Wayne deputy pleads guilty to drug trafficking and wire fraud conspiracies
A former Wayne County deputy has pleaded guilty to his role in drug trafficking and wire fraud conspiracies.
A news release from the U.S. Office of the District Attorney states Michael Kenneth Cox, age 49, pleaded guilty to two federal charges related to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and a procurement mail and wire fraud conspiracy.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Cox was employed by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office from 1996 until he retired in 2018.
Cox, who was the head of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office drug unit, pleaded guilty to:
- Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone and marijuana
- Conspiracy to commit procurement wire and mail fraud
Cox faces up to 20 years for each charge.
Federal investigators said, from 2016 to 2021, Cox and another Wayne deputy, Christopher Worth, ran a bid-rigging scheme to direct contracts for upfits of Wayne County Sheriff's Office vehicles to Cox’s business, Eastern Emergency Equipment. Worth also worked for Cox’s auto shop and pleaded guilty with Cox to conspiracy to commit procurement wire and mail fraud.
According to court documents, Cox also helped various drug traffickers in Wayne County evade charges while he was a deputy.
The DOJ said Cox once intercepted a drug trafficker who had made an illegal drug purchase.
"Rather than arrest the trafficker, he seized the drugs and reimbursed him $2,000 for the sale, claiming it had been a planned, controlled purchase," the news release read.
“As a leader of the drug unit, Cox’s job was to put drug traffickers behind bars, not go into business with them,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Corruption like this undermines our institutions, cheats taxpayers and endangers the public ... we won’t stand for it.”
The FBI has investigated Cox since May 2022. On Aug. 29, Cox was arrested by the FBI at his auto shop in Goldsboro. Cox was indicted in August of 2023.
