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Ex-Lowell officer sentenced for extortion

LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — A former Lowell police officer has been sentenced to two years in jail for using his badge to extort sexual favors from prostitutes.

Aravanh Lakmany of Dracut pleaded guilty Wednesday in Lowell Superior Court to charges of extortion by threat and three counts of solicitation of prostitutes.

The Middlesex district attorney's office dropped three counts of rape against Lakmany.

The Sun (http://bit.ly/ZuZJae ) reports that in addition to the jail sentence, a judge gave him three years of probation.,

Lakmany, who worked for the department for six years, was suspended without pay in June 2011 after his indictment. He resigned in November 2011.

Lakmany said he had sex with prostitutes about 20 times while on duty in his cruiser and numerous other times in his personal car.