FBI Sting Brings Down Corrupt Cops

(CBS/AP)  Duffel bags stuffed with cocaine were delivered by plane to a suburban airport in the U.S. state of Illinois while two sheriff's officers provided security.

A police officer stood by to guard the cash and keep out the riffraff at a poker game where $100,000 changed hands.

And a drug dealer was told squad cars marked "sheriff" and "sheriff's police" might be available on a "freelance" basis to provide protection for his deliveries.

Such tales of law enforcement gone awry emerged in court papers Tuesday as U.S. federal prosecutors unveiled a series of elaborate sting operations aimed at officers hired out to ride shotgun for drug deals and other criminal activities.

Fifteen officers and two other men who had pretended to be law enforcement officials were charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine or heroin or both.

But the most spectacular pretending was done by the federal agents themselves.

The pilots of the airplane were not drug runners but undercover agents. So were the gamblers who busily played hand after hand of high-stakes poker - all for show.

The drug broker who squired the officers to the airport to pick up the duffel bags was an agent. So was the drug dealer who stuffed the bags into his Mercedes-Benz.

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said he was dismayed to find that so many law enforcement officers had "sold out their badge."

"When drug dealers deal drugs, they ought to be afraid of the police - not turn to them for help," Fitzgerald said at a news conference.

Officials paid homage to an unnamed FBI agent who moved into a business in Harvey more than a year ago and set up shop as a drug broker. He soon attracted the attention of police and the corruption grew, authorities said.

They said the agent was sent in undercover because there had been reports of police corruption over the last several years in southern Cook County, including the Harvey Police Department, which has been the target of a number of investigations by state police in the past few years, reports CBS affiliate WBBM-TV in Chicago. Those investigations involved a number of suspiciously unsolved murders, and, in a celebrated incident, the mysterious disappearance of a gun police had been holding as evidence in one case.

An investigation into allegations of robbery, extortion, narcotics offenses and weapons distribution is ongoing, officials said.

Those charged include 10 Cook County sheriff's correctional officers, four Harvey police officers and one Chicago police officer.

Of the 17 defendants, 14 were arrested or surrendered Tuesday and were being immediately brought before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Mason. Two sheriff's officers are on active duty with Army National Guard units in Afghanistan, and warrants were issued for their arrest.

If convicted of conspiracy to possess and distribute more than 11 pounds of cocaine or 2.2 pound of heroin, the defendants would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life. The maximum fine would be $4 million.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart called the alleged behavior "absolutely reprehensible."

Each of those charged has been suspended with pay pending a hearing next week, Dart said. "That step will then lead to a request for termination."

[LRWhiting]

Mark Lerner, Partner of Chinese Billionaire Bruno Wu, seems to have a way with Politicians and Judges! Partner Bruno Wu recently bribed the Country of Austrailia, so What's a few lawyers and a matrimonial juddge? Where is the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct?

Mark Lerner, the very rich deadbeat dad, who is now involved in Racketeering Suit in Federal Court in Manhattan, once again is using his "$influence" for his greater good. After Lerner ignored court orders to pay the Mortgage and Maintenance on the Family home, his wife and three children are being evicted. Mrs. Lerner and her children were prepared to move and Lerner avoided another court order to pay his family's moving expenses. Why is Judge Laura Drager looking the other way? Mark Lerner is now working actively with the Coop Board to evict his family. Judge Drager...What is going on here? It seems as if this former criminal court judges likes criminals.

Playboy Mark Lerner has been seen recently spending thousands and thousands of dollars in South Beach with his paramour and most recently in China for three weeks. Judge Drager continues to do nothing.





Chinese donation to Libs a secret
Michael McKenna From: The Australian February 07, 2009 12:00AM

THE Liberal Party has failed to disclose a $90,000 campaign donation made after then prime minister John Howard dined with a Chinese billionaire in the lead-up to the 2007 election.

Chinese media magnate Bruno Zheng Wu, chief executive of Sun Media, handed over the money to the Queensland Liberals, as well as a further $10,000 to federal Opposition Whip Michael Johnson after attending a "Billionaire's" roundtable at Parliament House in June 2007, which was followed by a private dinner with Mr Howard.

Mr Johnson, a federal Liberal MP for the blue-ribbon Brisbane seat of Ryan, and the former Queensland Liberal state director, Geoffrey Greene, both confirmed to The Weekend Australian that Dr Wu had made the donation later in 2007 to the party's state division.

"I don't discuss details of donations, but the money was received by the Liberal Party in Queensland and should have been disclosed as required by law," Mr Greene said.


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But the money was not declared in the party's 2007-08 annual disclosure to the Australian Electoral Commission, released publicly earlier this week, and which was prepared and signed off on by LNP state secretary Mary Carroll.

The apparent omission follows the failure of the LNP to initially disclose a $100,000 personal contribution to the Queensland Liberals by billionaire and mining magnate Clive Palmer in the same 2007-08 return to the AEC.

LNP director Michael O'Dwyer yesterday confirmed that the party had been forced to make an amendment to its return earlier this month after the AEC picked up the $100,000 donation through a personal declaration made by Mr Palmer.

The Queensland arms of the Liberal and National parties merged last July under the LNP banner.

Mr O'Dwyer yesterday said he could find no record of the $90,000 donation from Dr Wu or his Sun Media group of companies -- one of the leading private media groups in China. Mr O'Dwyer said he would next week call in the LNP's auditors to go through the bank accounts.

"We will conduct an audit and make a report to the AEC," he said. "We have been working closely with the AEC and make any amendments as soon as we need. The declarations are made to the best of our knowledge at the time and we are still trying to sort through some of the records of the former Liberal Party.

"Since the merger, the records have been kept very accurately."

Dr Wu's $10,000 donation to Mr Johnson -- for organising the Canberra dinner, according to the federal Liberal MP -- did not have to be disclosed because it is below the $10,500 cut-off required by the AEC to declare.

The 2007-08 Liberal declaration does include a separate donation of $15,000 from Dr Wu.

Dr Wu and his wife, Yang Lan, a journalist and broadcaster -- once dubbed China's Oprah Winfrey -- had attended the dinner with Mr Howard, along with several other Chinese business leaders and Mr Palmer.

Mr Johnson said Dr Wu and his wife had made the donation.

"The couple are strong supporters of me and the Liberal Party in Australia," Mr Johnson said. "Obviously there were discussions (at the dinner) of what support they could offer the party.

"I was the bridge and the Queensland division of the party was more than thrilled."

The donation further confirms the growing financial muscle of Chinese business leaders being flexed in Australia's political parties.

[goodguy247]

Well I have witness police do lots of things I am very shocked on the police of Elgin Tx it seems even the FBI cant control the corrupt officers. I have seen them plant drugs on people witness people die in there custody..........Just today March 20 2010 they arrested another black guy with no reason at all What is there to do I wish I.A would do there job. Befor some old 80's riot brakes out

[Judicial_Conduct_Alert]

Corrupt Manhattan Matrimonial Bar Renders Women and Children Homeless

No wonder there is a rift in this country. Family values don?t matter in New York City. Judges support billionaire deadbeat dads and render responsible mothers and children homeless. The judges rule in favor of the ?gold?. It is shameful and corrupt. Where is the New York State Commission for Judicial Conduct? See New York Post article, February 9, 2010, Kevin Fasick, "Tycoon's Kids Homeless".

I guess there is no SEX in protecting the American Family or decent moms and their children. The well-being of the child is being overlooked... judges not enforcing court orders for the rich powerful deadbeat dad who has abandoned his children.

This story is about to break wide open. Two of the five Matrimonial Judges in Manhattan Divorce Court have a racket going where they seem to always decide in favor of the monied spouse?.the rich spouse. . This travesty happens daily with at least two judges. It works this way?the judge first admonishes the spouse who has money?and then they decide against the desperate non-monied spouse(usually the wife and kids) until they lose everything?. They have no qualms in regard to destroying mothers and children. It is criminal The story below is just the beginning. It is believed that the corruption begins with a handful of powerfully famous matrimonial attorneys who are media hounds who have a long-running arrangement with these two judges. Refer to the New York Post Article by Kevin Fasick of February 9, 2010, ?TYCOON?S KIDS HOMELESS?. This is the ?norm? and not the exception. These judges have no interest in protecting the responsible innocent spouse and their children. They seem to rule time after time for the Deadbeat Rich Spouse who has abandoned their children.

[LRWhiting]

Look at Judge Laura Drager in the Lerner v. Lerner case. She is evicting a family right now while looking the other way as Billionaire Criminal Hubby Mark Lerner works with coop board to evict his family. Mark Lerner has failed to pay mortgage and maintenance on family home as per court order. Is this Judge insane? When it was pointed out that Lerner was spotted in South Beach for two weeks spending gobs of money on his paramour and most recently living it up in China, the Judge did nothing.

[fredflinsto2]

Dirty cops normally will kill themselves before going to jail.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by misogynist10 at 03:34 PM : Dec 04, 2008

If that was true, NC would not have very many cops left since most here are as corrupt as they come

[misogynist10]

Dirty cops normally will kill themselves before going to jail.

[honestabe8]

"Atleast crime doesnt pay in this part of the world" This is why there are no criminals here. It doesn''t pay. Organized crime does their thing just for the fun of it.

[abdulli-2009]

Atleast crime doesnt pay in this part of the world, we have system, justice and laws. You havent experienced third world country like Tanzania. Cops in any uniform are like mafia kings, there the innocent are the criminals and the criminals are innocent ie power of money. So lets all thank the American justice .

[ludvig1-2009]

Continued - Bro-in-law robbed by cops in Chicago. He jokingly said "You can make money at this", returned to his native country and became a cop.

According to local paper, cop in this town slugged woman in bar and then told DA to charge husband with slugging her, but video from bar showed him slugging her. Cop not fired according to paper. No honor code for local cops. "I will not lie, cheat or steal nor will I tolerate those among us those who do." Bunch of goons. I boycot the town I live in, can''t buy an American made car, because if I do, I pay the PIG tax they voted in.

[ludvig1-2009]

My exp. with cops - Cop comes up to investigate stolen boat motors, & says it must have been those ******* that were camped out. Dad tells him there weren''t any. He says people in school bus camped there said there was.

Visiting mom in MO. Car stopped & searched 2 times by MOHP as Cal license plates = drugs.

Doctor says lose weight or get diabetes, took up walking and biking. Biking down street, cop takes my picture like he thought this 13 gallon blood donor was public enemy number one. I got mad as when I was in college a kid insisted I was his high school chemistry even though I told him I wasn''t. Two weeks later, decoy car put in my walking path, ignored it. Senile volunteers sic''d on me as a few days later one of them hiding behind a truck watched me walk laps around the park moved and hid elsewhere when I walked in his direction. Next they dropped a bag labelled "Medical" perfectly centered on my driveway parking a block down the street and picked it up when I ignored it. I guess they thought I''d look in the bag and find Med. Marijuana, take it in my house and they could kick my door down and shoot my basset hound in the back the way they shot the mayor''s two black labs in the back in Maryland. Retired Nuc.
Engr. 13 gal. blood donor a lot more but 1500 char limit.

[memerider]

Time to make drugs legal and control their distribution so they are safer.

And this points to the reality that we don''t want only the cops and military to be armed, since they are just as likely to be corrupt as any other citizens. This also points to why we need to regain the rights we''ve lost as a result of our leaders turning a blind eye to our second amendment over the years.