The former police chief in the Gulf coast port of Veracruz was among 11 people arrested for the kidnapping of Mexican customs official Francisco Serrano Aramoni, who remains missing and is feared dead.
Jose Osiris Cruz was detained Wednesday by military police, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office said.
A Veracruz state judge issued warrants for the arrest of Cruz and 10 other suspects on charges of racketeering, drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession, AG office spokesman Ricardo Celso Najera said.
Serrano, the head of the customs office in Veracruz, was driving home from work the night of June 1 when another vehicle rammed his vehicle and forced him to stop. Armed assailants then grabbed the official and drove away.
Since taking office in December 2006, President Felipe Calderon has deployed more than 50,000 soldiers and 20,000 federal police officers across Mexico in a bid to crush the country’s powerful drug cartels.
The operation has failed to put a dent in the violence due, according to experts, to the cartels’ ability to buy off police and even high-ranking prosecutors.
Showing posts with label Racketeering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Racketeering. Show all posts
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Former Officer Mike Shamahs Sentenced to 19 Years
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
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.
___________________________
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/07/former-cop-gets-to-19-years-in-prison.html
Monday, June 01, 2009
Former Officer James Formato, Officer Dino Vitalo & Others Arrested for Armed Robberies
A reputed mob boss, a police officer and five other men were charged Thursday in a sweeping racketeering indictment that alleges eight years of armed robberies, burglaries, jewel thefts and arson based in the western suburbs of Chicago.
Michael "The Large Guy" Sarno, 51, of Westchester allegedly masterminded much of the group's illegal activity, including a February 2003 pipe-bomb explosion that wrecked the storefront offices of a company distributing video poker machines.
Prosecutors say the bombing was a message from organized crime to stop intruding on its $13-million-a-year video poker gambling business.
Sarno, 51, went to prison in the early 1990s as a member of an organized crime family based in the western suburbs headed by Ernest Rocco Infelice.
Federal agents searched Sarno's home last July and also raided the headquarters and various hangouts of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. An alliance has developed between the violence-prone club and the Chicago mob, prosecutors say.
Sarno's attorney, Terence P. Gillespie, did not return a message for comment. But he said in a previous interview with The Associated Press that Sarno was not a mob member and was "a legitimate businessman."
Two men arrested the day of the July 2008 searches and later indicted, Mark Polchan, 41, an acknowledged member of the Outlaws, and Samuel Volpendesto, 85, were also charged in the fresh indictment. They are accused of setting off the bomb that demolished C&S Coin Operated Amusements of Berwyn, a video poker device distributor.
At the time, a video poker distributing company controlled by members and associates of the Chicago mob had a grip on the market for the devices, experts say.
Video poker devices are legal in Illinois if they are not used for gambling, but bartenders often pay winners under the table in many places and experts say the mob frequently takes a healthy cut of what the machines take in.
Gov. Pat Quinn is deciding whether to sign a bill to make video poker gambling legal to finance public works — something good government forces deplore. They say the machines are addictive and some breadwinners have gambled away their paychecks.
Also charged in the indictment:
—James Formato, 42, a former Berwyn police officer accused of serving as a courier for stolen money, taking part in an attempted robbery and other crimes.
—Mark Hay, 52, described as taking part in the robbery of jewelry stores.
—Anthony Volpendesto, 46, son of Samuel Volpendesto, who also is alleged to have taken part in robbing jewelry stores.
—Dino Vitalo, 40, a Cicero police officer since 1991, accused of searching law enforcement data bases and using the information to tip off criminals and searching for electronic surveillance equipment around a jewelry store operated by Polchan. Cicero officials on Thursday placed Vitalo on administrative leave.
Prosecutors are asking the court to force the defendants if convicted to forfeit $1.8 million — a possible measure of the amount taken in the robberies.
______________________
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6844795
Michael "The Large Guy" Sarno, 51, of Westchester allegedly masterminded much of the group's illegal activity, including a February 2003 pipe-bomb explosion that wrecked the storefront offices of a company distributing video poker machines.
Prosecutors say the bombing was a message from organized crime to stop intruding on its $13-million-a-year video poker gambling business.
Sarno, 51, went to prison in the early 1990s as a member of an organized crime family based in the western suburbs headed by Ernest Rocco Infelice.
Federal agents searched Sarno's home last July and also raided the headquarters and various hangouts of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. An alliance has developed between the violence-prone club and the Chicago mob, prosecutors say.
Sarno's attorney, Terence P. Gillespie, did not return a message for comment. But he said in a previous interview with The Associated Press that Sarno was not a mob member and was "a legitimate businessman."
Two men arrested the day of the July 2008 searches and later indicted, Mark Polchan, 41, an acknowledged member of the Outlaws, and Samuel Volpendesto, 85, were also charged in the fresh indictment. They are accused of setting off the bomb that demolished C&S Coin Operated Amusements of Berwyn, a video poker device distributor.
At the time, a video poker distributing company controlled by members and associates of the Chicago mob had a grip on the market for the devices, experts say.
Video poker devices are legal in Illinois if they are not used for gambling, but bartenders often pay winners under the table in many places and experts say the mob frequently takes a healthy cut of what the machines take in.
Gov. Pat Quinn is deciding whether to sign a bill to make video poker gambling legal to finance public works — something good government forces deplore. They say the machines are addictive and some breadwinners have gambled away their paychecks.
Also charged in the indictment:
—James Formato, 42, a former Berwyn police officer accused of serving as a courier for stolen money, taking part in an attempted robbery and other crimes.
—Mark Hay, 52, described as taking part in the robbery of jewelry stores.
—Anthony Volpendesto, 46, son of Samuel Volpendesto, who also is alleged to have taken part in robbing jewelry stores.
—Dino Vitalo, 40, a Cicero police officer since 1991, accused of searching law enforcement data bases and using the information to tip off criminals and searching for electronic surveillance equipment around a jewelry store operated by Polchan. Cicero officials on Thursday placed Vitalo on administrative leave.
Prosecutors are asking the court to force the defendants if convicted to forfeit $1.8 million — a possible measure of the amount taken in the robberies.
______________________
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6844795
Friday, March 13, 2009
Former Officer Anthony Doyle Recieves 12 Year Sentence for Racketeering
CHICAGO
A former police officer accused of providing information on gangland investigations to a reputed mob boss and being a "sleeper agent" for organized crime was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in federal prison for racketeering.
"You picked the wrong people to try to help," U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel told Anthony Doyle, who was convicted in 2007 along with three mobsters and an alleged henchman in the landmark Operation Family Secrets trial.
Unlike three of his co-defendants, though, the 64-year-old former officer was not held responsible for any of 18 murders outlined in the indictment. But prosecutors said that even before he joined the force, Doyle collected debts for Frank Calabrese Sr., a convicted loan shark and one of the five men prosecuted in the city's biggest organized crime trial in decades.
The case had focused on an alleged conspiracy spanning decades that included gambling, loan sharking, extortion and a series of gangland murders as the mob brought down real or suspected witnesses.
During the trial, prosecutors showed tapes of Doyle briefing the imprisoned Calabrese on the progress of a homicide investigation. Calabrese was also heard in a recording saying that Doyle would remove evidence in the murder probe.
Doyle testified at the trial that what Calabrese said in their prison conversation struck him as "gibberish" but he pretended to understand and go along because "I don't want to be a chumbalone, an idiot."
Defense attorney Ralph E. Meczyk, in pleading for leniency, said his client "wasn't a chumbalone, but he was a chum." He said Doyle had foolishly befriended Calabrese but now realizes he blundered in helping a man who was "the epitome of evil."
Meczyk also pointed to times as a policeman that Doyle had disarmed dangerous criminals, arrested a cop killer and led six people out of a burning building.
"He was a truly heroic and stellar and exemplary police officer — he took guns off the street," Meczyk told the judge.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Markus Funk told Zagel that such claims were "actually quite difficult to take seriously."
"This man is a disgrace, and to come here and say he was a stellar police officer, a man of good deeds, is an outrage," Funk said.
Only one Family Secrets defendant, Nicholas Calabrese, remains to be sentenced on March 26. Zagel has already sentenced Frank Calabrese to life and reputed mobster Paul Schiro to 20 years. Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo was sentenced to life for serving as the mob leader and for the murder of a government witness in a union pension fraud case.
________________
More Information:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/mob/1473629,w-family-secrets-mob-case-ex-cop-031209.article
A former police officer accused of providing information on gangland investigations to a reputed mob boss and being a "sleeper agent" for organized crime was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in federal prison for racketeering.
"You picked the wrong people to try to help," U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel told Anthony Doyle, who was convicted in 2007 along with three mobsters and an alleged henchman in the landmark Operation Family Secrets trial.
Unlike three of his co-defendants, though, the 64-year-old former officer was not held responsible for any of 18 murders outlined in the indictment. But prosecutors said that even before he joined the force, Doyle collected debts for Frank Calabrese Sr., a convicted loan shark and one of the five men prosecuted in the city's biggest organized crime trial in decades.
The case had focused on an alleged conspiracy spanning decades that included gambling, loan sharking, extortion and a series of gangland murders as the mob brought down real or suspected witnesses.
During the trial, prosecutors showed tapes of Doyle briefing the imprisoned Calabrese on the progress of a homicide investigation. Calabrese was also heard in a recording saying that Doyle would remove evidence in the murder probe.
Doyle testified at the trial that what Calabrese said in their prison conversation struck him as "gibberish" but he pretended to understand and go along because "I don't want to be a chumbalone, an idiot."
Defense attorney Ralph E. Meczyk, in pleading for leniency, said his client "wasn't a chumbalone, but he was a chum." He said Doyle had foolishly befriended Calabrese but now realizes he blundered in helping a man who was "the epitome of evil."
Meczyk also pointed to times as a policeman that Doyle had disarmed dangerous criminals, arrested a cop killer and led six people out of a burning building.
"He was a truly heroic and stellar and exemplary police officer — he took guns off the street," Meczyk told the judge.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Markus Funk told Zagel that such claims were "actually quite difficult to take seriously."
"This man is a disgrace, and to come here and say he was a stellar police officer, a man of good deeds, is an outrage," Funk said.
Only one Family Secrets defendant, Nicholas Calabrese, remains to be sentenced on March 26. Zagel has already sentenced Frank Calabrese to life and reputed mobster Paul Schiro to 20 years. Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo was sentenced to life for serving as the mob leader and for the murder of a government witness in a union pension fraud case.
________________
More Information:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/mob/1473629,w-family-secrets-mob-case-ex-cop-031209.article
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Sheriff Daniel Presgraves Faces Several Charges including Sexual Assault
HARRISONBURG
A closer look at the 42-page indictment against Page County Sheriff Daniel Presgraves shows what prosecutors say was a pattern of widespread corruption that dates back to around the time he took the oath of office in 2000.
The federal government alleges that Presgraves, 46, who earns $97,198 a year, violated racketeering laws by using his position as sheriff to sexually assault women employees; obtain labor for personal projects; take bribes in the form of cash, gifts and the use of machinery; protect illegal activities from prosecution; conceal and divert revenue; and obstruct federal investigations.
Presgraves faces six counts of obstructing a law enforcement investigation, four counts of obstructing an investigation by a federal grand jury, four counts of violating the civil rights of women working at the Page County Sheriff's Office, two counts of making false statements, two counts of conspiracy, two counts of mail fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of violating federal racketeering laws, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday.
He faces 304 years in prison if convicted on all charges, according to prosecutors.
"Public service is a public trust and those who are elected to public office are held to the highest legal, moral and ethical standards," said Julie Dudley, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Thursday during the unsealing of the indictment. "It's what we all want and what we all expect."
However, it's not what Page County residents got, she said.
Sexual Abuse Alleged
Part of the abuse of power outlined in the 22-count indictment is in connection with the sexual harassment or assault of 12 of the women on his staff he was elected to supervise.
Although he is not specifically charged with sexual assault, four counts of the indictment charge him with violating the civil rights of those employees.
The indictment outlines graphic details of his attempts, sometimes successful, at persuading these women to perform sexual acts or watch him perform lewd acts.
In addition to the lewd acts, the indictment states, he also instructed many of the women not to tell anyone.
In one case, the indictment alleges that after performing a lewd act and groping a woman inappropriately, Presgraves told her not to talk to the "feds" because "nobody knows anything that happened besides you and I."
In a separate incident, the indictment says he told a woman not to testify before the federal grand jury about their sexual activities but to "take it to the grave."
Inmate Labor Claims
Separate from the sexual abuse claims, prosecutors also allege Presgraves abused his power as the top law enforcement officer in the county to receive personal gains.
Presgraves, the indictment says, used Page County Jail inmates to work on projects at his home, at a construction site he and his company, Page Properties LLC, were developing, and at another property he owned that's adjacent to the Shenandoah River and his cabin.
"The inmate labor included, but was not limited to, construction work, operation of machinery, landscaping, mowing, carpentry and painting," the indictment states. "The inmates were often transported to and from the Page County Jail to these work sites by [Presgraves], his wife and [Page County Sheriff's Office] employees at the direction of [Presgraves]."
His wife has not been charged, but prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing.
Prosecutors say he also took government property.
"[Presgraves] stole and converted to his own use construction materials and other items that were owned by the [sheriff's office]," the indictment states.
Presgraves also faces the same conspiracy charge that has resulted in convictions or guilty pleas for three Virginia men charged in connection with the Little Boxwood cockfighting ring. A fourth man awaits trail in that case.
Presgraves is charged with conspiracy to sponsor an animal-fighting venture, specifically for his alleged role in helping Little Boxwood remain active, and his conversations with the owner of a second pit.
In 2000, the indictment alleges, Presgraves told the owner of a cockfighting pit in the Naked Creek section of the county that as long as he, the owner, kept a low profile, he wouldn't have any trouble. It further states that Presgraves told three deputies not to "harass" the cockfighters.
In addition to Pregraves' receiving bribes, disguised as campaign contributions, the indictment alleges he told a resident who called to complain about cockfighting that he didn't have the manpower to combat the issue and that cockfighting was a part of the county's "heritage."
A closer look at the 42-page indictment against Page County Sheriff Daniel Presgraves shows what prosecutors say was a pattern of widespread corruption that dates back to around the time he took the oath of office in 2000.
The federal government alleges that Presgraves, 46, who earns $97,198 a year, violated racketeering laws by using his position as sheriff to sexually assault women employees; obtain labor for personal projects; take bribes in the form of cash, gifts and the use of machinery; protect illegal activities from prosecution; conceal and divert revenue; and obstruct federal investigations.
Presgraves faces six counts of obstructing a law enforcement investigation, four counts of obstructing an investigation by a federal grand jury, four counts of violating the civil rights of women working at the Page County Sheriff's Office, two counts of making false statements, two counts of conspiracy, two counts of mail fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of violating federal racketeering laws, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday.
He faces 304 years in prison if convicted on all charges, according to prosecutors.
"Public service is a public trust and those who are elected to public office are held to the highest legal, moral and ethical standards," said Julie Dudley, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Thursday during the unsealing of the indictment. "It's what we all want and what we all expect."
However, it's not what Page County residents got, she said.
Sexual Abuse Alleged
Part of the abuse of power outlined in the 22-count indictment is in connection with the sexual harassment or assault of 12 of the women on his staff he was elected to supervise.
Although he is not specifically charged with sexual assault, four counts of the indictment charge him with violating the civil rights of those employees.
The indictment outlines graphic details of his attempts, sometimes successful, at persuading these women to perform sexual acts or watch him perform lewd acts.
In addition to the lewd acts, the indictment states, he also instructed many of the women not to tell anyone.
In one case, the indictment alleges that after performing a lewd act and groping a woman inappropriately, Presgraves told her not to talk to the "feds" because "nobody knows anything that happened besides you and I."
In a separate incident, the indictment says he told a woman not to testify before the federal grand jury about their sexual activities but to "take it to the grave."
Inmate Labor Claims
Separate from the sexual abuse claims, prosecutors also allege Presgraves abused his power as the top law enforcement officer in the county to receive personal gains.
Presgraves, the indictment says, used Page County Jail inmates to work on projects at his home, at a construction site he and his company, Page Properties LLC, were developing, and at another property he owned that's adjacent to the Shenandoah River and his cabin.
"The inmate labor included, but was not limited to, construction work, operation of machinery, landscaping, mowing, carpentry and painting," the indictment states. "The inmates were often transported to and from the Page County Jail to these work sites by [Presgraves], his wife and [Page County Sheriff's Office] employees at the direction of [Presgraves]."
His wife has not been charged, but prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing.
Prosecutors say he also took government property.
"[Presgraves] stole and converted to his own use construction materials and other items that were owned by the [sheriff's office]," the indictment states.
Presgraves also faces the same conspiracy charge that has resulted in convictions or guilty pleas for three Virginia men charged in connection with the Little Boxwood cockfighting ring. A fourth man awaits trail in that case.
Presgraves is charged with conspiracy to sponsor an animal-fighting venture, specifically for his alleged role in helping Little Boxwood remain active, and his conversations with the owner of a second pit.
In 2000, the indictment alleges, Presgraves told the owner of a cockfighting pit in the Naked Creek section of the county that as long as he, the owner, kept a low profile, he wouldn't have any trouble. It further states that Presgraves told three deputies not to "harass" the cockfighters.
In addition to Pregraves' receiving bribes, disguised as campaign contributions, the indictment alleges he told a resident who called to complain about cockfighting that he didn't have the manpower to combat the issue and that cockfighting was a part of the county's "heritage."
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Lake Wales Officer Keenan Colson Arrested on Drug Charges
A Lake Wales police officer and 18 others have been arrested after an eight-month investigation into an alleged drug operation based in Haines City.
Lake Wales Police Officer Keenan Colson, left, is brought in to the book-in area at the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Bartow on Wednesday.
Lake Wales officer Keenan Colson, 50, of Bartow resigned Wednesday, the day he was arrested and charged with one count of conspiracy to engage in pattern of racketeering, five counts of unlawful use of a two-way communications device, and four counts unlawful use of computer access.
At a news conference Wednesday, Sheriff Grady Judd said Colson used police equipment to provide information to co-defendant Clayton Hoerler, 25, of Lake Alfred.
Judd accused Hoerler and William Cade, 27, of Haines City of being at the head of the drug operation, with Cade serving as the "boss" of the group.
Cade was charged with one count of continuing criminal enterprise, four counts conspiracy to sell cannabis, eight counts sale of cannabis and 10 counts of unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
Hoerler was charged with one count of continuing criminal enterprise, five counts sale of cannabis, two counts purchase of cannabis, two counts unlawful use of two-way communications device and one count conspiracy racketeering/organized crime. Hoerler was also charged with child abuse. Investigators allege he brought his 4-year-old daughter to purchase 2 pounds of marijuana June 7.
Judd said Wednesday that more arrests will come.
"There is an undercover drug world out there," he said. "This is not over."
Law enforcement agencies throughout Polk County, plus the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Central Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area taskforce began the investigation in December.
Using four wire taps, detectives executed 13 search warrants, closed five marijuana grow locations, and seized about 20 pounds of marijuana, 168 marijuana plants, guns and $60,000, the Sheriff's Office said.
The 19 arrested face more than 80 criminal charges, ranging from possession of cannabis to money laundering.
Over the course of about four months, detectives listened to the wire taps and conducted surveillance on people mentioned to be involved in criminal activity, The Sheriff's Office said.
On Wednesday, Judd recounted some of the conversations detectives said they'd heard between Hoerler and Colson:
According to the Sheriff's Office, on May 29, Hoerler asked Colson to run a tag number. Colson revealed to Hoerler that the car belonged to a Sheriff's Office detective whom he knew personally, and Hoerler said he would warn his people.
On May 30, Hoerler asked Colson to find out if a specific person had an outstanding warrant, according to the Sheriff's Office. Colson ran the name and told Hoerler the person did not. Hoerler promised to buy Colson dinner for the information.
June 8, the day after a member of the operation was arrested for marijuana possession, Hoerler called Colson, according to the Sheriff's Office, and Colson gave Hoerler advice on how to move forward, warning him about police-controlled phone calls and controlled drug buys, and how to avoid detection.
Colson also told Hoerler that arrests, and other problems and risks were all a part of the illegal business in which Hoerler was involved, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Intercepted phone calls led investigators to the other arrests, the Sheriff's Office said.
Colson was hired to the Lake Wales police department in December 2005 and was paid about $45,000, according to Lake Wales police. His personnel file contained no complaints.
He did have several commendations, including one for outstanding work on the arson case at the Headley Insurance office Dec. 13, when he was the first officer on scene where two women were fatally injured. A former insurance customer, Leon Davis, is accused of killing those two women and of killing two men at a convenience store north of Lake Alfred.
Colson previously had worked at the Bartow Police Department, where his file was not as clean. He started as an officer in 1981 and moved up to lieutenant until he was terminated in 1997 following an internal affairs investigation. He had been arrested on charges of perjury and accessory after the fact after his girlfriend was arrested in relation to an arson case.
According to the internal affairs report, Colson was found in violation of department policy and did not cooperate in the investigation. He was later found not guilty of the criminal charges, and his law enforcement credentials remained intact.
After working as a truck driver for about a year, Colson went to work as a Lake Hamilton police officer in 1999, then moved on to Lake Wales.
"He was very quiet, kept to himself, but did a good job," Lake Wales Police Chief Herbert Gillis said at the news conference Wednesday.
Investigators do not have any evidence leading them to believe Colson was being paid for helping Hoerler, they said Wednesday.
Gillis said the department does not believe any other officers were involved, and he issued a warning: "If you do wrong, we're gonna do the right thing."
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Police Sergeant Arrested for Racketeering and Forgery Charges
A former Gwinnett County police sergeant has been arrested on racketeering and forgery charges related to a used-car selling scheme, authorities announced Friday.
Michael James Saunders, who resigned from the department last month after 18 years of service, was allegedly buying and selling used vehicles without a dealer's license, said Cpl. Illana Spellman, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Police Department. Georgia allows a maximum of five vehicles to be sold privately each year without a license.
Saunders, 48, is also accused of forging signatures on documents involving the ownership of his vehicles.
Police said a citizen complaint to the internal affairs unit prompted an investigation which lasted two months, culminating in Saunders' arrest Thursday at his home in Duluth.
Saunders is charged with one count of first-degree forgery, two counts of violation of oath of office, one count of racketeering, one count of false statement in application and three counts of illegally selling used vehicles.
Saunders was a shift supervisor for the South precinct in Lilburn. The South Precinct serves a 116 square mile area in the the southwest corner of Gwinnett, which includes the city of Grayson as well as unincorporated areas of Tucker, Lilburn, Stone Mountain, Centerville, Snellville, Loganville, and Lawrenceville.
He is being held on $103,900 bond at the Gwinnett jail.
Michael James Saunders, who resigned from the department last month after 18 years of service, was allegedly buying and selling used vehicles without a dealer's license, said Cpl. Illana Spellman, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Police Department. Georgia allows a maximum of five vehicles to be sold privately each year without a license.
Saunders, 48, is also accused of forging signatures on documents involving the ownership of his vehicles.
Police said a citizen complaint to the internal affairs unit prompted an investigation which lasted two months, culminating in Saunders' arrest Thursday at his home in Duluth.
Saunders is charged with one count of first-degree forgery, two counts of violation of oath of office, one count of racketeering, one count of false statement in application and three counts of illegally selling used vehicles.
Saunders was a shift supervisor for the South precinct in Lilburn. The South Precinct serves a 116 square mile area in the the southwest corner of Gwinnett, which includes the city of Grayson as well as unincorporated areas of Tucker, Lilburn, Stone Mountain, Centerville, Snellville, Loganville, and Lawrenceville.
He is being held on $103,900 bond at the Gwinnett jail.
Officer Michael King Charged with Bookmaking and Racketerring
Authorities around the country have not only been targeting slot machines, but also illegal sports gambling rings. Their latest investigation has led them to one of their own.
A warrant has been issued for Miami-Dade police officer Michael King, 42. He is being charged with Bookmaking, Racketeering, and Conspiracy to Racketeer. He has been an officer since 1989.
Forty individuals will be arrested in the drug and gambling sting. A second police officer will also be arrested, although his name has not yet been released. The gambling activity took place sometimes while in police cars.
The arrest warrant claims that April 2nd of this year, King was videotaped paying a client his winnings while sitting in his patrol car. The amount of the transaction was not released.
King was caught on tape after a routine stop in which he pulled over a car that was marked as an undercover vehicle. The officer inside was Sgt. Trujillo. When he approached the car, King was told that Trujillo was doing surveillance on a heroin drug hole.
Once Trujillo pulled away, King called fellow accomplice Ricardo Munoz, who is also known to be a bookmaker. "I just stopped one of my lieutenants at the corner watching ya'lls s**t, man," he told Munoz. Wire taps have confirmed that King took illegal bets on basketball games.
A warrant has been issued for Miami-Dade police officer Michael King, 42. He is being charged with Bookmaking, Racketeering, and Conspiracy to Racketeer. He has been an officer since 1989.
Forty individuals will be arrested in the drug and gambling sting. A second police officer will also be arrested, although his name has not yet been released. The gambling activity took place sometimes while in police cars.
The arrest warrant claims that April 2nd of this year, King was videotaped paying a client his winnings while sitting in his patrol car. The amount of the transaction was not released.
King was caught on tape after a routine stop in which he pulled over a car that was marked as an undercover vehicle. The officer inside was Sgt. Trujillo. When he approached the car, King was told that Trujillo was doing surveillance on a heroin drug hole.
Once Trujillo pulled away, King called fellow accomplice Ricardo Munoz, who is also known to be a bookmaker. "I just stopped one of my lieutenants at the corner watching ya'lls s**t, man," he told Munoz. Wire taps have confirmed that King took illegal bets on basketball games.
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