PITTSBURGH Borrowed badge leads to charges

The defendant is charged with letting another man use his badge.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A western Pennsylvania constable has been indicted on allegations he lied to federal agents after a German man was caught skirting a security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport using his badge.
Constable William DeForte, 32, of Findlay, Pa., was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on a charge that he lied to U.S. Customs agents in interviews after Michael Kobold's arrest at the airport Dec. 8.
DeForte said he was stunned by the charges but declined to comment further, saying he had not seen the indictment.
Kobold, 23, a German citizen, used DeForte's borrowed badge to get past screeners at the airport and enter the international terminal to see his brother off, according to court records. Under new federal rules, people aren't allowed into screening or boarding areas without tickets.
German awaits trial
Kobold was caught after a U.S. Customs agent saw him hug his brother and walk away. Kobold initially told the agent he lost his law enforcement identification while making an arrest and had also lost his Pennsylvania license but later admitted DeForte gave him the badge. Kobold is free on $100,000 bail awaiting trial.
In the indictment Tuesday, prosecutors allege that DeForte lied to federal agents, telling them he gave the badge to Kobold only as a keepsake, but an investigation showed he had used his badge to help Kobold get other badges.
DeForte faces as many as 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine if convicted.