One of two Pima County jail corrections officers arrested in October on computer-tampering charges pleaded no contest Friday and could be placed on probation as a result.
Keith Doty, 22, and Sameer Ibrahim Qasem, 38, were arrested after an FBI investigation revealed they had accessed a Pima County sheriff's database for purposes outside their official responsibilities, officials said at the time of the arrests.
On Friday, Doty acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him of accessing the computer without authorization, defense attorney Brick Storts said.
Court documents indicate Doty accessed the computer to look at a relative's record.
Next month, Judge Richard Fields of Pima County Superior Court must decide if he will accept the deal, and if so, if the crime should be designated a felony or a misdemeanor, or if it should be left undesignated, Storts said.
People are also reading…
If the crime is designated a misdemeanor, Doty could be sentenced to probation or up to a maximum six months in jail. If it's a felony, Doty could receive probation or get up to two years in prison.
If the crime is left undesignated, Doty would have to serve at least 18 months' probation before he could ask for the crime to be designated a misdemeanor.
Doty will have to pay a $2,100 fine to the Arizona Attorney General's Office's anti-racketeering fund for the cost of the investigation, court documents indicate.
Qasem, whose case is still pending, is facing 26 counts of computer tampering.
The men were said to have accessed the database between March 2007 and May 2008, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Qasem was hired January 2003; Doty was hired in July 2006.
Qasem's brother, 36-year-old Jameel Qasem, also was arrested during the investigation, the Attorney General's Office said.
He is accused of procuring and possessing two fake driver's licenses and two fake Social Security cards.
His case is also still pending.
