Former Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter Nabbed in Teen Sex Sting
Fox News.Com by Joshua Rhett Mille - January 14, 2010
Former chief United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter was arrested in a Pennsylvania sex sting in November on a litany of charges involving a lewd Internet conversation with a person he thought was a 15-year-old girl. Ritter, 48, allegedly masturbated in front of a Web camera while he was engaged in conversation in an Internet chat room with an undercover cop posing as the teenage girl. He declined to discuss the charges Thursday when reporters visited his New York residence. "I said there would be no comment," Ritter said, according to the Albany Times Union. "Why don't you guys just go away?" The chief U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991-98 and harsh critic of the war in Iraq, Ritter is accused of contacting the "girl" while using the handle "delmarm4fun" last February. Ritter, of Delmar, N.Y., allegedly told the girl, "Emily," that he was a 44-year-old man from Albany, N.Y., according to an affidavit of probable cause. The undercover officer then told Ritter he was a 15-year-old girl from the Poconos region of Pennsylvania, at which point Ritter asked for a picture in addition to one "Emily" had posted on her account, according to the affidavit prepared by Barrett Township Police Det. Ryan Venneman. Ritter then sent a link to his Web camera and began to masturbate while it was focused on his genitals, according to the affidavit. The former U.N. official then allegedly provided his cell phone number. "He then continued to masturbate on web cam and he again asked how old I was," the affidavit continued. "He was advised again that I was 15 years old. He said he didn't realize that I was 15 years old and turned off his web camera. He stated that he didn't want to get in trouble." Ritter then allegedly told the "girl" that he fantasized about having sex with her, to which the officer replied, "guess u turned it off [no problem]." Ritter then asked the girl if she "want[ed] to see it finish" before reactivating his Web camera and ejaculating, the affidavit read. The conversation with the girl allegedly took place on Feb. 7, 2009, but the police investigation investigation lasted until November. Ritter was arrested on Nov. 9 and charged with unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of a communications facility, corruption of minors, indecent exposure, possessing instruments of crime, criminal attempt and criminal solicitation. Ritter appeared for his preliminary hearing on Dec. 17 and waived the felony charge of unlawful contact with a minor. He remains free on $25,000 bail. Ritter's attorney, Todd Henry, of Philadelphia, did not return several calls seeking comment Thursday. Ritter — born William Scott Ritter Jr. — is a former Marine who reportedly met his second wife, Marina, while working as a counterintelligence officer in the former Soviet Union. "I came to Delmar ... to put roots down, to raise a family and live a normal middle-class American life," Ritter told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2002. A press conference on the matter to be held by the Barrett Township Police Department is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday. Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Michael Rakaczewski will prosecute the case. A press release issued in November by the Barrett Township police noted that the incident wasn't the first time Ritter had been arrested on similar charges, but that he had not been formally charged. Ritter was reportedly charged in a June 2001 sex sting in New York, but the case was dismissed. He had been charged with attempted child endangerment after arranging to meet a person he thought was a 16-year-old girl at a fast-food restaurant. The girl was actually an undercover police officer. The New York Post reported Ritter was caught in a similar case in April 2001 involving a 14-year-old girl, but he was never charged.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Ex-Cop Charged With Lying to Feds
Ex-Stoughton cop charged with lying to feds
The Associated Press - January 13, 2010
Former Stoughton Police Detective Charged in Corruption Matter
BOSTON, MA—A recently retired veteran detective of the Stoughton Police Department, who also currently serves on the Stoughton School Committee, was arrested yesterday pursuant to a criminal Complaint charging him with making false statements and representations to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in an ongoing public corruption matter. United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division, announced that ANTHONY BICKERTON, age 60, of Stoughton, a former veteran Stoughton Police detective, has been charged with making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding an alleged corrupt relationship with a convicted felon. The Complaint alleges that BICKERTON made these false statements during the course of an interview on July 15, 2009, in which the Federal Bureau of Investigations was probing corruption in the Stoughton Police Department. “The Complaint alleges that an active Stoughton Police Department detective engaged in a longstanding corrupt relationship with a convicted criminal and then lied about that relationship to the FBI,” said U.S. Attorney Ortiz. “Allegation such as this, if ultimately proven, undermine the public’s faith in law enforcement and the administration of justice. My office remains committed to ensuring the rule of law through uncovering and prosecuting police corruption.” If convicted of the crime charged in the Complaint, BICKERTON faces up to five years' imprisonment, to be followed by three years' supervised release and a $250,000 fine. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian T. Kelly, Chief of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit. The details contained in the Complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The Associated Press - January 13, 2010
STOUGHTON, MA — Charges have been filed against another former member of the beleaguered Stoughton police department. Anthony Bickerton, a detective who retired in September, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with making false statements to FBI agents investigating corruption in the department. Bickerton was released on $50,000 bond following an initial appearance on Wednesday in U.S. District Court. An FBI affidavit says a cooperating witness claims to have provided Bickerton with stolen electronic equipment and gift cards. The witness also said Bickerton occasionally provided him access to sensitive law enforcement databases. Bickerton’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, said he was reviewing the case but had no further comment. Another former Stoughton police officer, Arlindo Romeiro, pleaded guilty last week to making false statements to the FBI.
Department of Justice Press Release
For Immediate Release
January 13, 2010 United States Attorney's Office
District of Massachusetts
Contact: (617) 748-3100
Department of Justice Press Release
For Immediate Release
January 13, 2010 United States Attorney's Office
District of Massachusetts
Contact: (617) 748-3100
Former Stoughton Police Detective Charged in Corruption Matter
BOSTON, MA—A recently retired veteran detective of the Stoughton Police Department, who also currently serves on the Stoughton School Committee, was arrested yesterday pursuant to a criminal Complaint charging him with making false statements and representations to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in an ongoing public corruption matter. United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division, announced that ANTHONY BICKERTON, age 60, of Stoughton, a former veteran Stoughton Police detective, has been charged with making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding an alleged corrupt relationship with a convicted felon. The Complaint alleges that BICKERTON made these false statements during the course of an interview on July 15, 2009, in which the Federal Bureau of Investigations was probing corruption in the Stoughton Police Department. “The Complaint alleges that an active Stoughton Police Department detective engaged in a longstanding corrupt relationship with a convicted criminal and then lied about that relationship to the FBI,” said U.S. Attorney Ortiz. “Allegation such as this, if ultimately proven, undermine the public’s faith in law enforcement and the administration of justice. My office remains committed to ensuring the rule of law through uncovering and prosecuting police corruption.” If convicted of the crime charged in the Complaint, BICKERTON faces up to five years' imprisonment, to be followed by three years' supervised release and a $250,000 fine. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian T. Kelly, Chief of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit. The details contained in the Complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Corruption: The Most Underrated Crime
Corruption: The Most Underrated Crime
MaltaGreenYouth by Robert Callus - January 12, 2010
As young boy I remember my father mentioning the word korrotti (corrupt). I used to laugh at him thinking he was saying karrotti (carrots) in slang. I was too innocent to realise he was talking about a heinous crime that has become so much socially accepted we’ve learn to live with. A crime which has different implications according to the merits for each situation. Nearly always they are dead serious. A crime that makes trafficking of drugs as well as humans across borders possible, that is the main cause for famine in third world countries as well as being usually implicated in projects ruining the environment. An act so powerful than was not only one of the main factors of bringing down the USSR, but together with fanatic Nationalism is the reason why neither Russia nor most of its former satellite states ever really recovered. (A saying in Russia goes: After Lenin we had de-intellectualisation; after Stalin de-stalinisation; but after Brezhnev we never had any de-corruptisation). Corruption has such a devastating effect because it infiltrates every sector of society, and hinders law enforcement as well as any real reform, be it economic, legal or environmental. How can one, for example stop human trafficking when the traffickers move innocent people across borders for purposes of slavery if the former haven’t got protection from some of those who are meant to be there to protect the victims? Why would dictators leave thousands of overworked humans live with less than 2$ a day if multinationals were not pumping them millions to turn a blind eye? Despite all this, compared to other crimes, on both a local and international level we rarely see people convicted of corruption, and when we do they rarely get serious penalties. I attribute this to mainly two reasons. First of all, corruption is invisible. Unlike a small time thief or even a bank robber, those most responsible do not break into houses themselves, or hold a gun towards a person’s head. Though they might be responsible for thousands of deaths, they are rarely if ever seen with blood on their hands. Due to this, their crime seems a minor one. It rarely creates public outrage. It has become socially acceptable. Lately we’ve seen the violent attack on Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi. The perpetrator, Massimo Tartaglia, a person with mental health problems, is seen as one of the most dangerous people in Italy. We’ve all seen the blood on Berlusconi’s face. Yet, in reality, Tartaglia’s crime is a minor one compared to the six charges against the same leader. The latter’s charges of bribery are easily forgivable. They left no blood or broken noses. At least not directly. The second reason while corruption rarely sees the light of day is that the corrupt are usually wiser than the common thief. We believe that a person bribes another for only one reason – getting from him the particular thing he wants. Yet there is another, less obvious albeit more sinister reason. The big time corrupter not only gives a bribe to the small time corrupt, but knows it. Now that you’ve taken your bribe you are an accomplice. Maybe you accepted a small cheque to close your eyes for a seemingly innocent deviation from the law. However if the person who bribed you is making big dirty money, from say drug trafficking, you are afraid to report him. If you do so, that little cheque you accepted will come to light. And the higher he is, the more he can harm you for your little escapade. You are now under his thumb. You might be disgusted with what he is doing, your guilt feelings might be killing you, yet you have to remain silent. Otherwise he’ll ruin you. If we, as a society make a genuine effort against corruption we might not stop it, but we could give it a very significant blow. I suggest three simple steps: (1) Realise and convince ourselves this is a serious crime hurting ourselves and our society from every angle possible. The aim of this article is towards this step. (2) Refuse it. Many of us will have one or more opportunities to accept bribes, no matter how small they are. If we categorically decide to refuse any bribe we will not only doing what is legally and morally right but we are free. We are under no ones thumb. (3) Enforce the law and increase punishment. This is only possible if the first two steps are accomplished. If we as a society realise how serious this is, even to the extent of letting its crackdown affect our voting in elections, rather than run after the Party leader that makes the most charismatic speeches, the law makers will start putting it on their agenda. We can only do this if we are free from it ourselves. (While following these steps will definitely harm this malady, other measures have to be taken. A case in point is a clear and enforceable Whistleblower Act.)
As young boy I remember my father mentioning the word korrotti (corrupt). I used to laugh at him thinking he was saying karrotti (carrots) in slang. I was too innocent to realise he was talking about a heinous crime that has become so much socially accepted we’ve learn to live with. A crime which has different implications according to the merits for each situation. Nearly always they are dead serious. A crime that makes trafficking of drugs as well as humans across borders possible, that is the main cause for famine in third world countries as well as being usually implicated in projects ruining the environment. An act so powerful than was not only one of the main factors of bringing down the USSR, but together with fanatic Nationalism is the reason why neither Russia nor most of its former satellite states ever really recovered. (A saying in Russia goes: After Lenin we had de-intellectualisation; after Stalin de-stalinisation; but after Brezhnev we never had any de-corruptisation). Corruption has such a devastating effect because it infiltrates every sector of society, and hinders law enforcement as well as any real reform, be it economic, legal or environmental. How can one, for example stop human trafficking when the traffickers move innocent people across borders for purposes of slavery if the former haven’t got protection from some of those who are meant to be there to protect the victims? Why would dictators leave thousands of overworked humans live with less than 2$ a day if multinationals were not pumping them millions to turn a blind eye? Despite all this, compared to other crimes, on both a local and international level we rarely see people convicted of corruption, and when we do they rarely get serious penalties. I attribute this to mainly two reasons. First of all, corruption is invisible. Unlike a small time thief or even a bank robber, those most responsible do not break into houses themselves, or hold a gun towards a person’s head. Though they might be responsible for thousands of deaths, they are rarely if ever seen with blood on their hands. Due to this, their crime seems a minor one. It rarely creates public outrage. It has become socially acceptable. Lately we’ve seen the violent attack on Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi. The perpetrator, Massimo Tartaglia, a person with mental health problems, is seen as one of the most dangerous people in Italy. We’ve all seen the blood on Berlusconi’s face. Yet, in reality, Tartaglia’s crime is a minor one compared to the six charges against the same leader. The latter’s charges of bribery are easily forgivable. They left no blood or broken noses. At least not directly. The second reason while corruption rarely sees the light of day is that the corrupt are usually wiser than the common thief. We believe that a person bribes another for only one reason – getting from him the particular thing he wants. Yet there is another, less obvious albeit more sinister reason. The big time corrupter not only gives a bribe to the small time corrupt, but knows it. Now that you’ve taken your bribe you are an accomplice. Maybe you accepted a small cheque to close your eyes for a seemingly innocent deviation from the law. However if the person who bribed you is making big dirty money, from say drug trafficking, you are afraid to report him. If you do so, that little cheque you accepted will come to light. And the higher he is, the more he can harm you for your little escapade. You are now under his thumb. You might be disgusted with what he is doing, your guilt feelings might be killing you, yet you have to remain silent. Otherwise he’ll ruin you. If we, as a society make a genuine effort against corruption we might not stop it, but we could give it a very significant blow. I suggest three simple steps: (1) Realise and convince ourselves this is a serious crime hurting ourselves and our society from every angle possible. The aim of this article is towards this step. (2) Refuse it. Many of us will have one or more opportunities to accept bribes, no matter how small they are. If we categorically decide to refuse any bribe we will not only doing what is legally and morally right but we are free. We are under no ones thumb. (3) Enforce the law and increase punishment. This is only possible if the first two steps are accomplished. If we as a society realise how serious this is, even to the extent of letting its crackdown affect our voting in elections, rather than run after the Party leader that makes the most charismatic speeches, the law makers will start putting it on their agenda. We can only do this if we are free from it ourselves. (While following these steps will definitely harm this malady, other measures have to be taken. A case in point is a clear and enforceable Whistleblower Act.)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
FBI: What We Investigate
The FBI works around the globe to combat the most dangerous criminal and security threats facing our country—from international and domestic terrorists to spies on U.S. soil…from cyber villains to corrupt government officials…from mobsters to violent street thugs…from child predators to serial killers. The squads generally fall under three national security priorities and five criminal priorities as follows:
National Security Priorities:
1. Protect the United States from terrorist attack
2. Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operations and espionage
3. Protect the United States against cyber-based attacks and high-technology crimes
Criminal Priorities:
4. Combat public corruption at all levels
5. Protect civil rights
6. Combat transnational/national criminal organizations and enterprises
7. Combat major white-collar crime
8. Combat significant violent crime
-----
Criminal Priorities
4. Combat public corruption at all levels
Public corruption is a breach of the public's trust by government officials—whether elected, appointed, or under contract—and/or private individuals who use their public office for personal gain. It is a violation of federal law for any federal or state government official to ask for or receive anything of value for or because of any official act. Under federal law, the person who offers or pays a bribe is also guilty. These crimes are the result of deals sealed with whispered conversations, quick handshakes, and "under-the-table" money. Because of the secretive nature of bribes, such crimes are often difficult to detect and even more difficult to prove without the assistance of concerned citizens. Types of public corruption include: Law Enforcement corruption at the state or local level typically involves the payment of bribes or kickbacks in exchange for official actions or inaction. It also includes any violation of law not necessarily connected to the official duties of law enforcement personnel, such as stealing drugs; tipping criminals to investigations; escorting deliveries of drugs or other contraband; protecting criminal enterprises, including drug organizations; embezzling funds; and releasing law enforcement records without authorization. Legislative corruption at the state or local level usually involves payment of bribes or kickbacks in exchange for official action or inaction. These bribes or kickbacks can be received by the legislators themselves, by aides, by staff persons, and/or by outside parties doing business with the government. Municipal corruption involves illegal activities similar to legislative corruption. Common corruption schemes at a local level include bribes or kickbacks in exchange for: supporting local ordinances, approving local government bond issuance, reducing taxes unlawfully, fraudulently manipulating probate assets, and conspiring with others to rezone property or to influence land-use proposals. Judicial corruption typically arises out of the corrupt influencing of state or local judges, juries, or court personnel (clerks, bailiffs, probation officials, and other administrative staff). Common corrupt schemes include: payments to judiciary personnel in exchange for dismissal of charges; reduction of charges, bonds, or sentences; waiver of fines; return of forfeitable property; and favorable probation conditions. Contract corruption usually involves the payment of bribes or kickbacks to local or state officials in exchange for favorable treatment on government contracts. Potential subjects are private contractors, anyone acting on their behalf, and public officials involved in the contracting process (procurement officers, purchasing agents, city councilpersons, and county commissioners). Favorable treatment includes: improper disclosure of bid information; narrow tailoring of contracts to benefit a certain company (sole source contracts); improper disqualification of competitors from the bid process; support or voting for the bribing contractor; and approval of false invoices, improper change orders, or cost overruns on behalf of the bribing contractor. Regulatory corruption involves payment to local, state, or federal officials in exchange for favorable action or inaction pertaining to identification documents, licensing, and inspection and zoning variances. Unlawful payments (bribes and kickbacks) can be paid to: inspectors for non-enforcement of violations or extortion for false violations; planning and zoning officials for improperly reclassifying property; public officials for fraudulent documents, such as driver’s licenses and passports; and licensing officials for fraudulent issuance of licenses to construction contractors, subcontractors, and other regulated industries. Prison corruption involves corrections officers taking unlawful payment for acts directly or indirectly related to their job. Common schemes include: smuggling contraband into the facility, granting unlawful privileges, and prematurely releasing inmates.
5. Protect civil rights
We conduct investigations of allegations regarding violations of applicable federal laws that protect the civil rights of U.S. citizens and inhabitants. Any attempted or actual curtailment of constitutional or federally-protected rights possessed by citizens and inhabitants of the U.S. falls within the jurisdiction of the FBI. Investigations are conducted under guidelines established in cooperation with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. For more information, see the Department of Justice Civil Rights Frequently Asked Questions.
6. Combat transnational/national criminal organizations and enterprises
Criminal organizations—from mob families to street gangs to drug trafficking outfits—sow violence and crime in our communities and create underground economies that undercut free enterprise. We investigate both domestic and international drug trafficking, including the laundering of illegal proceeds and acts of violence associated with narcotics trafficking.
7. Combat major white-collar crime
Fraud—the art of deliberate deception for unlawful gain—is as old as history; the term "white-collar crime" was reportedly coined in 1939 and has since become synonymous with the full range of frauds committed by business and government professionals. Today's con artists are more savvy and sophisticated than ever, engineering everything from slick online scams to complex stock and health care frauds. The white-collar crime program is divided into the following investigative areas: Economic crime investigations involve telemarketing fraud, securities and commodities fraud, and investment fraud. Financial institution fraud investigations involve federal crimes against financial institutions and money laundering, including check kiting schemes, bank embezzlement, counterfeit check scams, wire transfer and loan frauds, and the bribery of bank officials. Governmental fraud investigations involve cases of fraud against the government, environmental crime, bankruptcy fraud, and antitrust matters. Healthcare fraud investigations involve fraud perpetrated against Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies. These types of fraud include illegal kickbacks, billing for services not rendered, and filing false claims. Public corruption investigations involve the corruption of federal, state, and local public officials, including law enforcement officers, judiciary and executive department employees, administrators, and others in public positions of trust. See Priority #4 above for more information. Mortgage fraud investigations involve making false statements about income, assets, debt, or matters of identification or willfully overvaluing any land or property in a loan and credit application for the purpose of influencing in any way the action of a financial institution.
National Security Priorities:
1. Protect the United States from terrorist attack
2. Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operations and espionage
3. Protect the United States against cyber-based attacks and high-technology crimes
Criminal Priorities:
4. Combat public corruption at all levels
5. Protect civil rights
6. Combat transnational/national criminal organizations and enterprises
7. Combat major white-collar crime
8. Combat significant violent crime
-----
Criminal Priorities
4. Combat public corruption at all levels
Public corruption is a breach of the public's trust by government officials—whether elected, appointed, or under contract—and/or private individuals who use their public office for personal gain. It is a violation of federal law for any federal or state government official to ask for or receive anything of value for or because of any official act. Under federal law, the person who offers or pays a bribe is also guilty. These crimes are the result of deals sealed with whispered conversations, quick handshakes, and "under-the-table" money. Because of the secretive nature of bribes, such crimes are often difficult to detect and even more difficult to prove without the assistance of concerned citizens. Types of public corruption include: Law Enforcement corruption at the state or local level typically involves the payment of bribes or kickbacks in exchange for official actions or inaction. It also includes any violation of law not necessarily connected to the official duties of law enforcement personnel, such as stealing drugs; tipping criminals to investigations; escorting deliveries of drugs or other contraband; protecting criminal enterprises, including drug organizations; embezzling funds; and releasing law enforcement records without authorization. Legislative corruption at the state or local level usually involves payment of bribes or kickbacks in exchange for official action or inaction. These bribes or kickbacks can be received by the legislators themselves, by aides, by staff persons, and/or by outside parties doing business with the government. Municipal corruption involves illegal activities similar to legislative corruption. Common corruption schemes at a local level include bribes or kickbacks in exchange for: supporting local ordinances, approving local government bond issuance, reducing taxes unlawfully, fraudulently manipulating probate assets, and conspiring with others to rezone property or to influence land-use proposals. Judicial corruption typically arises out of the corrupt influencing of state or local judges, juries, or court personnel (clerks, bailiffs, probation officials, and other administrative staff). Common corrupt schemes include: payments to judiciary personnel in exchange for dismissal of charges; reduction of charges, bonds, or sentences; waiver of fines; return of forfeitable property; and favorable probation conditions. Contract corruption usually involves the payment of bribes or kickbacks to local or state officials in exchange for favorable treatment on government contracts. Potential subjects are private contractors, anyone acting on their behalf, and public officials involved in the contracting process (procurement officers, purchasing agents, city councilpersons, and county commissioners). Favorable treatment includes: improper disclosure of bid information; narrow tailoring of contracts to benefit a certain company (sole source contracts); improper disqualification of competitors from the bid process; support or voting for the bribing contractor; and approval of false invoices, improper change orders, or cost overruns on behalf of the bribing contractor. Regulatory corruption involves payment to local, state, or federal officials in exchange for favorable action or inaction pertaining to identification documents, licensing, and inspection and zoning variances. Unlawful payments (bribes and kickbacks) can be paid to: inspectors for non-enforcement of violations or extortion for false violations; planning and zoning officials for improperly reclassifying property; public officials for fraudulent documents, such as driver’s licenses and passports; and licensing officials for fraudulent issuance of licenses to construction contractors, subcontractors, and other regulated industries. Prison corruption involves corrections officers taking unlawful payment for acts directly or indirectly related to their job. Common schemes include: smuggling contraband into the facility, granting unlawful privileges, and prematurely releasing inmates.
5. Protect civil rights
We conduct investigations of allegations regarding violations of applicable federal laws that protect the civil rights of U.S. citizens and inhabitants. Any attempted or actual curtailment of constitutional or federally-protected rights possessed by citizens and inhabitants of the U.S. falls within the jurisdiction of the FBI. Investigations are conducted under guidelines established in cooperation with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. For more information, see the Department of Justice Civil Rights Frequently Asked Questions.
6. Combat transnational/national criminal organizations and enterprises
Criminal organizations—from mob families to street gangs to drug trafficking outfits—sow violence and crime in our communities and create underground economies that undercut free enterprise. We investigate both domestic and international drug trafficking, including the laundering of illegal proceeds and acts of violence associated with narcotics trafficking.
7. Combat major white-collar crime
Fraud—the art of deliberate deception for unlawful gain—is as old as history; the term "white-collar crime" was reportedly coined in 1939 and has since become synonymous with the full range of frauds committed by business and government professionals. Today's con artists are more savvy and sophisticated than ever, engineering everything from slick online scams to complex stock and health care frauds. The white-collar crime program is divided into the following investigative areas: Economic crime investigations involve telemarketing fraud, securities and commodities fraud, and investment fraud. Financial institution fraud investigations involve federal crimes against financial institutions and money laundering, including check kiting schemes, bank embezzlement, counterfeit check scams, wire transfer and loan frauds, and the bribery of bank officials. Governmental fraud investigations involve cases of fraud against the government, environmental crime, bankruptcy fraud, and antitrust matters. Healthcare fraud investigations involve fraud perpetrated against Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies. These types of fraud include illegal kickbacks, billing for services not rendered, and filing false claims. Public corruption investigations involve the corruption of federal, state, and local public officials, including law enforcement officers, judiciary and executive department employees, administrators, and others in public positions of trust. See Priority #4 above for more information. Mortgage fraud investigations involve making false statements about income, assets, debt, or matters of identification or willfully overvaluing any land or property in a loan and credit application for the purpose of influencing in any way the action of a financial institution.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Trail Begins in Drug Agent Charged With Framing the Innocent
Ohio drug agent charged with framing people alternately called a liar, honest
The Associated Press - January 7, 2010
CLEVELAND, OH (AP) — While the prosecution describes a federal drug agent charged with framing 17 people in a cocaine sting as a liar trying to polish his conviction record, the defense says Lee Lucas is an honest and tough crime-fighting legend. A U.S. District Court jury in Cleveland heard both sides in opening statements Thursday in Lucas' trial. The 19-year veteran of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, who fought drug traffickers in Miami and Bolivia, faces charges including obstruction of justice, making a false statement, perjury and violating civil rights. His co-defendant and former informant is expected to testify against him. Lucas is on administrative leave from the DEA. The trial could take weeks.
--- BACKGROUND STORY:
CLEVELAND, OH (AP) — While the prosecution describes a federal drug agent charged with framing 17 people in a cocaine sting as a liar trying to polish his conviction record, the defense says Lee Lucas is an honest and tough crime-fighting legend. A U.S. District Court jury in Cleveland heard both sides in opening statements Thursday in Lucas' trial. The 19-year veteran of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, who fought drug traffickers in Miami and Bolivia, faces charges including obstruction of justice, making a false statement, perjury and violating civil rights. His co-defendant and former informant is expected to testify against him. Lucas is on administrative leave from the DEA. The trial could take weeks.
--- BACKGROUND STORY:
The Plain Dealer by John Caniglia - May 13, 2009
CLEVELAND, OH — Lee Lucas, the federal drug agent whose full-throttle approach led to major convictions and questions about his credibility, faced the toughest court appearance of his 19-year career Wednesday. His own. A federal grand jury in Cleveland charged Lucas, 41, of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in an 18-count indictment that accuses him of perjury, making false statements and violating three people's civil rights. The charges stem from a bungled drug sting in Mansfield that led to the arrests of 26 people in 2005. Lucas led a DEA task force that used informant Jerrell Bray to make undercover drug buys and help scoop up drug dealers. But Bray lied his way through the probe. Seventeen people were wrongly charged, according to the indictment, as Bray intentionally misidentified people he bought drugs from and purposely staged scripted phone calls with friends, making the conversations sound as if he was setting up drug deals. Of those 17 people, 12 were collectively sentenced to about 70 years in prison. Four were acquitted, and one spent nearly two years in jail awaiting trial. Thirteen of the 15 drug buys Bray made were bogus, prosecutors said. The indictment says Lucas failed to monitor Bray during the two-month investigation. He also concealed evidence from federal prosecutors who tried the cases and lied on the stand at two trials to convict people, according to the charges. He is also accused of making false and misleading statements in his internal DEA reports that summarized details of investigations. "Are you serious? Is this for real? I can't believe it," said Lowestco Ballard, one of the people Lucas arrested and who was later acquitted at trial. "It's wonderful how the inconsistencies finally came out." At a hearing Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver asked Lucas for his plea. The agent said in a strong voice: "I am not guilty, sir, of every count." Former U.S. Attorney Greg White, whose office prosecuted the Mansfield case, said Wednesday marked a sad day for federal agents. "Any time you have those types of allegations against a law enforcement officer, it's a sad state of circumstances," said White, now a federal magistrate. "It's a breakdown of the way things are supposed to work." White has previously said he moved quickly to withdraw the charges and convictions once they learned about problems with Bray.
The prosecutor who handled the case, 22-year veteran Blas Serrano, is expected to be a key witness against Lucas and how the DEA agent investigated the case. Lucas' career was larger than life before the Mansfield case collapsed. He began with the DEA right out of Baldwin-Wallace College in 1990. He worked in Miami and Bolivia before returning to his hometown of Cleveland, where he continued to work around the clock and snag major drug dealers. But along the way, attorneys questioned his truthfulness. In lawsuits, they said he lied to strengthen weak cases. The indictment comes nearly two years to the day after Bray broke down and admitted to authorities that he set up people in Mansfield to go to prison, officials said. One of them was Geneva France, a mother of three small children who was convicted of dealing drugs and spent 16 months in prison based on lies by Lucas and Bray, according to the charges. When France was released from prison in 2007, her small daughters didn't recognize her. Other Mansfield defendants said they pleaded guilty under the threat of major prison time after seeing France go to trial and lose. The case against Lucas crawled through the grand jury because it had to be built on evidence independent of Bray, a convicted killer who pleaded guilty to perjury for his role in the Mansfield case and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to interviews and court records. Since Bray could not be completely trusted, federal investigators had to corroborate his statements, interview scores of residents from Mansfield, question Lucas' fellow task force members and review thousands of pages of testimony to link Lucas' to the allegations.
Specifically, the indictment says:
Lucas lied during testimony in a February 2007 trial, telling jurors he verified a phone number Bray called to a suspected drug dealer named Ronald Davis to set up a cocaine buy. The indictment said Lucas never checked the records. Lucas lied at the July 2006 trial of Dwayne Nabors, who ran a successful car detail shop in Mansfield. Lucas testified that he identified Nabors as the driver of a Cadillac agents followed. He also said that he and another officer, Richland County Sheriff's Deputy Charles Metcalf, pulled their undercover car alongside the Cadillac before a purported sale Sept. 20, 2005. The indictment says the officers' car never pulled up next to Nabors, that Lucas and Metcalf were not in the same car and that Lucas, in fact, did not identify Nabors. Lucas lied about seeing Ballard make a drug deal Sept. 9, 2005. He testified that he looked directly at Ballard, telling a jury: "I was closer to him than myself to the judge, and I looked him right in the face." The indictment said Lucas was never that close to Ballard and never saw him. In court Wednesday, Lucas appeared relaxed. The courtroom was packed with friends from Cleveland police and the DEA. Minutes before the hearing, he thanked his friends for their support. "That's what real policemen do; they stand up for each other," said a uniformed Cleveland officer. Lucas was given a personal bond, and the judge set a trial date of January. Lucas is expected to be placed on leave until his case is finished. An hour after the hearing, Lucas slowly walked out of the courthouse, shaking hands with the security guards he joked with for years when he was bringing major cases to prosecutors and sending people to prison. Now, prosecutors are trying to send him to prison.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Focus Remains on Old Milwaukee Police Corruption
The Trial of Lawrencia Bembenek
Express Milwaukee By Sarah Biondich - January 5, 2010
The hoopla surrounding the Tiger Woods Indiscretions Tour has really showcased our culture’s infatuation with scandal. Milwaukee has had its share of nation-gripping news stories, many of which have seen further lives as movies, books and television shows. In the early 1980s, Milwaukee played host to a high-profile murder case that captured the nation’s attention. At the center of the story is Lawrencia Bembenek, a young, attractive Playboy Club cocktail waitress and ex-Milwaukee cop who was convicted of murdering her husband’s ex-wife, Christine Schultz, in Milwaukee on May 28, 1981. What has kept the saga alive is Bembenek’s relentless quest to clear her name. Bembenek entered the Milwaukee police academy in March 1980 when she was 21 years old, and graduated sixth in her class. She was fired by the department later that August after she allegedly filed a false report about an incident in which a friend was arrested in connection with possession of marijuana at a concert. She sued the department, claiming that it engaged in sexual discrimination and other illegal activities. In January 1981, Bembenek married 33-year-old Milwaukee police detective Elfred Schultz Jr.
Express Milwaukee By Sarah Biondich - January 5, 2010
The hoopla surrounding the Tiger Woods Indiscretions Tour has really showcased our culture’s infatuation with scandal. Milwaukee has had its share of nation-gripping news stories, many of which have seen further lives as movies, books and television shows. In the early 1980s, Milwaukee played host to a high-profile murder case that captured the nation’s attention. At the center of the story is Lawrencia Bembenek, a young, attractive Playboy Club cocktail waitress and ex-Milwaukee cop who was convicted of murdering her husband’s ex-wife, Christine Schultz, in Milwaukee on May 28, 1981. What has kept the saga alive is Bembenek’s relentless quest to clear her name. Bembenek entered the Milwaukee police academy in March 1980 when she was 21 years old, and graduated sixth in her class. She was fired by the department later that August after she allegedly filed a false report about an incident in which a friend was arrested in connection with possession of marijuana at a concert. She sued the department, claiming that it engaged in sexual discrimination and other illegal activities. In January 1981, Bembenek married 33-year-old Milwaukee police detective Elfred Schultz Jr.
In the early hours of May 28, 1981, 30-year-old Christine Schultz was bound, gagged, and shot once in the back by a single .38-caliber pistol at point-blank range in her home. State Crime Laboratory ballistics testing revealed that the weapon used was Schultz Jr.’s off-duty revolver. Because he was on duty at the time of her death, suspicion shifted to Bembenek, who had been alone in the apartment she shared with Schultz, and had access to both the gun and a key to Christine's home. Bembenek was arrested and the district attorney’s office charged her with first-degree murder. Bembenek’s trial generated enormous publicity and the press began referring to her as “Bambi.” After nearly two weeks of testimony, and four days of deliberation, a jury found her guilty of murder in March 1982, and she was sentenced to life in prison at Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac. Bembenek later divorced her husband, and filed three unsuccessful appeals of her conviction at all three levels of the state courts, citing police errors in handling of key evidence and alleging that the Milwaukee police may have singled her out because of her role as a key witness in a federal investigation into police corruption. In July 1990, Bembenek broke out of prison by crawling through a laundry room window, and fled to Canada. Three months after her escape, Bembenek was arrested in Ontario, but stayed in the country for another year and a half before she was extradited to Wisconsin and returned to Taycheedah in the spring of 1992. In August, a John Doe investigation found that while there were mistakes in the police investigation, there was no evidence of a conspiracy or wrongdoing. In December, after 10 years in prison, Bembenek won her freedom under a complex court deal in which her earlier first-degree murder jury verdict was set aside, and she pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of second-degree murder. In exchange for the no-contest plea, prosecutors agreed to a new sentence equal to the time she had already served. Bembenek wrote a book about her experience called Woman on Trial, which was later adapted into an NBC television movie starring Tatum O’Neal called “Woman on the Run.” A year later, she legally changed her name to Laurie Bembenek. In 2002, she claimed handlers for the “Dr. Phil” television show had confined her in an apartment, and when she attempted to escape from a second-story window, she shattered her leg so badly it had to be amputated below the knee. In April 2008, Bembenek petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse her second murder conviction based on new evidence not heard in the original trial: lab results proving not only that the 15 pieces of evidence tested did not include Bembenek’s DNA, but also found male DNA on the victim; evidence the victim was sexually assaulted; and the eyewitness testimony of Schultz’s two young sons who said the killer was a heavyset, masked man. Bembenek's petition argued that the court did not make it clear whether defendants who plead guilty or no contest have an opportunity to review evidence comparable to the rights of those who plead innocent. Bembenek’s appeal was denied in June 2008, but if her actions over the last 29 years are any indication of her future, she won’t rest until she proves her innocence.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Police Detective Admits Corruption, Offers Help with Corruption
Former Stoughton detective is guilty
The Boston Globe by Jonathan Saltzman - January 7, 2010
Admits to lying, promises to aid corruption probe
A former Stoughton police detective admitted in federal court yesterday that he lied to FBI agents during an investigation into alleged police corruption and has promised to help authorities in the probe, which appears to be widening. Arlindo Romeiro, the former detective, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Boston to one count of making false statements on July 13. Romeiro had denied knowing that Stoughton police officers had received stolen gift cards and merchandise from an informant secretly cooperating with the FBI, when, in fact, he was among the recipients, a federal prosecutor said. Although the 37-year-old former police officer was composed during 10 minutes on the witness stand at his change-of-plea hearing, he left the courtroom holding his eyeglasses and brushing away tears. He declined to comment as he walked down a corridor with about a dozen family members and supporters. His lawyer, Daniel W. O’Malley of Quincy, said he, too, would not comment until his client’s sentencing April 8. “I think it’s premature for me to say anything,’’ O’Malley said. One Romeiro supporter who declined to identify himself called the former detective a “good, honest man.’’ Romeiro resigned in November. Romeiro, the latest Stoughton police officer ensnared in a series of scandals that have rocked the department in recent years, faces a maximum of five years in prison. Federal sentencing guidelines recommend that he serve 10 to 16 months in prison, according to Assistant US Attorney Brian T. Kelly, who oversees the public corruption unit. In exchange for Romeiro’s promised cooperation, prosecutors are expected to recommend that US District Court Judge Patti B. Saris sentence him to less than that.
After the hearing, US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said in a statement, “False statements by a police officer are unacceptable and will be prosecuted if they arise in the course of a federal investigation.’’ In a bare-bones summary presented in court, Kelly said FBI agents spent most of last year investigating allegations of corruption against the Stoughton Police Department. The cooperating witness told agents that he gave stolen Best Buy and Home Depot gift cards and other merchandise to officers. The officers, in turn, allegedly provided the witness with confidential law enforcement information, including data about motorists from the Registry of Motor Vehicles that the witness used to make phony identification documents. When FBI agents asked Romeiro whether he knew of officers receiving stolen goods and supplying such information, he said no, even though he himself had made such exchanges with the witness, Kelly said. Authorities captured exchanges on videotapes and audiotapes. Kelly did not identify the cooperating witness. But three people who are familiar with the investigation and who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Globe in September that a longtime informant for former Stoughton police detective Anthony Bickerton began cooperating with authorities after the informant was arrested on a number of charges. The informant has a lengthy criminal record that includes arrests for drugs, burglary, forgery, and assault and battery. Bickerton, a member of Stoughton’s School Committee, retired from the police force in September after 30 years. Joseph F. Krowski Sr., a Brockton lawyer with whom Bickerton has been consulting, said Bickerton has done nothing wrong and retired at least partly because of the atmosphere in the scandal-plagued department. “As you know, there’s been a lot of pressure on a lot of cops who did nothing wrong but got caught up in this antipolice maelstrom in Stoughton, and a lot of guys have just had it,’’ Krowski said. Kelly declined to say whether the corruption investigation is widening. Krowski said he believes that it is and that authorities will use Romeiro’s cooperation to target higher-ups. “I guess they call it the ladder technique,’’ Krowski said.
The Stoughton police force has been in turmoil for years and has not had a permanent chief since March 2005, when Chief Manuel J. Cachopa was placed on administrative leave following his indictment on charges of being an accessory to attempted extortion. Last January he was convicted of the charge, which stemmed from allegations that he tried to hinder an investigation into whether Sergeant David Cohen abused his authority in 2002 while attempting to collect a debt from a local businessman. Cachopa was placed on probation. Cohen, who was convicted of attempted extortion and witness intimidation in 2007, was sentenced to two years in prison. Last February, a Stoughton supervisor of detectives who was removed from his post in 2005 won a federal lawsuit against the town after arguing that his demotion was retaliation for his helping to investigate misconduct by Cachopa and Cohen. The plaintiff, Robert J. Welch, was awarded more than $165,000 at the trial and got his job back. Hillary A. Schwab, a Boston lawyer who represented Welch, said she believes that “the Police Department is broken.’’ Stoughton’s acting police chief, Thomas Murphy, did not return phone calls. Saltzman can be reached at jsaltzman@globe.com
Admits to lying, promises to aid corruption probe
A former Stoughton police detective admitted in federal court yesterday that he lied to FBI agents during an investigation into alleged police corruption and has promised to help authorities in the probe, which appears to be widening. Arlindo Romeiro, the former detective, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Boston to one count of making false statements on July 13. Romeiro had denied knowing that Stoughton police officers had received stolen gift cards and merchandise from an informant secretly cooperating with the FBI, when, in fact, he was among the recipients, a federal prosecutor said. Although the 37-year-old former police officer was composed during 10 minutes on the witness stand at his change-of-plea hearing, he left the courtroom holding his eyeglasses and brushing away tears. He declined to comment as he walked down a corridor with about a dozen family members and supporters. His lawyer, Daniel W. O’Malley of Quincy, said he, too, would not comment until his client’s sentencing April 8. “I think it’s premature for me to say anything,’’ O’Malley said. One Romeiro supporter who declined to identify himself called the former detective a “good, honest man.’’ Romeiro resigned in November. Romeiro, the latest Stoughton police officer ensnared in a series of scandals that have rocked the department in recent years, faces a maximum of five years in prison. Federal sentencing guidelines recommend that he serve 10 to 16 months in prison, according to Assistant US Attorney Brian T. Kelly, who oversees the public corruption unit. In exchange for Romeiro’s promised cooperation, prosecutors are expected to recommend that US District Court Judge Patti B. Saris sentence him to less than that.
After the hearing, US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said in a statement, “False statements by a police officer are unacceptable and will be prosecuted if they arise in the course of a federal investigation.’’ In a bare-bones summary presented in court, Kelly said FBI agents spent most of last year investigating allegations of corruption against the Stoughton Police Department. The cooperating witness told agents that he gave stolen Best Buy and Home Depot gift cards and other merchandise to officers. The officers, in turn, allegedly provided the witness with confidential law enforcement information, including data about motorists from the Registry of Motor Vehicles that the witness used to make phony identification documents. When FBI agents asked Romeiro whether he knew of officers receiving stolen goods and supplying such information, he said no, even though he himself had made such exchanges with the witness, Kelly said. Authorities captured exchanges on videotapes and audiotapes. Kelly did not identify the cooperating witness. But three people who are familiar with the investigation and who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Globe in September that a longtime informant for former Stoughton police detective Anthony Bickerton began cooperating with authorities after the informant was arrested on a number of charges. The informant has a lengthy criminal record that includes arrests for drugs, burglary, forgery, and assault and battery. Bickerton, a member of Stoughton’s School Committee, retired from the police force in September after 30 years. Joseph F. Krowski Sr., a Brockton lawyer with whom Bickerton has been consulting, said Bickerton has done nothing wrong and retired at least partly because of the atmosphere in the scandal-plagued department. “As you know, there’s been a lot of pressure on a lot of cops who did nothing wrong but got caught up in this antipolice maelstrom in Stoughton, and a lot of guys have just had it,’’ Krowski said. Kelly declined to say whether the corruption investigation is widening. Krowski said he believes that it is and that authorities will use Romeiro’s cooperation to target higher-ups. “I guess they call it the ladder technique,’’ Krowski said.
The Stoughton police force has been in turmoil for years and has not had a permanent chief since March 2005, when Chief Manuel J. Cachopa was placed on administrative leave following his indictment on charges of being an accessory to attempted extortion. Last January he was convicted of the charge, which stemmed from allegations that he tried to hinder an investigation into whether Sergeant David Cohen abused his authority in 2002 while attempting to collect a debt from a local businessman. Cachopa was placed on probation. Cohen, who was convicted of attempted extortion and witness intimidation in 2007, was sentenced to two years in prison. Last February, a Stoughton supervisor of detectives who was removed from his post in 2005 won a federal lawsuit against the town after arguing that his demotion was retaliation for his helping to investigate misconduct by Cachopa and Cohen. The plaintiff, Robert J. Welch, was awarded more than $165,000 at the trial and got his job back. Hillary A. Schwab, a Boston lawyer who represented Welch, said she believes that “the Police Department is broken.’’ Stoughton’s acting police chief, Thomas Murphy, did not return phone calls. Saltzman can be reached at jsaltzman@globe.com
Friday, January 8, 2010
Convicted Corrupt Cop to Get New Trial
SJC orders new trial for ex-Stoughton cop convicted of corruption
The Boston Globe by John R. Ellement - January 7, 2010
The state's high court today overturned the corruption conviction of a former Stoughton police sergeant, saying the officer's constitutional rights were violated when court officers barred the public from jury selection in the Dedham courthouse. David M. Cohen was convicted by a Norfolk Superior Court jury in 2007 of four charges, including attempted extortion and filing a false police report. His attorneys argued he deserved a new trial because Cohen's relatives and friends were not in the courtroom when the jurors who convicted him were chosen. Writing for a unanimous Supreme Judicial Court, Justice Margot Botsford agreed. Botsford wrote that even though Cohen's relatives and reporters got into the courtroom after four days of jury selection, the right to a public trial guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment was violated because no one was allowed in for the first three days. "We conclude that the jury empanelment in this case contravened the defendant's right to a public trial protected by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and that accordingly, he is entitled to a new trial,'' Botsford wrote. Botsford added, "The defendant had a right to have the public present during these individual juror examinations, just as he had a right during the trial to have spectators present in the court room while sidebar conferences took place out of their earshot.'' Wendy H. Sibbison, Cohen's appellate attorney, said the SJC was reaffirming a bedrock legal principle, one that has guided trials since the country's creation. "The whole idea is that people watching keeps everybody else in the courtroom keenly alive to their responsibilities,'' Sibbison said."The fairness of a jury is utterly reliant on whether those prospective jurors tell the truth or not when they are asked questions. This is an enormously important decision.''
A spokesman for Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating, whose office employed a special prosecutor, said the ruling is being reviewed. David Traub said no decision has been made by Keating on whether to retry Cohen. The Cohen case was at the center of a corruption investigation into the South Shore police department that began in 2002 and has led to the conviction of his former chief, Manuel J. Cachopa. Cachopa was convicted of being an accessory to attempted extortion for trying to block an internal investigation into Cohen's actions. Cohen was convicted of using his police badge to support his private work as an attorney. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but was released last October while he appealed. "He is doing really well,'' said Sibbison, who spoke with Cohen today. "He's thrilled that he now doesn't stand convicted of these crimes that he says he is entirely innocent of.'' Meanwhile, a former Stoughton police detective admitted Wednesday in federal court that he lied to FBI agents during an investigation into alleged police corruption and has promised to help authorities in the probe, which appears to be widening. Arlindo Romeiro, the former detective, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Boston to one count of making false statements.
The state's high court today overturned the corruption conviction of a former Stoughton police sergeant, saying the officer's constitutional rights were violated when court officers barred the public from jury selection in the Dedham courthouse. David M. Cohen was convicted by a Norfolk Superior Court jury in 2007 of four charges, including attempted extortion and filing a false police report. His attorneys argued he deserved a new trial because Cohen's relatives and friends were not in the courtroom when the jurors who convicted him were chosen. Writing for a unanimous Supreme Judicial Court, Justice Margot Botsford agreed. Botsford wrote that even though Cohen's relatives and reporters got into the courtroom after four days of jury selection, the right to a public trial guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment was violated because no one was allowed in for the first three days. "We conclude that the jury empanelment in this case contravened the defendant's right to a public trial protected by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and that accordingly, he is entitled to a new trial,'' Botsford wrote. Botsford added, "The defendant had a right to have the public present during these individual juror examinations, just as he had a right during the trial to have spectators present in the court room while sidebar conferences took place out of their earshot.'' Wendy H. Sibbison, Cohen's appellate attorney, said the SJC was reaffirming a bedrock legal principle, one that has guided trials since the country's creation. "The whole idea is that people watching keeps everybody else in the courtroom keenly alive to their responsibilities,'' Sibbison said."The fairness of a jury is utterly reliant on whether those prospective jurors tell the truth or not when they are asked questions. This is an enormously important decision.''
A spokesman for Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating, whose office employed a special prosecutor, said the ruling is being reviewed. David Traub said no decision has been made by Keating on whether to retry Cohen. The Cohen case was at the center of a corruption investigation into the South Shore police department that began in 2002 and has led to the conviction of his former chief, Manuel J. Cachopa. Cachopa was convicted of being an accessory to attempted extortion for trying to block an internal investigation into Cohen's actions. Cohen was convicted of using his police badge to support his private work as an attorney. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but was released last October while he appealed. "He is doing really well,'' said Sibbison, who spoke with Cohen today. "He's thrilled that he now doesn't stand convicted of these crimes that he says he is entirely innocent of.'' Meanwhile, a former Stoughton police detective admitted Wednesday in federal court that he lied to FBI agents during an investigation into alleged police corruption and has promised to help authorities in the probe, which appears to be widening. Arlindo Romeiro, the former detective, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Boston to one count of making false statements.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Philly Cop Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun Charges
Department of Justice Press Release
For Immediate Release - January 5, 2010 United States Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Pennsylvania - Contact: (215) 861-8200
Former Philadelphia Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun Charges
PHILADELPHIA, PA—Alhinde Weems, 34, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to drug and firearm charges, announced United States Attorney Michael L. Levy. Between December 2008 and January 2009, Weems intentionally distributed crack cocaine two times and attempted to distribute a kilogram of cocaine. In March 2009, Weems conspired to rob another drug dealer and planned to use several firearms to commit this robbery, including his Philadelphia Police Department service weapon. Weems planned to used his authority as a police officer to commit the robbery by "badging" his way in and/or dressing like an officer and/or detective. He was arrested with his service weapon on the way to committing the robbery. Four different firearms were recovered from his house, along with ammunition and a homemade silencer. Weems pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of crack, one count each of attempt to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, attempt to commit a hobbs act robbery, and use of a firearm in the course of a violent crime. Sentencing is scheduled for May 3, 2010. The defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of a life. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria M. Carrillo.
For Immediate Release - January 5, 2010 United States Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Pennsylvania - Contact: (215) 861-8200
Former Philadelphia Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun Charges
PHILADELPHIA, PA—Alhinde Weems, 34, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to drug and firearm charges, announced United States Attorney Michael L. Levy. Between December 2008 and January 2009, Weems intentionally distributed crack cocaine two times and attempted to distribute a kilogram of cocaine. In March 2009, Weems conspired to rob another drug dealer and planned to use several firearms to commit this robbery, including his Philadelphia Police Department service weapon. Weems planned to used his authority as a police officer to commit the robbery by "badging" his way in and/or dressing like an officer and/or detective. He was arrested with his service weapon on the way to committing the robbery. Four different firearms were recovered from his house, along with ammunition and a homemade silencer. Weems pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of crack, one count each of attempt to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, attempt to commit a hobbs act robbery, and use of a firearm in the course of a violent crime. Sentencing is scheduled for May 3, 2010. The defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of a life. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria M. Carrillo.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Accusations Fly in Lawmen Feud
Accusations fly in feud involving Texas lawmen, porn charges
The Dallas Morning News by JON NIELSEN - January 1, 2010
The lengthy arrest warrant for former small-town police chief Michael Meissner included a string of graphic text messages he was accused of sending to teenage boys, trying to lure them to sex parties. Television news crews flocked to the jailhouse to catch a glimpse of Meissner in handcuffs. Yet a week after his September arrest, Meissner, 39, then the police chief of Little River-Academy, a small community south of Waco, walked out of the Dallas County Jail a free man. The seven charges against him were erased, and his $1.5 million bail was dismissed. Prosecutors in Dallas and Tarrant counties won't say why Meissner won't be tried on charges of promotion of prostitution, possession and promotion of child pornography and sexual performance of a child. The dismissals baffled the investigating officer, John Hoskins, who said he uncovered the seedy texts during another investigation while working as an unpaid reserve officer for the city of Combine in Kaufman County, near the Dallas County line.
Meissner, who lives in Dallas, denies the charges and denies sending the text messages. He said the allegations are trumped up by Hoskins, an officer Meissner says has been out to get him for years. "I think ... [authorities] knew the charges were bogus; they knew about this guy and this vendetta," Meissner said. While it remains unclear why prosecutors won't pursue a case against Meissner, documents reveal a bitterness between the two officers that began four years ago. The rivalry is a convoluted tale of salacious allegations mixed with small-town politics. It pits Meissner, a peace officer who has worked for 18 agencies in 20 years, against Hoskins, an equally nomadic officer. The two worked side by side in 2006 when Meissner was police chief and Hoskins was his officer in the East Texas town of Caney City. While there, Hoskins investigated a charge that his boss viewed pornography with a minor at the police station on a city-owned computer, according to a police report. The charge, like others against Meissner, was dropped. Hoskins said his latest investigation isn't about settling a feud. "I do not have an ax to grind. People like Meissner don't need to have badges," said Hoskins, who has left the Combine Police Department but will not say where he now works, out of privacy concerns. Like Meissner, Hoskins has had peace officer jobs with several agencies. Since 1999, he has had 14 appointments with police departments, none lasting more than five months. The investigation has sent ripples through Combine. In the wake of Hoskins' investigation and subsequent resignation, Police Chief Steve Allen, who authorized the investigation, left the department in November. "The frustrating part of it is there's a criminal that's still out walking on the streets," Allen alleged. Of the charges, which have been dropped, he said, "It's not hearsay – 'he said, she said' – it's straight off his text messages." The day Allen announced his resignation, the Combine City Council was scheduled to review his employment. In that same meeting, city leaders were scheduled to discuss the fallout from the Meissner investigation, his incarceration and the raid on his Arlington home. James Heironimus, a former director of the state agency that regulates peace officers, is familiar with the history between Hoskins and Meissner. Knowing that, he said he's sure that Hoskins' investigation is motivated by his desire to settle a score. "It's personal for Hoskins for sure," he said. Heironimus once investigated Meissner on allegations that he destroyed evidence and documents from a police property room. No criminal charges came of the allegations. "Certainly someone needs to go in and really look at this thing with less than a jaundiced eye," Heironimus said. "Either ... [Meissner is] doing something wrong or not." Hoskins has devoted years to trying to alert legislators and the public to Meissner's work history and criminal background through a Web site he established. Meissner, whose law enforcement career began in 1989, also has faced charges including impersonating a public servant and operating a security company without a license. The charges have all been dropped.
'Barely legal age'
On Sept. 15, authorities arrested Meissner on seven felony counts in Tarrant and Dallas counties. The affidavit says that while Meissner was police chief at Little River-Academy – and the small community's only police officer – he found a 17-year-old through the MySpace social networking site and began texting and e-mailing him lewd messages. According to the affidavit, the messages promised sexual encounters with others at Meissner's Arlington home. Throughout almost 5,000 text messages that Hoskins said he obtained from Meissner's cellphone using a search warrant, Meissner allegedly attempted to lure the high school student and others to his home in the 1000 block of Glynn Oaks Drive to participate in sex parties with alcohol, drugs and video cameras, according to the affidavit. The affidavit says Meissner also received nude photographs from people of "barely legal age." Combine police seized the e-mails and texts through a search warrant Hoskins obtained in a related case. He had been investigating whether Meissner illegally e-mailed a Combine officer's mug shot to a blogger. The Dallas County district attorney's office rejected three charges against Meissner, including engaging in organized crime. "But we don't comment on how we make such decisions," spokeswoman Jamille Bradfield said. None of the other charges, including promotion of prostitution, possession and promotion of child pornography and sexual performance by a child, have been brought to the Tarrant County district attorney's office, a spokeswoman said, because the judge who signed Meissner's arrest warrant later withdrew the charges. The judge, Tarrant County District Judge Louis Sturns, said he didn't feel comfortable commenting on his decision.
Previous arrests
Although he has worked as police chief in four small cities, Meissner has been arrested at least four times, including on charges that he tampered with a witness and used a fictitious degree on a job application for the Dallas County Community College District. Meissner was not prosecuted on any of those charges, which have all been dropped. "I'm not perfect by any means, but there has to be something good about me because I keep getting these chief jobs," he said. Officials with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education, the agency that oversees peace officers, said it will not suspend or revoke an officer's license without a conviction. In Meissner's case, he has never been tried. "You're innocent until proven guilty," said Laura Le Blanc, the agency's public information officer. "We have nothing in our rules and statutes that we can take action until he's been found guilty of criminal misconduct." Hoskins said the state agency needs to have more accountability for who gets a badge. "We should not have to police our own, but the state needs to do something about it," he said. "I know there are other cops just like him." The Hoskins-Meissner rivalry began in Caney City in fall 2006 when Hoskins and Meissner applied for the chief position in the Henderson County town of about 225 people. Meissner got the job and later hired Hoskins as an officer. Just weeks into his employment, Hoskins began investigating allegations that his boss viewed pornography with a 15-year-old boy on a city-owned computer, according to Caney City police records. The investigation hardly began. According to Hoskins, 31, when Meissner learned about it, he fired him. Meissner says Hoskins never worked for him, but city records show Hoskins led an investigation of allegations against his boss involving the 15-year-old boy. Since then, both men have tried to tarnish each other's credibility. According to Hoskins, Meissner has called his supervisors to try to get him fired or to keep them from hiring him when he applied for jobs. Hoskins won't say where he's working now.
Hoskins established the Web site www.michaelmeissner.com – which he has since taken down – to gather tips and warn the public about Meissner's record as a nomadic cop and his arrests. Among the content on the site were copies of a federal tax lien against Meissner and documents accusing him of burning police records and evidence from police property rooms. Hoskins also appealed to legislators and the media to look into Meissner. Meanwhile, Meissner floated around, getting jobs with small-town agencies until his conflict with Hoskins heated up again in August, when Hoskins said he discovered the alleged text messages that led to Meissner's latest arrest. "All I wanted to be was a small-town chief and be left alone," Meissner said. "But this guy does not want me to do it, for some reason. This guy keeps bringing up charges in the past, but they've never went far enough to go into court." Meissner said that since he left Little River-Academy he has begun coordinating security for a family-owned business in Dallas that he declined to identify. He filed a complaint of official oppression by Hoskins and others in Combine to Kaufman County District Attorney Rick Harrison in November. Among his allegations, Meissner said that following his arrest, "Investigator Hoskins notified several media outlets and made several press releases in the city of Combine's name to publicly embarrass me and cause harm." Hoskins is frustrated that Meissner is free. He said there's no telling how many victims he has preyed upon. "When the justice system has failed, I've tried to get it to the right hands," Hoskins said. George Spurgeon, an officer of 18 years who once worked with Meissner and is familiar with Hoskins, said many agree – but he said they also feel the same way about Hoskins. "Most of the officers I know ... would say we'd probably be better off in the law enforcement community if both of them were not police officers," Spurgeon said. jnielsen@dallasnews.com
The Dallas Morning News by JON NIELSEN - January 1, 2010
The lengthy arrest warrant for former small-town police chief Michael Meissner included a string of graphic text messages he was accused of sending to teenage boys, trying to lure them to sex parties. Television news crews flocked to the jailhouse to catch a glimpse of Meissner in handcuffs. Yet a week after his September arrest, Meissner, 39, then the police chief of Little River-Academy, a small community south of Waco, walked out of the Dallas County Jail a free man. The seven charges against him were erased, and his $1.5 million bail was dismissed. Prosecutors in Dallas and Tarrant counties won't say why Meissner won't be tried on charges of promotion of prostitution, possession and promotion of child pornography and sexual performance of a child. The dismissals baffled the investigating officer, John Hoskins, who said he uncovered the seedy texts during another investigation while working as an unpaid reserve officer for the city of Combine in Kaufman County, near the Dallas County line.
Meissner, who lives in Dallas, denies the charges and denies sending the text messages. He said the allegations are trumped up by Hoskins, an officer Meissner says has been out to get him for years. "I think ... [authorities] knew the charges were bogus; they knew about this guy and this vendetta," Meissner said. While it remains unclear why prosecutors won't pursue a case against Meissner, documents reveal a bitterness between the two officers that began four years ago. The rivalry is a convoluted tale of salacious allegations mixed with small-town politics. It pits Meissner, a peace officer who has worked for 18 agencies in 20 years, against Hoskins, an equally nomadic officer. The two worked side by side in 2006 when Meissner was police chief and Hoskins was his officer in the East Texas town of Caney City. While there, Hoskins investigated a charge that his boss viewed pornography with a minor at the police station on a city-owned computer, according to a police report. The charge, like others against Meissner, was dropped. Hoskins said his latest investigation isn't about settling a feud. "I do not have an ax to grind. People like Meissner don't need to have badges," said Hoskins, who has left the Combine Police Department but will not say where he now works, out of privacy concerns. Like Meissner, Hoskins has had peace officer jobs with several agencies. Since 1999, he has had 14 appointments with police departments, none lasting more than five months. The investigation has sent ripples through Combine. In the wake of Hoskins' investigation and subsequent resignation, Police Chief Steve Allen, who authorized the investigation, left the department in November. "The frustrating part of it is there's a criminal that's still out walking on the streets," Allen alleged. Of the charges, which have been dropped, he said, "It's not hearsay – 'he said, she said' – it's straight off his text messages." The day Allen announced his resignation, the Combine City Council was scheduled to review his employment. In that same meeting, city leaders were scheduled to discuss the fallout from the Meissner investigation, his incarceration and the raid on his Arlington home. James Heironimus, a former director of the state agency that regulates peace officers, is familiar with the history between Hoskins and Meissner. Knowing that, he said he's sure that Hoskins' investigation is motivated by his desire to settle a score. "It's personal for Hoskins for sure," he said. Heironimus once investigated Meissner on allegations that he destroyed evidence and documents from a police property room. No criminal charges came of the allegations. "Certainly someone needs to go in and really look at this thing with less than a jaundiced eye," Heironimus said. "Either ... [Meissner is] doing something wrong or not." Hoskins has devoted years to trying to alert legislators and the public to Meissner's work history and criminal background through a Web site he established. Meissner, whose law enforcement career began in 1989, also has faced charges including impersonating a public servant and operating a security company without a license. The charges have all been dropped.
'Barely legal age'
On Sept. 15, authorities arrested Meissner on seven felony counts in Tarrant and Dallas counties. The affidavit says that while Meissner was police chief at Little River-Academy – and the small community's only police officer – he found a 17-year-old through the MySpace social networking site and began texting and e-mailing him lewd messages. According to the affidavit, the messages promised sexual encounters with others at Meissner's Arlington home. Throughout almost 5,000 text messages that Hoskins said he obtained from Meissner's cellphone using a search warrant, Meissner allegedly attempted to lure the high school student and others to his home in the 1000 block of Glynn Oaks Drive to participate in sex parties with alcohol, drugs and video cameras, according to the affidavit. The affidavit says Meissner also received nude photographs from people of "barely legal age." Combine police seized the e-mails and texts through a search warrant Hoskins obtained in a related case. He had been investigating whether Meissner illegally e-mailed a Combine officer's mug shot to a blogger. The Dallas County district attorney's office rejected three charges against Meissner, including engaging in organized crime. "But we don't comment on how we make such decisions," spokeswoman Jamille Bradfield said. None of the other charges, including promotion of prostitution, possession and promotion of child pornography and sexual performance by a child, have been brought to the Tarrant County district attorney's office, a spokeswoman said, because the judge who signed Meissner's arrest warrant later withdrew the charges. The judge, Tarrant County District Judge Louis Sturns, said he didn't feel comfortable commenting on his decision.
Previous arrests
Although he has worked as police chief in four small cities, Meissner has been arrested at least four times, including on charges that he tampered with a witness and used a fictitious degree on a job application for the Dallas County Community College District. Meissner was not prosecuted on any of those charges, which have all been dropped. "I'm not perfect by any means, but there has to be something good about me because I keep getting these chief jobs," he said. Officials with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education, the agency that oversees peace officers, said it will not suspend or revoke an officer's license without a conviction. In Meissner's case, he has never been tried. "You're innocent until proven guilty," said Laura Le Blanc, the agency's public information officer. "We have nothing in our rules and statutes that we can take action until he's been found guilty of criminal misconduct." Hoskins said the state agency needs to have more accountability for who gets a badge. "We should not have to police our own, but the state needs to do something about it," he said. "I know there are other cops just like him." The Hoskins-Meissner rivalry began in Caney City in fall 2006 when Hoskins and Meissner applied for the chief position in the Henderson County town of about 225 people. Meissner got the job and later hired Hoskins as an officer. Just weeks into his employment, Hoskins began investigating allegations that his boss viewed pornography with a 15-year-old boy on a city-owned computer, according to Caney City police records. The investigation hardly began. According to Hoskins, 31, when Meissner learned about it, he fired him. Meissner says Hoskins never worked for him, but city records show Hoskins led an investigation of allegations against his boss involving the 15-year-old boy. Since then, both men have tried to tarnish each other's credibility. According to Hoskins, Meissner has called his supervisors to try to get him fired or to keep them from hiring him when he applied for jobs. Hoskins won't say where he's working now.
Hoskins established the Web site www.michaelmeissner.com – which he has since taken down – to gather tips and warn the public about Meissner's record as a nomadic cop and his arrests. Among the content on the site were copies of a federal tax lien against Meissner and documents accusing him of burning police records and evidence from police property rooms. Hoskins also appealed to legislators and the media to look into Meissner. Meanwhile, Meissner floated around, getting jobs with small-town agencies until his conflict with Hoskins heated up again in August, when Hoskins said he discovered the alleged text messages that led to Meissner's latest arrest. "All I wanted to be was a small-town chief and be left alone," Meissner said. "But this guy does not want me to do it, for some reason. This guy keeps bringing up charges in the past, but they've never went far enough to go into court." Meissner said that since he left Little River-Academy he has begun coordinating security for a family-owned business in Dallas that he declined to identify. He filed a complaint of official oppression by Hoskins and others in Combine to Kaufman County District Attorney Rick Harrison in November. Among his allegations, Meissner said that following his arrest, "Investigator Hoskins notified several media outlets and made several press releases in the city of Combine's name to publicly embarrass me and cause harm." Hoskins is frustrated that Meissner is free. He said there's no telling how many victims he has preyed upon. "When the justice system has failed, I've tried to get it to the right hands," Hoskins said. George Spurgeon, an officer of 18 years who once worked with Meissner and is familiar with Hoskins, said many agree – but he said they also feel the same way about Hoskins. "Most of the officers I know ... would say we'd probably be better off in the law enforcement community if both of them were not police officers," Spurgeon said. jnielsen@dallasnews.com
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
New Breed of Prosecutors Arrive for 2010
For Passaic County prosecutor, some new priorities
The New Jersey Record by JOHN PETRICK - January 3, 2010
Like anybody in economically stressed times, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes says she's been spending the past six months trying to figure out how to make the most of what's there. “Forget about as a prosecutor. As a taxpayer, I am very conscious about how we spend money,” says the Wayne resident and Passaic County's chief law enforcement officer. She acknowledged that she recently hired three new junior assistant prosecutors. But since taking over in July, Valdes says she has mostly been consumed with reallocating from within. One of her biggest initiatives has been the creation of a new Public Integrity and Organized Crime Unit, which she staffed by repositioning some existing personnel. “Anything having to do with official corruption, organized crime, police corruption, is all part of the new unit,” she said. “I felt those subjects deserved their own specialized attention.” Prior to her arrival, those tasks were the duties of the White Collar Crime Unit, which handles insurance and credit card fraud, employee theft and the like. “I know that when you're dealing with police officers and sensitive matters, it's all-consuming. So to have it in there with a general white collar unit just didn't seem right,” she said. Thus far, the new public integrity unit's most publicized case has been that of Passaic Police Officer Joseph Rios III, who was indicted Sept. 28 by a Passaic County grand jury on one count of aggravated assault and another of official misconduct. The charges stemmed from a video showing Rios throwing 49-year-old Ronnie Holloway of Passaic against the hood of his cruiser before flinging him to the ground and delivering several blows while Holloway was on his back. He has pleaded not guilty and the case remains open. Prior to her administration, the county was rocked by another high-profile police scandal. Five officers from Pompton Lakes, West Paterson and Ringwood were charged with protecting drug-dealing friends and eventually pleaded guilty to lesser charges that resulted in non-custodial sentences.
September's indictment was Valdes' first big press conference since taking office. Standing before the cameras and microphones, Valdes seemed assured - if not a little nervous - giving her sound bite. But that's about all she would give. Most follow-up questions were politely dismissed. She knows she appeared tight-lipped, she now says, months later. But it's a sensitive case, she noted, and she wasn't about to take any chances by saying too much. For as accessible and friendly as Valdes comes across, it so far seems a more controlled administration. Whereas her predecessor, James Avigliano, was always quick to take or return a phone call, Valdes has, until now, been elusive. To help information flow, her office began a new system of regularly issuing press releases announcing various cases of public importance. But it got off to a rough start. The releases were sometimes issued days after the fact, peppered with errors or lacking necessary details. “Some people may have been initially concerned about her being relatively young, and relatively unknown in Passaic County,” said Fairfield attorney Patrick Caserta, a former Passaic County prosecutor and seasoned observer of the county's legal scene. “From what I've seen so far, I think that she has very effectively and quickly dispelled any misconceptions about herself and disproved her naysayers. She carefully went about an analysis of the organization as it existed and talked to a lot of people on the staff about the organization, and the county, and the issues, and then made decisions as to what she wanted to do. Now we have to see how effectively her office works.” It seems a contradiction that Valdes tackled white collar crime and public integrity issues first off. When discussing her plans last July, she said that reduction of violent crime would be her number one priority. But she says there's no conflict. “I certainly had my notions of what I wanted to focus on, and that hasn't changed: violent crimes, and making sure that as an office, we serve the county community as a whole. The issues you have in Paterson may or may not be the issues you have in Ringwood,” she said. Toward that end, she's been trying to improve future joint investigations by spending a lot of time with each of the municipal police chiefs, she said. An example of recent county and local collaborations under the new administration was the Dec. 22 arrest of 14 people in breaking up an alleged narcotics trafficking network in Ringwood and West Milford. The arrests were the result of a joint effort between the Ringwood Police Department and her office's Narcotics, Gangs and Violent Crimes Task Force. “I see my role more as a legal adviser to the municipalities,” Valdes said. “They need someone to prosecute their cases, and it just works better when there's true collaboration. For example, when there is a homicide or a fatality, typically, our investigators are not the first responders. The first responders will be local police. They will then call us in and we will either assist, or supercede. Then we will end up maybe keeping the case, depending on the severity of the crime. If we're not called on time, if we don't have full facts from people first on the scene, then that's a negative.” E-mail: petrick@northjersey.com
The New Jersey Record by JOHN PETRICK - January 3, 2010
Like anybody in economically stressed times, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes says she's been spending the past six months trying to figure out how to make the most of what's there. “Forget about as a prosecutor. As a taxpayer, I am very conscious about how we spend money,” says the Wayne resident and Passaic County's chief law enforcement officer. She acknowledged that she recently hired three new junior assistant prosecutors. But since taking over in July, Valdes says she has mostly been consumed with reallocating from within. One of her biggest initiatives has been the creation of a new Public Integrity and Organized Crime Unit, which she staffed by repositioning some existing personnel. “Anything having to do with official corruption, organized crime, police corruption, is all part of the new unit,” she said. “I felt those subjects deserved their own specialized attention.” Prior to her arrival, those tasks were the duties of the White Collar Crime Unit, which handles insurance and credit card fraud, employee theft and the like. “I know that when you're dealing with police officers and sensitive matters, it's all-consuming. So to have it in there with a general white collar unit just didn't seem right,” she said. Thus far, the new public integrity unit's most publicized case has been that of Passaic Police Officer Joseph Rios III, who was indicted Sept. 28 by a Passaic County grand jury on one count of aggravated assault and another of official misconduct. The charges stemmed from a video showing Rios throwing 49-year-old Ronnie Holloway of Passaic against the hood of his cruiser before flinging him to the ground and delivering several blows while Holloway was on his back. He has pleaded not guilty and the case remains open. Prior to her administration, the county was rocked by another high-profile police scandal. Five officers from Pompton Lakes, West Paterson and Ringwood were charged with protecting drug-dealing friends and eventually pleaded guilty to lesser charges that resulted in non-custodial sentences.
September's indictment was Valdes' first big press conference since taking office. Standing before the cameras and microphones, Valdes seemed assured - if not a little nervous - giving her sound bite. But that's about all she would give. Most follow-up questions were politely dismissed. She knows she appeared tight-lipped, she now says, months later. But it's a sensitive case, she noted, and she wasn't about to take any chances by saying too much. For as accessible and friendly as Valdes comes across, it so far seems a more controlled administration. Whereas her predecessor, James Avigliano, was always quick to take or return a phone call, Valdes has, until now, been elusive. To help information flow, her office began a new system of regularly issuing press releases announcing various cases of public importance. But it got off to a rough start. The releases were sometimes issued days after the fact, peppered with errors or lacking necessary details. “Some people may have been initially concerned about her being relatively young, and relatively unknown in Passaic County,” said Fairfield attorney Patrick Caserta, a former Passaic County prosecutor and seasoned observer of the county's legal scene. “From what I've seen so far, I think that she has very effectively and quickly dispelled any misconceptions about herself and disproved her naysayers. She carefully went about an analysis of the organization as it existed and talked to a lot of people on the staff about the organization, and the county, and the issues, and then made decisions as to what she wanted to do. Now we have to see how effectively her office works.” It seems a contradiction that Valdes tackled white collar crime and public integrity issues first off. When discussing her plans last July, she said that reduction of violent crime would be her number one priority. But she says there's no conflict. “I certainly had my notions of what I wanted to focus on, and that hasn't changed: violent crimes, and making sure that as an office, we serve the county community as a whole. The issues you have in Paterson may or may not be the issues you have in Ringwood,” she said. Toward that end, she's been trying to improve future joint investigations by spending a lot of time with each of the municipal police chiefs, she said. An example of recent county and local collaborations under the new administration was the Dec. 22 arrest of 14 people in breaking up an alleged narcotics trafficking network in Ringwood and West Milford. The arrests were the result of a joint effort between the Ringwood Police Department and her office's Narcotics, Gangs and Violent Crimes Task Force. “I see my role more as a legal adviser to the municipalities,” Valdes said. “They need someone to prosecute their cases, and it just works better when there's true collaboration. For example, when there is a homicide or a fatality, typically, our investigators are not the first responders. The first responders will be local police. They will then call us in and we will either assist, or supercede. Then we will end up maybe keeping the case, depending on the severity of the crime. If we're not called on time, if we don't have full facts from people first on the scene, then that's a negative.” E-mail: petrick@northjersey.com
Monday, January 4, 2010
Russian Police Corruption Whistleblower Charged with Fraud
Russian YouTube Cop Charged With Fraud
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - December 28, 2009
MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian prosecutors are filing fraud charges against a police officer who had complained on YouTube of abuse and corruption in the law enforcement system. The prosecutor's office in the southern Krasnodar region said in a statement Monday that former Maj. Alexey Dymovsky embezzled about $800 while working as a narcotics investigator. In November, Dymovsky posted three videos on Google's YouTube site in which he said he was promised a promotion in return for jailing an innocent person. He also accused his superiors of forcing officers to fake reports on unsolved crimes. Within days, the videos were seen by 700,000 people, provoking a public outcry and prompting several similar YouTube postings. Dymovsky was fired and founded a rights defense group.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - December 28, 2009
MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian prosecutors are filing fraud charges against a police officer who had complained on YouTube of abuse and corruption in the law enforcement system. The prosecutor's office in the southern Krasnodar region said in a statement Monday that former Maj. Alexey Dymovsky embezzled about $800 while working as a narcotics investigator. In November, Dymovsky posted three videos on Google's YouTube site in which he said he was promised a promotion in return for jailing an innocent person. He also accused his superiors of forcing officers to fake reports on unsolved crimes. Within days, the videos were seen by 700,000 people, provoking a public outcry and prompting several similar YouTube postings. Dymovsky was fired and founded a rights defense group.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Ex-Drug Cop's 25-Year Sentence Among Longest for Local Cops
Ex-drug cop's 25-year sentence among longest for local police
Indy.Com by Jon Murray - September 24, 2009
A disgraced ex-detective’s police-officer status will be among the considerations when federal authorities decide where he will serve a 25-year prison sentence. The sentence handed down Wednesday to Robert B. Long, portrayed by federal prosecutors as the leader of the worst Indianapolis police corruption scandal in years, is among the most severe meted out to local officers. The penalty far exceeds the 10 years given in July to James D. Davis, a patrolman who pleaded guilty and testified against Long and his ex-partner, Jason Edwards. Long and Edwards were convicted in June of conspiracy and drug counts but acquitted on firearms charges. Edwards is set for sentencing Tuesday. The three took part in six incidents involving thefts of drugs and money under surveillance by the FBI and state authorities from March to June 2008. Where Long, 36, serves his sentence will be determined by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which has one Indiana facility, in Terre Haute. The bureau generally considers former police officers among those needing extra protection from other inmates. “I know it goes into the decision,” said Ralph Staples, one of Long’s attorneys. A bureau spokesman could not be reached Wednesday. Davis now is at the Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colo., according to the bureau’s Web site. Unlike state prisons where inmates can cut sentences in half or more through credit for good behavior, federal convicts typically serve about 85 percent of their sentences. Long said little to U.S. District Judge Larry J. McKinney Wednesday and expressed no remorse. He plans to appeal. Before handing down the sentence, the judge said Long had betrayed the integrity exhibited by other officers invited to serve in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s elite, citywide Dangerous Drugs Section. McKinney cited Long’s direction of many of the incidents as the strongest factor in his sentence, which exceeded advisory guidelines by about five years. The judge added three years on supervised release and a $5,000 fine. Prosecutors asked for a maximum 40-year prison sentence for Long. They plan to request 25 years for Edwards, according to a court filing. The officers’ indictment included a $20,000 shakedown of a drug courier, an intercepted package containing marijuana and a videotaped theft of marijuana and cash from a supposed drug house, planted there by the FBI. Since the officers’ arrests, Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler said, Marion County prosecutors have dismissed 26 pending major-felony cases in which Long or Edwards had served as prosecution witnesses. Other arrests of officers have hit Indianapolis police over the past two years, with at least two sentenced to community corrections programs but none to prison. One who could still face prison is Jason S. Barber, another narcotics detective who has two pending cases. He faces charges in Marion County of selling a handgun to a convicted felon last year and is charged in Hancock County with felony battery in connection with an April assault. Myron A. Powell is serving the longest sentence handed down to an Indianapolis police officer in recent years. Powell, a former stepfather to Davis, is serving 65 years in state prison for his role in the 1997 killing of a drug dealer.
Indy.Com by Jon Murray - September 24, 2009
A disgraced ex-detective’s police-officer status will be among the considerations when federal authorities decide where he will serve a 25-year prison sentence. The sentence handed down Wednesday to Robert B. Long, portrayed by federal prosecutors as the leader of the worst Indianapolis police corruption scandal in years, is among the most severe meted out to local officers. The penalty far exceeds the 10 years given in July to James D. Davis, a patrolman who pleaded guilty and testified against Long and his ex-partner, Jason Edwards. Long and Edwards were convicted in June of conspiracy and drug counts but acquitted on firearms charges. Edwards is set for sentencing Tuesday. The three took part in six incidents involving thefts of drugs and money under surveillance by the FBI and state authorities from March to June 2008. Where Long, 36, serves his sentence will be determined by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which has one Indiana facility, in Terre Haute. The bureau generally considers former police officers among those needing extra protection from other inmates. “I know it goes into the decision,” said Ralph Staples, one of Long’s attorneys. A bureau spokesman could not be reached Wednesday. Davis now is at the Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colo., according to the bureau’s Web site. Unlike state prisons where inmates can cut sentences in half or more through credit for good behavior, federal convicts typically serve about 85 percent of their sentences. Long said little to U.S. District Judge Larry J. McKinney Wednesday and expressed no remorse. He plans to appeal. Before handing down the sentence, the judge said Long had betrayed the integrity exhibited by other officers invited to serve in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s elite, citywide Dangerous Drugs Section. McKinney cited Long’s direction of many of the incidents as the strongest factor in his sentence, which exceeded advisory guidelines by about five years. The judge added three years on supervised release and a $5,000 fine. Prosecutors asked for a maximum 40-year prison sentence for Long. They plan to request 25 years for Edwards, according to a court filing. The officers’ indictment included a $20,000 shakedown of a drug courier, an intercepted package containing marijuana and a videotaped theft of marijuana and cash from a supposed drug house, planted there by the FBI. Since the officers’ arrests, Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler said, Marion County prosecutors have dismissed 26 pending major-felony cases in which Long or Edwards had served as prosecution witnesses. Other arrests of officers have hit Indianapolis police over the past two years, with at least two sentenced to community corrections programs but none to prison. One who could still face prison is Jason S. Barber, another narcotics detective who has two pending cases. He faces charges in Marion County of selling a handgun to a convicted felon last year and is charged in Hancock County with felony battery in connection with an April assault. Myron A. Powell is serving the longest sentence handed down to an Indianapolis police officer in recent years. Powell, a former stepfather to Davis, is serving 65 years in state prison for his role in the 1997 killing of a drug dealer.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
4 Cops Facing Federal Charges Resign, Leaving 3 on Force
4 Pa. policemen facing federal charges resign, leaving town with only 3 officers
The Associated Press - December 29, 2009
SHENANDOAH, PA (AP) — Four northeastern Pennsylvania police officers who were arrested earlier this month on federal charges have resigned from their jobs. The Shenandoah Borough Police Department has only three officers after the resignations of Chief Matthew Nestor, Capt. Jamie Gennarini, Officer Jason Hayes and Lt. William Moyer were accepted Tuesday night. State police are helping patrol the town. The four were arrested Dec. 15. Nestor, Moyer and Hayes are accused of orchestrating a cover-up in a Mexican immigrant's beating death by altering evidence or lying to the FBI in a case against two white high school football players. Nestor and Gennarini are charged with extortion and civil rights violations in a separate case. Messages left late Tuesday seeking comment from defense lawyers were not immediately returned.
The Associated Press - December 29, 2009
SHENANDOAH, PA (AP) — Four northeastern Pennsylvania police officers who were arrested earlier this month on federal charges have resigned from their jobs. The Shenandoah Borough Police Department has only three officers after the resignations of Chief Matthew Nestor, Capt. Jamie Gennarini, Officer Jason Hayes and Lt. William Moyer were accepted Tuesday night. State police are helping patrol the town. The four were arrested Dec. 15. Nestor, Moyer and Hayes are accused of orchestrating a cover-up in a Mexican immigrant's beating death by altering evidence or lying to the FBI in a case against two white high school football players. Nestor and Gennarini are charged with extortion and civil rights violations in a separate case. Messages left late Tuesday seeking comment from defense lawyers were not immediately returned.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Hope for Fighting Law Enforcement Corruption
Elizabeth police sergeant will keep $600K award from whistle blower lawsuit
The New Jersey Star-Ledger by Julie O'Connor - December 30, 2009
ELIZABETH, NJ -- An Elizabeth police sergeant who said he was punished after blowing the whistle on police corruption will get to keep his $600,000 jury award, an appellate court ruled today. The court upheld a 2006 verdict in favor of Sgt. John Guslavage, a decorated narcotics supervisor who said his bosses cast him into a demeaning desk job because he violated their code of silence, reporting a suspected drug-using cop to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office in 1999. Guslavage received a $600,000 award in a whistle blower lawsuit he filed against the Elizabeth Police Department and the city with harassment. Guslavage, now 67 years old and retired, referred requests to comment to his lawyer. Attorney David Ben-Asher said simply that his client felt vindicated for "the years of retaliation he experienced," and "we prevailed on all of the issues which the city raised." Attorney Edward Kologi, who represented the city of Elizabeth in the civil case with co-counsel Robert Varady, called the appellate ruling "totally erroneous." Kologi said Guslavage’s $600,000 award — plus more than $100,000 in interest — is an unfair burden on taxpayers, and the defense’s only recourse is to seek to take their case to the state Supreme Court. The defense attorneys had argued in their appeal that the sergeant didn’t qualify as a whistle-blower under state statute, since he suffered no loss or rank or pay, keeping his $100,000 annual pay check. The Conscientious Employee Protection Act, meant to protect whistle-blowers, does not apply "any time someone’s ego is bruised, because they might not get the perfect assignment that they want," Kologi said. He and Varady maintained Guslavage was disciplined for going outside the chain of command, but that was his only punishment. They said his allegations against the officer, who was never charged, were shown to be without merit. Guslavage, a 36-year veteran of the Elizabeth police department who once supervised the prestigious narcotics division, said he was buried in a basement desk job overseeing the evidence and property room just months after ratting out the suspected drug-using cop. The sergeant said he was belittled and driven into depression, suffering a nervous breakdown that led to 18 months of medical leave. Jurors in the civil case agreed he was targeted, harassed and punished by his superiors. The 1999 incident was the second of two claims Guslavage made against suspected dirty narcotics officers — in 1994, the sergeant went to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to report on cops he felt had cozied up to a reputed drug dealer. The jury ruled top officials at the police department acted appropriately in that earlier instance, when they chose to end their investigation into the matter. Those suspected officers were also never charged.
The New Jersey Star-Ledger by Julie O'Connor - December 30, 2009
ELIZABETH, NJ -- An Elizabeth police sergeant who said he was punished after blowing the whistle on police corruption will get to keep his $600,000 jury award, an appellate court ruled today. The court upheld a 2006 verdict in favor of Sgt. John Guslavage, a decorated narcotics supervisor who said his bosses cast him into a demeaning desk job because he violated their code of silence, reporting a suspected drug-using cop to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office in 1999. Guslavage received a $600,000 award in a whistle blower lawsuit he filed against the Elizabeth Police Department and the city with harassment. Guslavage, now 67 years old and retired, referred requests to comment to his lawyer. Attorney David Ben-Asher said simply that his client felt vindicated for "the years of retaliation he experienced," and "we prevailed on all of the issues which the city raised." Attorney Edward Kologi, who represented the city of Elizabeth in the civil case with co-counsel Robert Varady, called the appellate ruling "totally erroneous." Kologi said Guslavage’s $600,000 award — plus more than $100,000 in interest — is an unfair burden on taxpayers, and the defense’s only recourse is to seek to take their case to the state Supreme Court. The defense attorneys had argued in their appeal that the sergeant didn’t qualify as a whistle-blower under state statute, since he suffered no loss or rank or pay, keeping his $100,000 annual pay check. The Conscientious Employee Protection Act, meant to protect whistle-blowers, does not apply "any time someone’s ego is bruised, because they might not get the perfect assignment that they want," Kologi said. He and Varady maintained Guslavage was disciplined for going outside the chain of command, but that was his only punishment. They said his allegations against the officer, who was never charged, were shown to be without merit. Guslavage, a 36-year veteran of the Elizabeth police department who once supervised the prestigious narcotics division, said he was buried in a basement desk job overseeing the evidence and property room just months after ratting out the suspected drug-using cop. The sergeant said he was belittled and driven into depression, suffering a nervous breakdown that led to 18 months of medical leave. Jurors in the civil case agreed he was targeted, harassed and punished by his superiors. The 1999 incident was the second of two claims Guslavage made against suspected dirty narcotics officers — in 1994, the sergeant went to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to report on cops he felt had cozied up to a reputed drug dealer. The jury ruled top officials at the police department acted appropriately in that earlier instance, when they chose to end their investigation into the matter. Those suspected officers were also never charged.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Jail Guard Busted for Extorting Sex
Jail guard sex raps
The New York Post by KIERAN CROWLEY - December 31, 2009
A correction officer at a Long Island jail was busted for having his own harem of female inmates that he extorted sex from, authorities said. Nassau DA Kathleen Rice said Correction Officer Mark Barber, 47, of Levittown, was charged with 58 crimes -- including rape and sex ual abuse. The chubby, bald Barber faces a maxi mum sentence of up to 16 years behind bars if convicted on all counts of sexually abusing six inmates "in various places throughout the facility" -- three of whom he had intercourse with, said Rice. Rice said Barber, as the "female grievance officer," was supposed to help women inmates with any complaints, including sexual harassment, but instead, was sexually exploiting the women. "This defendant used the influence of his position to terrorize, rape and abuse vulnerable inmates," at the Nassau County Jail in East Meadow, said Rice.
The New York Post by KIERAN CROWLEY - December 31, 2009
A correction officer at a Long Island jail was busted for having his own harem of female inmates that he extorted sex from, authorities said. Nassau DA Kathleen Rice said Correction Officer Mark Barber, 47, of Levittown, was charged with 58 crimes -- including rape and sex ual abuse. The chubby, bald Barber faces a maxi mum sentence of up to 16 years behind bars if convicted on all counts of sexually abusing six inmates "in various places throughout the facility" -- three of whom he had intercourse with, said Rice. Rice said Barber, as the "female grievance officer," was supposed to help women inmates with any complaints, including sexual harassment, but instead, was sexually exploiting the women. "This defendant used the influence of his position to terrorize, rape and abuse vulnerable inmates," at the Nassau County Jail in East Meadow, said Rice.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Cop Works Second Job While On-Duty
Officer pleads not guilty to felonies
Schenectady's Dwayne Johnson, charged in 15-count indictment, also faces disciplinary hearings
The Albany Times Union by PAUL NELSON - December 24, 2009
Schenectady's Dwayne Johnson, charged in 15-count indictment, also faces disciplinary hearings
The Albany Times Union by PAUL NELSON - December 24, 2009
SCHENECTADY, NY -- Prosecutors say for roughly four months Officer Dwayne Johnson worked private security at the Hess Express gas station near Route 890 when he should have been on patrol, then tried to cover himself by lying on police department time sheets. With his attorney by his side Wednesday, Johnson answered "yes" to several questions from Schenectady County Judge Karen Drago ensuring he understood his legal rights and the 15-count indictment that accuses him of defrauding the government, two counts of offering a false instrument for filing and grand larceny. He pleaded not guilty to those felonies and the 11 misdemeanors that Drago unsealed. He left court on his own recognizance without comment, leaving his attorney Gaspar Castillo to do the talking. The Albany lawyer said his client, who earned an all-time city pay record of $168,000 in 2008, is being punished for being a "hard working man," that the city was well aware he was moonlighting and who never worked his private security and city job simultaneously. "He has served the city and served it well and loves being a cop," said Castillo. "When everything comes out, it will become clear he has not done anything wrong." But Gerald Dwyer, counsel to the district attorney, said the charging document only deals with the alleged double dipping from Oct. 25, 2008 to Feb. 7 at the Brandywine Avenue business and not accusations Johnson remained inside a Woodlawn apartment earlier this year when he should have been on patrol. Outside police headquarters, Mayor Brian U. Stratton said the department is still looking into what Johnson, 50, was doing there as part of its ongoing internal probe. He said his administration will continue to aggressively go after cops who cross the line and that in Johnson's case they would be seeking to fire him and try to recoup any monies he was paid by the city while working his private job. "The public should know we're not tolerating this," he said, adding he was still hopeful that any police commanders who may have turned a blind eye to Johnson's alleged misdeeds should be punished. Later Wednesday, the police department released a statement saying Johnson had been suspended 30 days without pay and that it would be seeking to fire him through disciplinary hearings.
Besides the felonies, Johnson is also charged with five each of counts of official misconduct and receiving unlawful gratuities and scheme to defraud, all misdemeanors. On the top count felony alone, he could face a maximum four-year prison term In February, he was suspended without pay for 30 days amid an internal probe into allegations that he spent several hours on a number of Tuesdays in an apartment in the Woodlawn section during his midnight-to-8 a.m. shift. The revelation came less than a month after city payroll records for 2008 showed that Johnson, who has been on the force since 2001, had the highest earnings for one year in the department's history. At the time, the department's Office of Professional Standards was looking into allegations he spent time at the apartment at the corner of Queen Philomena Boulevard and Sir Benjamin Way when he should have been working. Police said the officer's cruiser, equipped with a GPS, was parked outside the location around 4 a.m. even though he was scheduled to work until 8 a.m. Months later, the department launched a second in-house investigation into fresh allegations that Johnson was working security at Hess when he should have been on patrol. Chief Mark Chaires has said tax-related documents reviewed by investigators showed Johnson was "simultaneously being paid by two employers." With overtime and about $35,000 in retroactive pay, he made $168,921 last year, nearly triple his base salary. Johnson is one of several city police officers scheduled for disciplinary hearings next year. Paul Nelson can be reached at 454-5347 or by e-mail at pnelson@timesunion.com.
Besides the felonies, Johnson is also charged with five each of counts of official misconduct and receiving unlawful gratuities and scheme to defraud, all misdemeanors. On the top count felony alone, he could face a maximum four-year prison term In February, he was suspended without pay for 30 days amid an internal probe into allegations that he spent several hours on a number of Tuesdays in an apartment in the Woodlawn section during his midnight-to-8 a.m. shift. The revelation came less than a month after city payroll records for 2008 showed that Johnson, who has been on the force since 2001, had the highest earnings for one year in the department's history. At the time, the department's Office of Professional Standards was looking into allegations he spent time at the apartment at the corner of Queen Philomena Boulevard and Sir Benjamin Way when he should have been working. Police said the officer's cruiser, equipped with a GPS, was parked outside the location around 4 a.m. even though he was scheduled to work until 8 a.m. Months later, the department launched a second in-house investigation into fresh allegations that Johnson was working security at Hess when he should have been on patrol. Chief Mark Chaires has said tax-related documents reviewed by investigators showed Johnson was "simultaneously being paid by two employers." With overtime and about $35,000 in retroactive pay, he made $168,921 last year, nearly triple his base salary. Johnson is one of several city police officers scheduled for disciplinary hearings next year. Paul Nelson can be reached at 454-5347 or by e-mail at pnelson@timesunion.com.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Ex-Jail Guard Spared Jail in Bribe Case
Ex-deputy spared jail in NV 'Girls Gone Wild' case
By SCOTT SONNER (AP) – December 12, 2009
RENO, Nev. — A former sheriff's deputy who pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to give preferential treatment to "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis while jailed in Reno avoided prison time after U.S. prosecutors argued for leniency Friday due to his cooperation in the case.
Ex-Washoe County deputy Ralph Hawkins was sentenced to three years probation and fined $4,000 for accepting $3,200 in cash and tickets to Oakland Raiders football games from a Francis associate. He acknowledged that in exchange, he had smuggled in sushi, barbecued chicken and other food to the soft porn mogul while he was being held on tax evasion charges last year. Hawkins, 41, who now lives in Florida, had faced up to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of accepting a bribe. But assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Rachow argued before U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Jones that probation was appropriate because Hawkins "provided substantial assistance" in the investigation. Rachow said when the allegations of bribery first surfaced, Hawkins "came forward and gave a complete and detailed statement of his involvement. "To use a colloquialism, he `cowboyed up' right from the get go. He admitted what he did and turned himself in," Rachow said Friday. "Prison would serve no useful purpose in this case." Hawkins told the judge he took full responsibility for his actions. "I whole heartedly regret my behavior. I not only lost my career but more importantly, harmed my family and tarnished the image of not only the Washoe County Sheriff's Office but all of the law enforcement community," he said. "I greatly regret that." Jones said the $4,000 fine corresponded with the overall value of the bribes. "I simply cannot tolerate walking away with any profit from this transaction," the judge said. "The person incarcerated was a real scoundrel and he got away with extraordinary treatment." Jones said he was reluctant to spare Hawkins jail time because he had betrayed the public's trust. "There is nothing worse than the offense of public corruption other than murder or assault or battery. In my opinion it is worse than drug charges," he said before agreeing to sentence Francis to probation. Rachow said that while Hawkins was guilty of smuggling in unauthorized food, he didn't really affect the security of the jail. "If it was more than just providing food to him, it would be a whole different story," Rachow said. Federal public defender Vito de la Cruz said that Hawkins "quickly understood what he did was wrong" then "did the right thing" by coming forward. "He has learned his lesson," he said, adding that the incident prompted jail officials to tighten security measures. In a light moment, Cruz questioned the estimated value of the Raiders tickets. "Given the Oakland Raiders success of the last few years, he probably was ill-advised to take those tickets," he said. "I'm not sure those were of any value." Aaron Weinstein, a Hollywood video and marketing executive who helped produce some of Francis' projects, was charged with three bribery counts in a grand jury indictment in July for allegedly trying to buy off jail officials to help his friend. As part of an agreement reached last month, Weinstein agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of providing contraband in prison, a crime punishable by up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set. Francis, who filmed and marketed videos of naked young women, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Reno on tax evasion charges in 2007. A federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced him last month to 301 days already served and a year of probation for filing false income tax returns and bribing the jail workers in Nevada.
By SCOTT SONNER (AP) – December 12, 2009
RENO, Nev. — A former sheriff's deputy who pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to give preferential treatment to "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis while jailed in Reno avoided prison time after U.S. prosecutors argued for leniency Friday due to his cooperation in the case.
Ex-Washoe County deputy Ralph Hawkins was sentenced to three years probation and fined $4,000 for accepting $3,200 in cash and tickets to Oakland Raiders football games from a Francis associate. He acknowledged that in exchange, he had smuggled in sushi, barbecued chicken and other food to the soft porn mogul while he was being held on tax evasion charges last year. Hawkins, 41, who now lives in Florida, had faced up to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of accepting a bribe. But assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Rachow argued before U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Jones that probation was appropriate because Hawkins "provided substantial assistance" in the investigation. Rachow said when the allegations of bribery first surfaced, Hawkins "came forward and gave a complete and detailed statement of his involvement. "To use a colloquialism, he `cowboyed up' right from the get go. He admitted what he did and turned himself in," Rachow said Friday. "Prison would serve no useful purpose in this case." Hawkins told the judge he took full responsibility for his actions. "I whole heartedly regret my behavior. I not only lost my career but more importantly, harmed my family and tarnished the image of not only the Washoe County Sheriff's Office but all of the law enforcement community," he said. "I greatly regret that." Jones said the $4,000 fine corresponded with the overall value of the bribes. "I simply cannot tolerate walking away with any profit from this transaction," the judge said. "The person incarcerated was a real scoundrel and he got away with extraordinary treatment." Jones said he was reluctant to spare Hawkins jail time because he had betrayed the public's trust. "There is nothing worse than the offense of public corruption other than murder or assault or battery. In my opinion it is worse than drug charges," he said before agreeing to sentence Francis to probation. Rachow said that while Hawkins was guilty of smuggling in unauthorized food, he didn't really affect the security of the jail. "If it was more than just providing food to him, it would be a whole different story," Rachow said. Federal public defender Vito de la Cruz said that Hawkins "quickly understood what he did was wrong" then "did the right thing" by coming forward. "He has learned his lesson," he said, adding that the incident prompted jail officials to tighten security measures. In a light moment, Cruz questioned the estimated value of the Raiders tickets. "Given the Oakland Raiders success of the last few years, he probably was ill-advised to take those tickets," he said. "I'm not sure those were of any value." Aaron Weinstein, a Hollywood video and marketing executive who helped produce some of Francis' projects, was charged with three bribery counts in a grand jury indictment in July for allegedly trying to buy off jail officials to help his friend. As part of an agreement reached last month, Weinstein agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of providing contraband in prison, a crime punishable by up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set. Francis, who filmed and marketed videos of naked young women, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Reno on tax evasion charges in 2007. A federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced him last month to 301 days already served and a year of probation for filing false income tax returns and bribing the jail workers in Nevada.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Police Arrest Fellow Cop on Murder Charges
D.C. Police arrest fellow officer on murder charges
WTOP - December 16, 2009 -
WASHINGTON - D.C. police have arrested a fellow officer on felony murder charges Tuesday, accusing him of helping friends plot a failed drug robbery.
District detectives arrested Reginald Jones on Tuesday afternoon after a warrant was issued accusing him of felony murder in the Dec. 1 shooting of 40-year-old Arvell Alston. The officer was charged with murder despite being dismissed as the shooter. D.C. law considers conspirators in crimes that lead to murder equally responsible. "Officer Jones and his actions are a disgrace to the uniform proudly worn by the men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department who put their lives on the line every day," says D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier. "This crime is a betrayal of the community's trust and is an insult to the fine men and women of this Department." According to the Washington Examiner, the officer's role in the failed robbery was to drive through the 4300 block of Fourth Street SE with the lights on in his police car to distract any gang members from interfering with the robbery attempt. Alston was shot during the attempted robbery. Jones, a six-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department, was assigned to the narcotics and special investigations division. Police have also arrested two other suspects in connection with the shooting. Twenty-seven-year-old Rashun Montea Parker was arrested on Dec. 11, and Arvel Crawford was arrested Tuesday. Both will also face charges of felony murder.
WTOP - December 16, 2009 -
WASHINGTON - D.C. police have arrested a fellow officer on felony murder charges Tuesday, accusing him of helping friends plot a failed drug robbery.
District detectives arrested Reginald Jones on Tuesday afternoon after a warrant was issued accusing him of felony murder in the Dec. 1 shooting of 40-year-old Arvell Alston. The officer was charged with murder despite being dismissed as the shooter. D.C. law considers conspirators in crimes that lead to murder equally responsible. "Officer Jones and his actions are a disgrace to the uniform proudly worn by the men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department who put their lives on the line every day," says D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier. "This crime is a betrayal of the community's trust and is an insult to the fine men and women of this Department." According to the Washington Examiner, the officer's role in the failed robbery was to drive through the 4300 block of Fourth Street SE with the lights on in his police car to distract any gang members from interfering with the robbery attempt. Alston was shot during the attempted robbery. Jones, a six-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department, was assigned to the narcotics and special investigations division. Police have also arrested two other suspects in connection with the shooting. Twenty-seven-year-old Rashun Montea Parker was arrested on Dec. 11, and Arvel Crawford was arrested Tuesday. Both will also face charges of felony murder.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Guilty plea by ex-ICE agent shocks many
Guilty plea by ex-ICE agent shocks many
Family, friends doubt ties to drug traffickers
The Arizona Republic by Robert Anglen - December 12, 2009
Richard Cramer was first a foot soldier and then a leader in the war on drugs. He once ran the Nogales office of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement and was twice assigned as an attache to Mexico. Incorruptible, dedicated, tireless - a cop's cop. That's how Cramer's family and friends describe the Sahuarita resident. But this week, Cramer's reputation was shattered when he admitted that he worked with Mexican drug dealers. In a Miami federal courthouse, Cramer, 56, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice by helping two drug traffickers avoid arrest, a felony that carries a maximum 20-year prison term. His plea makes Cramer one of the highest-ranking ICE officials to admit to or be convicted of corruption in the six years since the agency was created. And it raises questions about the ability of Mexican drug cartels to reach the upper echelons of U.S. law enforcement. Cramer's supporters insisted that the charges were the product of overzealous investigators and prosecutors. They said he would never knowingly break the law. "This goes counter to everything I know about Richard," Rene Andreu, a former assistant ICE chief who hired Cramer as a customs investigator in the early 1980s, said weeks before the plea. "If somehow, some way, he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, my paradigm on life itself will be changed." Cramer's family said any plea deal is grossly unfair but is better than spending the rest of your life behind bars for something you didn't do. As part of the plea agreement, Cramer admitted that he "corruptly attempted to obstruct, influence and impede" an official investigation. The charge stands in contrast to the host of accusations levied against Cramer after his arrest in September. A federal complaint charged Cramer with using his position to supply drug dealers with intelligence on informants and investing his own money in a 300-kilogram (660-pound) shipment of cocaine. In exchange for the plea, the government dropped three cocaine-smuggling charges and will recommend that Cramer serve two years in prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 18.
Venerated lawman
In nearly 30 years of chasing drug smugglers, winnowing out corruption and enforcing justice along the border, Cramer had seen it all. He had turned down bribes, busted dirty agents and stood his ground when traffickers threatened his life, according to colleagues who worked with him on the front lines. "He was costing drug-trafficking groups south of the border a lot of money," said Andreu, adding that Cramer stacked up more arrests than almost any other agent. "In Nogales, you were in constant contact with drug-trafficking organizations. You got information about competitors. ... You worked one against the other." Andreu said Cramer was a great undercover agent with a flawless understanding of his native Mexico, including the language and the people.
Cramer rose from a customs officer to an investigator and then worked internal investigations before being tapped for the highly selective post of Mexican attache in the late 1990s. When he returned to the U.S. in 2001, he was put in charge of Nogales. Cramer's counsel was so highly valued that, when he accepted a new stint as an attache in Guadalajara, he was able to name his replacement: ICE supervisor Matt Allen. Allen, who is now special agent in charge of the Arizona ICE Office of Investigations, would not comment on Cramer. "While even one betrayal of the public's trust by a (Department of Homeland Security) officer or agent is too many, the vast majority of our employees are dedicated public servants who uphold the highest standards of integrity and professional responsibility," Allen said. Cramer retired to his Sahuarita home in a gated golf community in 2007, but he found it impossible to trade the gun and badge for golf and country-club gossip. So this year, he took a $30,000-a-year job as a corrections officer with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, where he had started his law-enforcement career three decades earlier. The father and grandfather joined the academy, started a physical-fitness regimen, took and passed a lie-detector test and sailed through a psychological exam and background investigation. "He was one of those success stories," county Sheriff Tony Estrada said, emphasizing that not a single red flag arose. "I kept saying, 'Richard, I'm impressed. Why do you want to do this?' "Now, Estrada said, the question everyone is asking is: "What made him jump to the other side?"
Accused of trafficking
Family, friends doubt ties to drug traffickers
The Arizona Republic by Robert Anglen - December 12, 2009
Richard Cramer was first a foot soldier and then a leader in the war on drugs. He once ran the Nogales office of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement and was twice assigned as an attache to Mexico. Incorruptible, dedicated, tireless - a cop's cop. That's how Cramer's family and friends describe the Sahuarita resident. But this week, Cramer's reputation was shattered when he admitted that he worked with Mexican drug dealers. In a Miami federal courthouse, Cramer, 56, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice by helping two drug traffickers avoid arrest, a felony that carries a maximum 20-year prison term. His plea makes Cramer one of the highest-ranking ICE officials to admit to or be convicted of corruption in the six years since the agency was created. And it raises questions about the ability of Mexican drug cartels to reach the upper echelons of U.S. law enforcement. Cramer's supporters insisted that the charges were the product of overzealous investigators and prosecutors. They said he would never knowingly break the law. "This goes counter to everything I know about Richard," Rene Andreu, a former assistant ICE chief who hired Cramer as a customs investigator in the early 1980s, said weeks before the plea. "If somehow, some way, he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, my paradigm on life itself will be changed." Cramer's family said any plea deal is grossly unfair but is better than spending the rest of your life behind bars for something you didn't do. As part of the plea agreement, Cramer admitted that he "corruptly attempted to obstruct, influence and impede" an official investigation. The charge stands in contrast to the host of accusations levied against Cramer after his arrest in September. A federal complaint charged Cramer with using his position to supply drug dealers with intelligence on informants and investing his own money in a 300-kilogram (660-pound) shipment of cocaine. In exchange for the plea, the government dropped three cocaine-smuggling charges and will recommend that Cramer serve two years in prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 18.
Venerated lawman
In nearly 30 years of chasing drug smugglers, winnowing out corruption and enforcing justice along the border, Cramer had seen it all. He had turned down bribes, busted dirty agents and stood his ground when traffickers threatened his life, according to colleagues who worked with him on the front lines. "He was costing drug-trafficking groups south of the border a lot of money," said Andreu, adding that Cramer stacked up more arrests than almost any other agent. "In Nogales, you were in constant contact with drug-trafficking organizations. You got information about competitors. ... You worked one against the other." Andreu said Cramer was a great undercover agent with a flawless understanding of his native Mexico, including the language and the people.
Cramer rose from a customs officer to an investigator and then worked internal investigations before being tapped for the highly selective post of Mexican attache in the late 1990s. When he returned to the U.S. in 2001, he was put in charge of Nogales. Cramer's counsel was so highly valued that, when he accepted a new stint as an attache in Guadalajara, he was able to name his replacement: ICE supervisor Matt Allen. Allen, who is now special agent in charge of the Arizona ICE Office of Investigations, would not comment on Cramer. "While even one betrayal of the public's trust by a (Department of Homeland Security) officer or agent is too many, the vast majority of our employees are dedicated public servants who uphold the highest standards of integrity and professional responsibility," Allen said. Cramer retired to his Sahuarita home in a gated golf community in 2007, but he found it impossible to trade the gun and badge for golf and country-club gossip. So this year, he took a $30,000-a-year job as a corrections officer with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, where he had started his law-enforcement career three decades earlier. The father and grandfather joined the academy, started a physical-fitness regimen, took and passed a lie-detector test and sailed through a psychological exam and background investigation. "He was one of those success stories," county Sheriff Tony Estrada said, emphasizing that not a single red flag arose. "I kept saying, 'Richard, I'm impressed. Why do you want to do this?' "Now, Estrada said, the question everyone is asking is: "What made him jump to the other side?"
Accused of trafficking
Cramer's conviction comes amid a rise in criminal-corruption cases involving U.S. law-enforcement officials along the border, many involving Customs and Border Protection officials, who are tempted with bribes of money or sex to look the other way as smugglers move drugs and illegal immigrants into the country. No ICE agent in Arizona has been arrested on bribery or drug-smuggling charges since the creation of ICE in 2003. Cramer was arrested Sept. 1 after his regular shift at the Santa Cruz jail. He was called to Tucson for an interview with his former colleagues in ICE and subsequently placed in custody on drug-trafficking charges. The charges stem from a 2006 investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration into a Mexico cartel operating in Florida.
According to the DEA, while Cramer was stationed in Mexico, he supplied a drug-trafficking organization with information on the workings of U.S. law enforcement, including how it conducts records checks, investigations and the turning of informants. Agents said that Cramer was linked to the cartel through e-mail addresses and a direct push-to-talk phone line that connected traffickers to his home. The DEA built its case largely through confidential informants, who reported that Cramer quit his job with the government to work for the cartel. Agents said Cramer also invested in a shipment of cocaine from Mexico to Spain, which was later seized by agents. In an attempt to identify who tipped off authorities to the shipment, members of the cartel discussed using Cramer to oust the traitors, saying he had "very powerful friends," including DEA agents. In court, Cramer pleaded guilty to arranging to run the names of a Mexican money launderer and his associate through U.S. law-enforcement databases to determine whether they were being investigated. Federal prosecutors said the money launderer was hiding in Miami and wanted to return to Mexico but needed assurance he was not being sought by authorities. Members of an unidentified drug-trafficking organization reached out to Cramer, prosecutors say, and he provided them printouts of criminal records searches that allowed the money launderer to return safely to Mexico. When smugglers were later busted, agents found they were carrying copies of the background checks. Cramer's lawyer in Miami told the Associated Press that his client did not profit from this activity, which he described as mistakenly handling computer records.
Duty-bound
Cramer might have been born in Mexico, but he had lived in the U.S. since childhood. Family and friends say he is American to the core, which makes his arrest and plea even harder to comprehend. "He is beyond reproach, has been for every minute of my life that I have known him," said Hector Ayala, a Tucson high-school teacher who has been friends with Cramer since fifth grade. "I am devastated." Cramer was reared dirt poor in Nogales. His mother worked as a restaurant cook and his stepfather was a decorated World War I and World War II veteran. Although Cramer's stepfather died when he was about 10 years old, he left his stepson a legacy of service and love of country. "He idolized his father," Ayala said, remembering how Cramer used to talk about the military as if it were a higher calling. When he was 17, Cramer answered that call, dropping out of school to join the Marines and go to Vietnam, where he earned a Bronze Star for bravery when he defended his platoon from a vicious assault. Friends and family say Cramer brought that sense of duty home, instilling it in his three children, who followed in their father's steps; his son became a Navy corpsman, his daughters law-enforcement officers. "That's what makes no sense," Ayala said. "He would not betray his wife or his son and daughters, who are in law enforcement, or his nephews who are in law enforcement."
Cramer's oldest daughter, Michelle Cramer, who worked in the Army Criminal Investigative Division, said she does not believe her father switched sides. She points out that she has dealt with many criminals and does not believe that her support is based on naive assumptions. She described the case against her father as circumstantial, based primarily on words from confidential informants. In letters to his daughter, penciled on yellow memo sheets from his solitary cell in Miami, Cramer has repeatedly insisted he is innocent and intended to fight the charges in a jury trial. "I write to my father every other day. And he has written back every day," she said. "A couple of times he has gotten emotional. . . . He said, 'You know I never had anything to do with this.' " At other times, Cramer has reminded her of his faith and his feeling that God is testing him. "But his faith has never wavered," Michelle said. But she wants to be pragmatic. Should her father risk spending the rest of his life in prison in an attempt to clear his name? She doesn't think so. Even before a plea bargain was offered, she said her father should consider one if it were offered. "It is really (awful), admitting to something you didn't do," she said. "He doesn't deserve any of this."
According to the DEA, while Cramer was stationed in Mexico, he supplied a drug-trafficking organization with information on the workings of U.S. law enforcement, including how it conducts records checks, investigations and the turning of informants. Agents said that Cramer was linked to the cartel through e-mail addresses and a direct push-to-talk phone line that connected traffickers to his home. The DEA built its case largely through confidential informants, who reported that Cramer quit his job with the government to work for the cartel. Agents said Cramer also invested in a shipment of cocaine from Mexico to Spain, which was later seized by agents. In an attempt to identify who tipped off authorities to the shipment, members of the cartel discussed using Cramer to oust the traitors, saying he had "very powerful friends," including DEA agents. In court, Cramer pleaded guilty to arranging to run the names of a Mexican money launderer and his associate through U.S. law-enforcement databases to determine whether they were being investigated. Federal prosecutors said the money launderer was hiding in Miami and wanted to return to Mexico but needed assurance he was not being sought by authorities. Members of an unidentified drug-trafficking organization reached out to Cramer, prosecutors say, and he provided them printouts of criminal records searches that allowed the money launderer to return safely to Mexico. When smugglers were later busted, agents found they were carrying copies of the background checks. Cramer's lawyer in Miami told the Associated Press that his client did not profit from this activity, which he described as mistakenly handling computer records.
Duty-bound
Cramer might have been born in Mexico, but he had lived in the U.S. since childhood. Family and friends say he is American to the core, which makes his arrest and plea even harder to comprehend. "He is beyond reproach, has been for every minute of my life that I have known him," said Hector Ayala, a Tucson high-school teacher who has been friends with Cramer since fifth grade. "I am devastated." Cramer was reared dirt poor in Nogales. His mother worked as a restaurant cook and his stepfather was a decorated World War I and World War II veteran. Although Cramer's stepfather died when he was about 10 years old, he left his stepson a legacy of service and love of country. "He idolized his father," Ayala said, remembering how Cramer used to talk about the military as if it were a higher calling. When he was 17, Cramer answered that call, dropping out of school to join the Marines and go to Vietnam, where he earned a Bronze Star for bravery when he defended his platoon from a vicious assault. Friends and family say Cramer brought that sense of duty home, instilling it in his three children, who followed in their father's steps; his son became a Navy corpsman, his daughters law-enforcement officers. "That's what makes no sense," Ayala said. "He would not betray his wife or his son and daughters, who are in law enforcement, or his nephews who are in law enforcement."
Cramer's oldest daughter, Michelle Cramer, who worked in the Army Criminal Investigative Division, said she does not believe her father switched sides. She points out that she has dealt with many criminals and does not believe that her support is based on naive assumptions. She described the case against her father as circumstantial, based primarily on words from confidential informants. In letters to his daughter, penciled on yellow memo sheets from his solitary cell in Miami, Cramer has repeatedly insisted he is innocent and intended to fight the charges in a jury trial. "I write to my father every other day. And he has written back every day," she said. "A couple of times he has gotten emotional. . . . He said, 'You know I never had anything to do with this.' " At other times, Cramer has reminded her of his faith and his feeling that God is testing him. "But his faith has never wavered," Michelle said. But she wants to be pragmatic. Should her father risk spending the rest of his life in prison in an attempt to clear his name? She doesn't think so. Even before a plea bargain was offered, she said her father should consider one if it were offered. "It is really (awful), admitting to something you didn't do," she said. "He doesn't deserve any of this."
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
4 Cops Accused of Fatal Beating Cover-Up
Pa. police accused of cover-up in immigrant attack
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and KATHY MATHESON (AP) – December 15, 2009
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Four Pennsylvania police officers have been led into a courtroom in handcuffs for arraignment on charges that they orchestrated a cover-up in the fatal beating of a Mexican immigrant. A federal indictment announced Tuesday accuses Shenandoah Police Chief Matthew Nestor and three officers under his command of charges including witness tampering and lying to the FBI in the 2008 death of Luis Ramirez. The officers are awaiting their arraignment in a Wilkes-Barre (BEHR') courtroom Tuesday. The indictment also charges two former high school athletes with a hate crime for allegedly shouting racial epithets at Ramirez while they were beating him.
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and KATHY MATHESON (AP) – December 15, 2009
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Four Pennsylvania police officers have been led into a courtroom in handcuffs for arraignment on charges that they orchestrated a cover-up in the fatal beating of a Mexican immigrant. A federal indictment announced Tuesday accuses Shenandoah Police Chief Matthew Nestor and three officers under his command of charges including witness tampering and lying to the FBI in the 2008 death of Luis Ramirez. The officers are awaiting their arraignment in a Wilkes-Barre (BEHR') courtroom Tuesday. The indictment also charges two former high school athletes with a hate crime for allegedly shouting racial epithets at Ramirez while they were beating him.
SHENANDOAH, Pa. (AP) — Four police officers in this Pennsylvania coal town are accused in a federal indictment of orchestrating a cover-up in the fatal beating of a Mexican immigrant, an attack that resulted in the acquittal of two popular high school football players of serious state charges. The former Shenandoah High School athletes, 19-year-old Derrick Donchak and 18-year-old Brandon Piekarsky, have been charged with a hate crime, accused of beating Luis Ramirez while shouting racial epithets at him in July 2008, the Justice Department said Tuesday in Washington. Separate indictments accuse Police Chief Matthew Nestor and three officers under his command with charges including witness tampering and lying to the FBI. Nestor, Lt. William Moyer, and Officer Jason Hayes were charged with conspiring to obstruct justice during the investigation into the Ramirez beating. Moyer was charged with witness and evidence tampering, as well as lying to the FBI. The police chief and his second-in-command, James Gennarini, were charged with extortion and civil rights violations in a separate case. The two are accused of extorting cash payoffs from illegal gambling operations and demanding a $2,000 payment from a local businessman in 2007 to release him from their custody. No one answered the phone at the Shenandoah Borough Police Department on Tuesday. Piekarsky's lawyer didn't immediately return a call, and there was no lawyer listed for Donchak on the indictment. Reaction among residents to the indictment was mixed. "Why come in and stir it up again? Why stir it up?" said George Dambroski, 61. "The town is stirred-up enough." Shawn Grady, 35, agreed with the new charges.
"The feds did what they should have done. No one deserves to die. At least, not like that. Justice should be done," he said. Donchak, Piekarsky and a third teen were previously charged in state court in Ramirez's death and cleared of all serious charges. State charges were dropped against a fourth suspect in exchange for a guilty plea to a federal civil rights count. Piekarsky was acquitted by an all-white jury of third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation; Donchak was acquitted of aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation. Both were convicted of simple assault, which carry possible one- or two-year prison sentences. Piekarsky was sentenced in June to six to 23 months in prison, and Donchak was sentenced to seven to 23 months. Both are serving their sentences at the Schuylkill County jail. The May verdicts were decried by Hispanic advocates who say Ramirez's death was part of a rising tide of hate crimes against Latinos. The confrontation began when a half-dozen high school football players were headed home from a block party in Shenandoah, once a nearly all-white town 80 miles northwest of Philadelphia that has attracted Hispanic immigrants with jobs in factories and farm fields. They came across Ramirez, 25, and his 15-year-old girlfriend in a park. An argument broke out, and the football players hurled ethnic slurs, although lawyers disputed who said exactly what. Defense attorneys called Ramirez the aggressor. Soon Ramirez and Piekarsky were trading punches. Donchak jumped in — his lawyers said to break up the fight — and wound up on top of Ramirez. Prosecutors said he pummeled Ramirez while gripping a small piece of metal to give his punches more power; defense attorneys denied he had a weapon. The fight wound down, but the argument continued. Ramirez charged the group. He was knocked out by a punch to the face. Prosecutors said he was killed by Piekarsky's kick to the head; defense lawyers said another teen delivered the fatal blow. Ramirez, a native of the small central Mexican town of Iramuco, was in the United States illegally working at various jobs. Matheson reported from Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Associated Press writer Devlin Barrett contributed to this report from Washington.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Cop Charged In Civil Rights Abuse in Juvenile Beating
Department of Justice Press Release
For Immediate Release
December 10, 2009 United States Attorney's Office
District of Rhode Island
Contact: (401) 709-5000
Woonsocket Police Officer Charged with Civil Rights Abuse in Alleged Beating of Juvenile
A federal grand jury in Providence has returned an indictment charging John H. Douglas, a Woonsocket Police officer, with violating the civil rights of a juvenile in his custody by assaulting him, and with obstructing justice. United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s regional field office, jointly announced a two-count indictment, which the grand jury returned yesterday, but which was placed under seal until Douglas’ arrest today. The indictment charges Douglas, 34, of Blackstone, Massachusetts, with depriving the 16-year-old victim of his right under the Constitution to be free from the use of unreasonable force by someone acting “under color of law.” It alleges that, on September 15, Douglas did “punch, strike, and otherwise assault” the victim, resulting in bodily injury.
The second count of the indictment alleges that Douglas obstructed justice when he allegedly tried to persuade other Woonsocket officers to provide false information to FBI agents who were investigating the matter. FBI agents, assisted by Woonsocket Police, arrested Douglas today. He was arraigned before Magistrate Judge David L. Martin in U.S. District Court, Providence, pleaded not guilty, and was released on bond pending further proceedings. An indictment is merely an allegation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. In the event of a conviction, the maximum penalty for the civil rights allegation would be ten years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for obstruction of justice would be 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Special Agent in Charge Bamford thanked Woonsocket Police Chief Thomas Carey for his department’s cooperation in the investigation. The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. McAdams and Terrence P. Donnelly, and Trial Attorney Avner Shapiro of Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
For Immediate Release
December 10, 2009 United States Attorney's Office
District of Rhode Island
Contact: (401) 709-5000
Woonsocket Police Officer Charged with Civil Rights Abuse in Alleged Beating of Juvenile
A federal grand jury in Providence has returned an indictment charging John H. Douglas, a Woonsocket Police officer, with violating the civil rights of a juvenile in his custody by assaulting him, and with obstructing justice. United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s regional field office, jointly announced a two-count indictment, which the grand jury returned yesterday, but which was placed under seal until Douglas’ arrest today. The indictment charges Douglas, 34, of Blackstone, Massachusetts, with depriving the 16-year-old victim of his right under the Constitution to be free from the use of unreasonable force by someone acting “under color of law.” It alleges that, on September 15, Douglas did “punch, strike, and otherwise assault” the victim, resulting in bodily injury.
The second count of the indictment alleges that Douglas obstructed justice when he allegedly tried to persuade other Woonsocket officers to provide false information to FBI agents who were investigating the matter. FBI agents, assisted by Woonsocket Police, arrested Douglas today. He was arraigned before Magistrate Judge David L. Martin in U.S. District Court, Providence, pleaded not guilty, and was released on bond pending further proceedings. An indictment is merely an allegation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. In the event of a conviction, the maximum penalty for the civil rights allegation would be ten years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for obstruction of justice would be 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Special Agent in Charge Bamford thanked Woonsocket Police Chief Thomas Carey for his department’s cooperation in the investigation. The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. McAdams and Terrence P. Donnelly, and Trial Attorney Avner Shapiro of Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
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