Nigerian ex-US police officer jailed 40 years for handcuffing, raping minor

A United States federal court has sentenced Nigerian former police officer Sinmi Asomuyide, 33, to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl while on duty and attempting to conceal the crime through false statements and destruction of evidence.

A United States federal court has sentenced former officer Sinmi Asomuyide, 33, to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl while on duty in Indiana.

According to the US Department of Justice, as reported by Peoples Gazette, Asomuyide received three years of supervised release after his June 2026 conviction for deprivation of rights, witness tampering and destruction of records.

Court evidence showed that the officer encountered the teenager in 2024 after responding to a missing-child report.

He later handcuffed her, drove her to a secluded parking lot and assaulted her in his vehicle.

Investigators recovered DNA evidence from the vehicle and discovered searches on his phone concerning deletion of a messaging application.

Chief District Judge James Sweeney II imposed the sentence.

“What makes these crimes particularly disturbing is that he used the very tools, training, and authority entrusted to him as a police officer not only to assault a vulnerable child, but to try to conceal it,” prosecutor Tom Wheeler said.