The report found that police disproportionately pulled over African-American drivers, issuing them hefty fines for minor traffic infractions. The DOJ report accused the city of using such fines to generate revenue for the city.
When arriving at his court, Judge Brockmeyer would then add additional court fees. Those who could not pay the fines were sent to prison. Forced to pay fines for being in prison, the amount they owed dramatically increased and some were kept behind bars for months. As a result, those who had jobs would lose them and some parents were kept from their kids.
Brockmeyer also serves as a prosecutor in neighboring cities which the DOJ has cited as a conflict of interest. They found that, as a judge, Brockmeyer actually boasted of creating the new fees to drive in additional revenue, fees which the DOJ called abusive.
The practice has also led to a class action lawsuit of residents against the city for violations of their rights.
“Once locked in the Ferguson jail, impoverished people owing debts to the city endure grotesque treatment,” the complaint reads. “They are kept in overcrowded cells; they are denied toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap; they are subjected to the constant stench of excrement and refuse in their congested cells [and] they are surrounded by walls smeared with mucus and blood.”
A new report found that, on top of the corruption, Brockmeyer also shirked his federal tax obligations, owing $172,646 in unpaid taxes. The Guardian newspaper reports that there are federal tax liens filed against Brockmeyer by the Internal Revenue Service for tens of thousands of dollars in overdue personal income taxes and that he also owes tens of thousands in employer taxes for his law firm.
The article also notes that he owns three properties in the St Louis area.
