Corrupt Cops In HWY-101 Shakedown Scheme Sentenced

ROHNERT PARK-COTATI, CA — Two former police officers in Rohnert Park were sentenced Wednesday to prison after jurors found they used fake federal authority to extort marijuana from drivers along Highway 101 and later tried to cover up the scheme with falsified police reports.

U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney sentenced Joseph Huffaker to 20 months in federal prison and Brendon Jacy Tatum to 30 months.

Judge Chesney also ordered three years of supervised release for both men and restitution payments totaling $301,145.70 from Tatum and $20,000 from Huffaker.

Federal prosecutors said the former officers targeted drivers they suspected of carrying large amounts of marijuana, stopped them while off duty, falsely claimed to be federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and threatened arrests if drivers challenged the seizures. Prosecutors said the men later sold the marijuana for personal gain.

A federal jury convicted Huffaker in July 2025 on six felony counts, including extortion under color of official right, impersonating a federal officer, falsifying records in a federal investigation, and conspiracy. Tatum pleaded guilty in 2021 to conspiracy, falsifying records, and tax evasion before later testifying against Huffaker at trial.

Court records showed both men worked for the former interdiction unit operated by the City of Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety between 2014 and early 2017. The unit conducted traffic stops along Highway 101 between Cloverdale and Rohnert Park in efforts to seize illegal drugs.

Prosecutors said the illegal roadside seizures continued even after the interdiction team shut down. In December 2017, Huffaker and Tatum allegedly stopped drivers while off duty, out of uniform, and without body cameras before confiscating marijuana through threats and falsely claiming to be ATF agents.

After extorting the marijuana, Huffaker and Tatum sold it for personal profit. These seizures occurred while the officers were not on duty and not wearing their uniforms or body-worn cameras.

The scheme unraveled after the FBI received a citizen complaint in 2018 from a driver who said police officers had shaken him down on the highway.

Investigators reported that Huffaker and Tatum created a false police incident report months after one of the traffic stops and forwarded the fabricated documents to the FBI during the investigation.

A jury found that Huffaker and Tatum falsified the police report regarding an unlawful December 18 traffic stop and marijuana seizure. Tatum then forwarded a falsified press release and the report to an FBI agent who was investigating the stop.

Tatum also admitted stealing marijuana from the Rohnert Park police station in 2015 and 2016, conducting additional highway extortions, and evading taxes.

Huffaker is scheduled to report to prison on Sept. 15, while Tatum must surrender on Jan. 11, 2027.

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