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Sunday, November 24, 2024

Prostitution charges filed against ex–GPD officer

The State Attorney's office filed three charges of prostitution against former Gainesville police officer Bill Billings Wednesday, after seven months of investigations revealed that he paid prostitutes for sex.

The internal affairs report states that 14 women said they had sex with the former corporal in his marked patrol car while he was on duty.

Billings, 51, resigned in August after the investigation began in June.

Although State Attorney Bill Cervone said there is no mandatory sentencing for the misdemeanor charges, Billings could face up to a year in jail and between $500 and $1,000 in fines.

Cervone said felony charges are still pending on Billings for stealing money from GPD.

When investigators put a GPS tracking device in Billing's car, it was discovered that he was paid more than $6,000 for overtime assignments that he never worked, according to Alligator archives.

If convicted of the felony charges, Billings faces up to five years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines in addition to his misdemeanor sentences, Cervone said.

Billings was eligible for retirement benefits before the investigation, but if he is convicted, he may lose that privilege.

"The Gainesville Police Department has completed their investigation into the actions of former employee Bill Billings," said GPD spokesman Keith Kameg.

"The charges filed Wednesday are the next step in this case," Kameg said.

GPD will assist the State Attorney's Office with anything it needs for a successful prosecution, he said.

Fellow Gainesville police officer David Reveille, investigated alongside Billings, was accused of forcing prostitutes to have sex with him by threatening them with jail. Charges have not been brought against Reveille.

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GPD has turned its investigation on the case over to the Office of the State Attorney.

"We are waiting to see which charges, if any, they file," Kameg said.

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