Former police officer pleads guilty to planning robbery

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A former Independence police officer pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring with his brother to rob two undercover FBI agents who were posing as drug money couriers.

Brian C. McGarr, 42, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to conspiring with his brother, Scott A. McGarr to rob the agents of $10,000 in alleged drug money.

Scott McGarr, 41, of Lee's Summit, was also charged in the case. He is scheduled to appear in federal court on Friday.

The charge against Brian McGarr stemmed from a one-month investigation.

According to court documents, Brian McGarr was seen in February taking $6,700 that he believed was drug money from a car parked in a motel parking lot. The car was actually an undercover vehicle being used as part of a sting operation.

Then, on March 18, McGarr was tipped by an FBI informant that two people were waiting with drug money in an Independence parking lot, authorities said.

McGarr, who was on duty, went to the parking lot, but did not rob the agents, records show. Instead, he left and called his brother, telling him he had "a deal set up" to rob two people. McGarr's brother then allegedly went to the scene looking for the agents, court records said.

Both brothers were armed with firearms while they were at the parking lot, according to court documents.

Scott McGarr, 41, had been an officer with the Kansas City and Independence police departments, authorities said. He had resigned from the Kansas City department in 1991. It was unclear why, or when, his employment with Independence ended.