Wade conducted a traffic stop of the victim and discovered they did not have anything to prove identification or le