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A federal jury form Corpus Christi convicted a former state trooper of “shaking down” Hispanic drivers for cash.

Former Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) state trooper Michael Anthony Higgins had been on trial for stealing money from motorists he stopped along South Texas highways.

The jury returned its verdict on Wednesday after spending one and a half hours in deliberations.

Higgins targeted drivers who appeared to be of Hispanic descent and stole their money, usually in amounts of several hundred dollars. 

DPS and the Texas Rangers launched an undercover operation to investigate Higgins following several complaints.

An undercover officer posed as a Hispanic driver with limited English-language ability. 

The undercover officer was issued several pre-recorded $100 bills. 

While being monitored by DPS aerial surveillance, the undercover officer drove past Higgins’ duty area in Kleberg County where he was stopped.

Upon making the traffic stop, Higgins asked the undercover officer for money in his possession and then took the money behind the passenger side door of his patrol vehicle.

After Higgins returned bills to the officer, the officer realized that some of the money was missing. 

Texas Rangers and DPS officers confronted Higgins and found two of the pre-recorded $100 bills secreted in the passenger side door pocket.

"This defendant’s duty was to protect and defend motorists, not to profile drivers and steal their money,” said Tim Johnson, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.  “We commend the action of the Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers to investigate the civilian complaints quickly and that of the FBI to further the investigation leading to today’s convictions.”

Higgins faces a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison, restitution and a $400,000 fine.

Sentencing has been set for April 20, 2010.