A federal judge sentenced a former Chicago police officer to more than 19 years in prison Thursday for raiding a storage locker and stealing what he believed was $30,000 in drug cash.
U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said he believes there are two Mahmoud "Mike" Shamahs -- one the loving husband of a schoolteacher and father of a 4-year-old boy and the other a South Side tactical officer who thought he could brazenly steal on the job.
Some of the victims were drug dealers who had a few hundred dollars taken from them at a time, the judge noted.
"But the most direct victims are the people you love the most," Gettleman told Shamah before sentencing him to 19 years and 4 months in prison. "I'm sorry you didn't think about that before you did your first robbery."
A federal jury convicted Shamah in December of racketeering and conspiracy in a series of robberies while working in the Morgan Park District with partner Richard Doroniuk. They were snared in an FBI sting in 2006.
Doroniuk testified against his partner at the trial, saying officers routinely carried a little crack cocaine to plant on suspects when searches came up empty and stole cash from drug dealers during raids and traffic stops. He also said they routinely paid informants, falsified reports, lied in court and even kicked back cash to an undisclosed judge for pushing through a bogus warrant.
Gettleman said he thought federal guidelines that called for a minimum sentence of about 24 years in prison were too harsh, especially because Doroniuk was sentenced to less than 11 years earlier this week.
Shamah, dressed in a gray pinstriped suit, pulled a prepared statement from a jacket pocket and pleaded for mercy. He said he took responsibility for his actions, but he also blamed a system that stresses arrests over good policework for eroding how he thought of his duties.
"I lost respect for my job, your honor," Shamah said. "I lost the police officer I wanted to be."
Assistant U.S. Atty. Meghan Morrissey called for a stiffer sentence because Shamah used a weapon and body armor during the robberies.
Prosecutors said Shamah pocketed half of the $30,000 in the FBI sting and about $1,700 more from traffic stops and arrests.
Morrissey said Shamah contributed to the general distrust of the police.
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http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/07/former-cop-gets-to-19-years-in-prison.html
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