Former Police Officer Convicted of Depriving Woman of Civil Rights and Obstructing Federal Investigation
MONTGOMERY, Ala. / Monday, September 21, 2026 — Today, United States Attorney Thomas Govan announced that a former police officer has been convicted for using his position to violate a woman’s constitutional right to bodily integrity while responding to a shoplifting call.
On September 18, 2026, a federal jury found Markelle Jaquan Cox, 32, guilty on four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and three counts of obstruction of justice.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on October 20, 2023, Cox, then a Montgomery Police Department (MPD) officer, responded to a shoplifting report at a department store on the Eastern Boulevard. During the investigation, he handcuffed the victim and escorted her to his patrol vehicle. While she was restrained, Cox engaged in unlawful and abusive sexual contact, including touching intimate areas of her body, with some of the touching occurring under her clothing. Cox later removed the handcuffs and forced the victim to touch him.
Because the victim did not speak English, Cox used a translation app to solicit sex. He then directed her to unlock her phone so he could add his phone number before letting her leave the scene. The victim then contacted 911 and went to MPD headquarters to file a complaint.
MPD immediately opened an investigation and interviewed Cox, who denied the allegations. Body‑camera footage, however, corroborated the victim’s account. Even after being told of the evidence, Cox continued to deny wrongdoing. A search of both phones confirmed the added phone number and use of the translation app.
In rendering its guilty verdict, the jury determined that Cox used his authority as a law enforcement officer to facilitate the abuse and later provided false information to MPD investigators to obstruct the investigation.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in the coming months. At that hearing, Cox faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the Montgomery Police Department and FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Counts, Christine Levi, and Faith Mote of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Alabama
