Former Niagara Falls officer sentenced to 13 years

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) - A disgraced former Niagara Falls Police officer, who betrayed those he swore to serve and protect, is going to prison.

Former Niagara Falls Police officer Ryan Warme learned his sentence in federal court on Wednesday, receiving a sentence of 13 years and nine months. Prosecutors say he committed crimes while on duty. Charges included groping a woman during a traffic stop and buying cocaine. Warme pleaded guilty to three of those counts .

A few years were recently added onto Wednesday's sentence after Warme admitted he threatened a witness who testified against him. Prosecutors say Warme had a chance to be an outstanding upholder of the law, but instead, threw it all away.

U.S. Prosecutor Anthony Bruce said, "This individual had everything going for him. In a word: wasted."

Warme was arrested more than two years ago . Prosecutors say Warme even tipped off a drug dealer about undercover police operations. Warme's father is a retired Niagara Falls Police Captain.