Former Nassau cop Erik Skoglund sentenced to probation for part in drug distribution ring

A former Nassau police officer who participated in a Long Island drug distribution ring was sentenced to 5 years probation Wednesday.

Erik Skoglund, 29, of Port Jefferson Station was one of 11 people arrested and charged last summer in connection with a drug distribution ring led by Daniel Caceres, also of Port Jefferson Station. Another Nassau cop, Karen Ernst of Bethpage, was also linked to the ring by Suffolk prosecutors.

Skoglund, sentenced by Suffolk County Court Judge Timothy Mazzei during a hearing in Riverhead on Wednesday, pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy in the fourth degree, first-degree attempted criminal possession of marijuana and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Skoglund, who joined Nassau police in October 2015, resigned from the force in December, according to department spokesman Lt. Det. Richard LeBrun. 

 An indictment unsealed last year said packages of marijuana, some 12 pounds or more, were shipped to Skoglund’s home and later retrieved by Caceres. The indictment said Caceres left $200 in Skoglund’s mailbox “as payment for the acceptance of the package” on Feb. 8.

Skoglund's attorney John LoTurco of Huntington said his client had paid a heavy price for agreeing to accept packages on behalf of Caceres, a high school friend. 

"Erik has lost his pension, lost his career, lost his reputation and now he has a felony conviction on his record for the rest of his life," LoTurco said.  

During the course of the drug investigation, according to Suffolk District Attorney Timothy Sini’s office, investigators learned that Caceres and another Nassau police officer, Bruce Moeller of Port Jefferson Station, were charged in a separate indictment of conspiring to commit a robbery at Jake’s 58 Hotel and Casino in Islandia. Moeller’s wife, Christina Moeller, a Jake’s 58 employee, also was involved in the plot, according to authorities.

Ernst pleaded guilty in December to criminal facilitation in the fourth degree and awaits sentencing. She also resigned in December. Moeller is suspended without pay pending the case against him. The case against Caceres is ongoing, according to Sheila Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Suffolk district attorney's office. Four other defendants also have pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming weeks.