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Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #586)
Drug War Issues

There's an embarrassment of riches for the corrupt cops file this week. We've got pot-dealing sheriffs, we've got corner-cutting DEA agents, we've got sticky-fingered cops, and of course, we have dope-peddling prison guards. And that Philadelphia narc squad scandal just keeps reverberating. Let's get to it:

In Shawneetown, Illinois, DEA agents Monday arrested the Gallatin County Sheriff on federal marijuana distribution charges. Sheriff Randy Martin provided marijuana to a confidential informant, typically in one-pound lots, between November 2008 and this month, according to DEA affidavit in the case. The affidavit also says the informant wore a wire and several of the transactions were videotaped. Sheriff Martin would meet the informant at rural locations, "front" the weed to the informant, and take cash payment for the previous shipment. He is charged with three federal counts of marijuana distribution and two counts of carrying a firearm -- his service revolver -- during the commission of a drug crime.

In Cleveland, Ohio, a DEA agent was indicted May 12 for his role in a 2005 drug operation that put more than two dozen residents behind bars. DEA Agent Lee Lucas, 41, faces seven counts of obstruction of justice, seven counts of perjury, three counts of violating individuals' civil rights, and one count of making false statements in an official report. In the 2005 operation, Lucas' informant, Jerrell Bray, intentionally framed 17 people by doing controlled drug buys but intentionally misidentifying the drug sellers, providing people with his drugs and then retrieving the stash so they looked like drug sellers, and staged scripted recorded conversations to make individuals appear to be drug sellers. Lucas allegedly knew his snitch was rogue, but covered it up, included false and misleading information in reports, and concealed potentially exculpatory evidence. Bray got 15 years. Let's see what his DEA handler gets.

In New York City, an NYPD officer was arrested May 13 and charged with trying to steal $900,000 left in a Manhattan apartment by a drug dealer who had been deported. Officer Shawn Jenkins, 41, plotted with a confidential informant to go to the apartment, serve an official looking document on the new tenant, immobilize him with a stun gun, and retrieve the money from its hiding place under the floor. He is now charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and attempted robbery. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison on each charge.

In Temple Terrace, Florida, a Temple Terrace Police officer was arrested last Friday on charges he stole drugs recovered in a recent case. Officer Zachariah Brown, 33, was arrested after investigators found missing hydrocodone and Xanax pills in his police cruiser. He was booked and released on bail and has been placed on administrative leave with pay until the internal investigation is concluded. He is charged with drug possession, petty theft, and tampering with evidence.

In Philadephia, prosecutors dismissed the first of what could be dozens of drug cases last Friday as fall-out from the ongoing corruption scandal in the Philadelphia police narcotics squad continues to spread. The scandal began with Officer Jeffrey Cujdik, who is alleged to have falsified affidavits in order to get judges to sign drug search warrants. Now, because of the cloud over Cujdik, prosecutors are seeking delays in his pending cases. The case dropped Friday was not one where Cujdik is alleged to have lied on affidavits, but prosecutors dropped it because they had run out of time to stall any longer and Cujdik's credibility in any case is now in doubt. Cujdik, his brother, Richard Cujdik, and another Philly narc, Robert McConnell have all been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, which has since broadened to include allegations that Philly narcs routinely raided convenience stores, turned off surveillance equipment, and stole cash and goods from the stores before arresting their owners for selling small plastic bags. At least 52 more cases could be dismissed, according to Philadelphia public defenders.

In Summerville, South Carolina, a state prison guard was charged May 14 with selling cocaine to undercover Dorchester County deputies. Guard John Lambert, 28, is charged with distribution of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He is now on administrative leave from his post at the Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville.

In Newark, New Jersey, a former Passaic County sheriff's officer was sentenced Monday to seven years and one month in federal prison for stealing $250,000 worth of cocaine from the department evidence room and selling it to drug dealers. Former officer Alan Souto, an 18-year veteran of the force, was a member of the Sheriff's Evidence Unit, and used his access card to gradually begin stealing drugs until he had stolen 95 pounds of cocaine and 1.5 pounds of heroin. He was arrested in March 2008 after authorities noticed a GPS device missing and cooperated with investigators, leading to two other men also being charged in the case. Maybe that's why he got seven years instead of the life sentence he could have received.

In Toledo, Ohio, a former Sylvania Police officer was sentenced May 14 to three years in prison for stealing drug money from the department property room. Former officer Carl Beckman, a 36-year-veteran of the department, nickel-and-dimed more than $30,000 over a 13-year period. He had pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice.

In Hammond, Indiana, a former St. Joseph County Police officer was sentenced May 13 to more than six years in prison for burglarizing a mobile home and stealing plasma TVs and computer monitors from it -- oh, and cocaine, too, which he tried to sell. Former officer Andrew Taghon was one of three local police officers indicted by the feds in the case dating back to 2004. The other two await sentencing.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

Anonymous (not verified)

Sure is sweet to see what the Drug War is doing to law enforcement. To bad so many get away with it.

Fri, 05/22/2009 - 2:16am Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

U.S. Police That Help NARCO Terrorists Are Also Terrorists.

During “Alcohol Prohibition” police, judges and government officials were consumers of illegal alcohol. European Immigrants that drank beer, believed U.S. Prohibition was a crazy, that no government could stop Citizens drinking, after all drinking had been going on for thousands of years.

During prohibition my Irish grandfather’s almost broke trucking company, was believed but not confirmed to have survived the Great Depression running booze: drivers were easy to find, grandpa only had to call a police department to send over cops to drive his trucks. Sometimes the police called first looking for work. That helped ensure police would not search his trucks at checkpoints or act on informant tips. The best booze came from Canada and was apparently delivered to private country clubs and judges’ homes. Some of Grandpa’s truck drivers had left Ireland in1921 after the British signed a piece agreement with the IRA and new Republic of Ireland that split Ireland into two countries. Other Irish immigrants, sometimes related bootleggers became cops in New York, New Jersey, San Francisco and LA.

There is little comparison between today’s corrupt cops and those during alcohol prohibition. Corrupt police today threaten our U.S. National Security when for money they help KILLER NARCO Terrorists’ and their gangs in America distribute ill-legal drugs: such corrupt police can never be considered Patriots, but only enemies of the state. Police convicted of aiding NARCO terrorists’ by helping move or sell their drugs in America should be charged with providing support to terrorists. It has been estimated fifty-percent of NARCO Terrorists’ illegal-drug profits are spent paying off corrupt police and government officials including those in the U.S.

Police every year should have to provide an oversight committee with a personal asset and spending report: those "reports" where appropriate might help explain why a cop was able to bank or spend more money than paid as a police officer. Police having to submit personal asset reports to an oversight committee might provide probable cause where justified for government audits of police activities.

Mon, 05/25/2009 - 3:20pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Police corruption increasingly abounds U.S. Cities. Citizens are illegally shot, falsely arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned.

Too easily, Police can falsify evidence, purchase or influence informant testimony to convict innocent Citizens. As police corruption spreads like cancer—so do the risks Americans may be "falsely" imprisoned—despite the conviction standard “evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Seldom addressed by the press, is how easily police can falsify “civil evidence” to cause “civil asset forfeiture” of a person’s assets like their home. It would be interesting to learn how many cop families got bargains buying forfeited houses. Civil Asset Forfeiture requires a lower standard of evidence than criminal evidence, “only a Preponderance of Civil Evidence”, little more than hearsay to forfeit property. Police need only put false hearsay on the street to manufacture hearsay evidence to seize property. In many cases, No one has to be charged or convicted of a crime for police to forfeit assets.

Sat, 05/23/2009 - 2:52pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

There are over 200 U.S. laws and violations mentioned in the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000 and the Patriot Act that can subject property to civil asset forfeiture.” Under federal civil forfeiture laws, a person or business need not be charged with a crime for government to forfeit their property.

In the U.S. private security companies and their operatives work so closely with law enforcement to forfeit property—providing intelligence information, they appear to merge with police.

Private police causing asset forfeitures and arrests using government clearances is frightening. For example, how would a civil asset or criminally charged U.S. defendant use the Freedom of Information Act to retrieve information from a private company operating under Government contract, to help their defense? Currently who controls what information quasi-government corporations and their operatives must retain that might be used to assist police in making arrests and asset forfeitures..to ensure Americans' constitutional rights were not violated?

Rep. Henry Hyde’s bill HR 1658 passed, the “Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000” and effectively eliminated the “statue of limitations” for Government Civil Asset Forfeiture. The statute now runs five years from when police allege they “learned” that an asset became subject to forfeiture. With such a weak statute of limitations and the low standard of civil proof needed for government to forfeit property “A preponderance of Evidence”, it is problematic law enforcement and private government contractors will also want access to telecom-NSA and other government wiretaps perhaps illegal, to secure evidence to arrest Americans and or civilly forfeit their homes, inheritances and businesses. Of obvious concern, what happens to fair justice in America if police become dependent on “Asset Forfeiture” to pay their salaries and operating costs? Citizens currently cannot expect honest police or informant testimony when police are trying to forfeit a person's assets. Under the USA Patriot Act, witnesses can be kept hidden while being paid part of the assets they cause to be forfeited.

The Patriot Act specifically mentions using Title 18USC asset forfeiture laws: those laws include a provision in Rep. Henry Hyde’s 2000 bill HR 1658—for “Retroactive Civil Asset Forfeiture” of “assets already subject to government forfeiture”, meaning "property already tainted by crime" provided “the property” was already part of or “later connected” to a criminal investigation in progress" when HR.1658 passed. That can apply to more than two hundred federal laws and violations.

To help protect Americans from escalating police forfeiture abuse, Congress should pass legislation that raises the standard of evidence U.S. Government uses for Civil Asset Forfeiture from a mere “Preponderance of Evidence”, to “Clear and Convincing Evidence.

Mon, 05/25/2009 - 4:34pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

It's starting to seem like the system is coming apart from every direction. No matter where you look, sheriffs and police, judges and prison guards, DEA and all the rest.....including the criminals who also share in the booty of forfeited assets and drugs that get re-sold back to the black market, you find endless corruption.
Is there no end to this, or will there be some light finally getting through with Obama and Eric Holder now in charge.

Only time will tell, but the chances for positive change seems better now than they ever did under Bush. Let's hope for the best, and pray for new directions....so the police and law can actually protect us.

Tue, 05/26/2009 - 2:45am Permalink
malcolm kyle (not verified)

The grotesqueness of the present situation may be a sign that things are about to change. There are many more people now than ever, who understand what`s going on and are willing to speak out against the atrocities of the War on "Some" Drugs. This gives us hope that our daughter may get the chance to grow up in a world which is not lacking in either love nor compassion and one that makes a lot more sense than the present.

Prohibiting drugs does far worse damage than the drugs themselves; what other argument do you need?

BTW. The Great Crash of 29 happened during Alcohol Prohibition. Go figure!

...If all else fails give up.

Wed, 05/27/2009 - 5:54am Permalink

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