The trial is under way for a deputy U.S. marshal accused of leaking the secrets of an FBI investigation to the mob.
Prosecutors said in court Monday that 42-year-old deputy marshal John T. Ambrose deliberately helped the mob, while Ambrose's defense attorney claims he merely said too much while boasting to a friend.
Ambrose is accused of leaking the contents of a secret file on the star witness in the government's landmark Operation Family Secrets mob investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Markus Funk told jurors the case is about, "a criminal betrayal of trust." Defense attorney Francis Lipuma told them Ambrose merely went too far while talking about his job with a former police officer who was like a father to him.
Showing posts with label breach of trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breach of trust. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Officer Sheldon Cook Accused of Stealing Fake Cocaine in Court
A Peel Police officer accused of stealing 15 bricks of fake cocaine that were supposed to be used in an RCMP sting, was never alone with the entire shipment, a fellow officer told a Brampton court today.
But Sheldon Cook was among three officers from Peel's 12 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) who moved more than 100 suspected cocaine packages from a courier van to a CIB minivan and later to a morality bureau van, Peel Const. Robert Bryant testified.
Bryant said he believed the packages – hidden inside boxes of mangoes – contained real cocaine when Cook and others investigated the discovery on the night of Nov. 16, 2005.
The couriers who were transporting the mangoes sought help from Bryant at a Peel Police community station in Mississauga that night because they had become suspicious of the cargo they had picked up earlier from Pearson International Airport.
Two days later, a tracking device hidden in the bricks led RCMP investigators to Cook's Cambridge home.
The dummy drugs were found in a storage compartment of a Sea Doo in his garage. A search warrant uncovered some marijuana and several MP3 players allegedly taken from an unrelated investigation.
Federal prosecutors David Rowcliffe and Ania Weiler contend Cook believed the bricks were real cocaine and that he took some of them while investigating the discovery of the drugs by Bryant at the community station.
It's the Crown's case that Cook was unaware the drugs were fake or that they were to be used in an RCMP-controlled delivery as part of an international drug investigation.
Cook, 40, has pleaded not guilty to seven criminal charges in this Brampton trial in connection with different offences, all in relation to the discovery of the dummy drugs and MP3s at his home.
Bryant today told the court that Cook and two other CIB officers were at the Lakeshore Rd. station for about three hours that night but he never recalled Cook being out of his presence except for when Cook and other officers were searching the cargo inside the courier van. Bryant said he was inside the station at the time.
Before alerting the CIB unit, Bryant said the couriers told him they had been paid cash to deliver the mangoes to an address in Scarborough. While they were en route they got a phone call, instructing them to go instead to a darkened trucking yard in south Mississauga. But when they encountered a vehicle flashing its lights at the yard they headed to a police station.
Believing he had discovered real drugs when he opened one of the boxes, Bryant called 12 Division and three CIB officers were dispatched, two in a minivan and Cook, alone, in a car.
Bryant said Cook told him to remain with the couriers while Cook and the other officers inspected the cargo.
But in separating the mangoes from the suspected drug packages, a device with wires was discovered. Officers thought it was an explosive device so a bomb disposal unit was called, Bryant said.
The officers didn't know at the time that the unit was actually a tracking device hidden in the packages by the RCMP.
While waiting for the bomb unit and morality officers to arrive, Bryant helped Cook and the other officers unload the packages from the courier van into the CIB minivan. Later, he helped them move the packages to a morality bureau van.
Bryant testified under cross examination by defence lawyer Pat Ducharme that he locked the courier van with the suspected drugs and always had the key.
He also admitted several officers were present when the fake drugs were eventually moved from the CIB van into the morality bureau van.
The other two other CIB officers left Cook and Bryant in the station when they went for food for about 20 minutes but Bryant didn't know if they took the CIB van with the drugs or Cook's car to the sandwich shop.
Bryant learned the following day that the drugs were actually decoys being used in an RCMP controlled delivery.
A total of 88 boxes of mangoes containing 146 hidden bricks of fake cocaine arrived at Pearson International Airport from Peru at about 6 a.m. on Nov. 16.
Despite being under surveillance, the shipment went missing about 12 hours later.
The RCMP became aware the next day that the fake drugs had been seized by Peel Police, but when they took possession of the dummy drugs there were 44 missing.
Court previously heard that 23 of the fake bricks were later recovered but that the other 21 have never been located.
The failed RCMP operation was designed to find the Canadian buyers of an international drug smuggling operation based in Lima, the Peruvian capital.
Cook is charged with attempt to possess a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, possession of stolen property (MP3 players) from a police investigation and breach of trust as a police officer in connection with the other offences.
The offences were allegedly committed between Aug. 7 and Nov. 18, 2005.
In addition to the tracking device and 15 fake bricks of cocaine found at Cook's Cambridge residence, another tracking device and eight fake bricks, sliced open, were found in a garbage bin behind the Blinds to Go store on Dundas St. near the Mississauga/Oakville border on the same day the search warrant was executed at Cook's home.
Cook remains suspended with pay. The case is also being watched closely by Peel's internal affairs bureau.
As a result of his arrest on Nov. 18, 2005, Justice Canada decided not to prosecute at least six drug cases where Cook was the arresting officer.
As well, a month after his arrest, a Peel judge acquitted former Toronto Argonaut Orlando Bowen of drug and assault charges that were laid by Cook and another officer. Bowen alleged at trial that Cook had planted a small amount of cocaine on him during his arrest.
More Information: http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/544372
But Sheldon Cook was among three officers from Peel's 12 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) who moved more than 100 suspected cocaine packages from a courier van to a CIB minivan and later to a morality bureau van, Peel Const. Robert Bryant testified.
Bryant said he believed the packages – hidden inside boxes of mangoes – contained real cocaine when Cook and others investigated the discovery on the night of Nov. 16, 2005.
The couriers who were transporting the mangoes sought help from Bryant at a Peel Police community station in Mississauga that night because they had become suspicious of the cargo they had picked up earlier from Pearson International Airport.
Two days later, a tracking device hidden in the bricks led RCMP investigators to Cook's Cambridge home.
The dummy drugs were found in a storage compartment of a Sea Doo in his garage. A search warrant uncovered some marijuana and several MP3 players allegedly taken from an unrelated investigation.
Federal prosecutors David Rowcliffe and Ania Weiler contend Cook believed the bricks were real cocaine and that he took some of them while investigating the discovery of the drugs by Bryant at the community station.
It's the Crown's case that Cook was unaware the drugs were fake or that they were to be used in an RCMP-controlled delivery as part of an international drug investigation.
Cook, 40, has pleaded not guilty to seven criminal charges in this Brampton trial in connection with different offences, all in relation to the discovery of the dummy drugs and MP3s at his home.
Bryant today told the court that Cook and two other CIB officers were at the Lakeshore Rd. station for about three hours that night but he never recalled Cook being out of his presence except for when Cook and other officers were searching the cargo inside the courier van. Bryant said he was inside the station at the time.
Before alerting the CIB unit, Bryant said the couriers told him they had been paid cash to deliver the mangoes to an address in Scarborough. While they were en route they got a phone call, instructing them to go instead to a darkened trucking yard in south Mississauga. But when they encountered a vehicle flashing its lights at the yard they headed to a police station.
Believing he had discovered real drugs when he opened one of the boxes, Bryant called 12 Division and three CIB officers were dispatched, two in a minivan and Cook, alone, in a car.
Bryant said Cook told him to remain with the couriers while Cook and the other officers inspected the cargo.
But in separating the mangoes from the suspected drug packages, a device with wires was discovered. Officers thought it was an explosive device so a bomb disposal unit was called, Bryant said.
The officers didn't know at the time that the unit was actually a tracking device hidden in the packages by the RCMP.
While waiting for the bomb unit and morality officers to arrive, Bryant helped Cook and the other officers unload the packages from the courier van into the CIB minivan. Later, he helped them move the packages to a morality bureau van.
Bryant testified under cross examination by defence lawyer Pat Ducharme that he locked the courier van with the suspected drugs and always had the key.
He also admitted several officers were present when the fake drugs were eventually moved from the CIB van into the morality bureau van.
The other two other CIB officers left Cook and Bryant in the station when they went for food for about 20 minutes but Bryant didn't know if they took the CIB van with the drugs or Cook's car to the sandwich shop.
Bryant learned the following day that the drugs were actually decoys being used in an RCMP controlled delivery.
A total of 88 boxes of mangoes containing 146 hidden bricks of fake cocaine arrived at Pearson International Airport from Peru at about 6 a.m. on Nov. 16.
Despite being under surveillance, the shipment went missing about 12 hours later.
The RCMP became aware the next day that the fake drugs had been seized by Peel Police, but when they took possession of the dummy drugs there were 44 missing.
Court previously heard that 23 of the fake bricks were later recovered but that the other 21 have never been located.
The failed RCMP operation was designed to find the Canadian buyers of an international drug smuggling operation based in Lima, the Peruvian capital.
Cook is charged with attempt to possess a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, possession of stolen property (MP3 players) from a police investigation and breach of trust as a police officer in connection with the other offences.
The offences were allegedly committed between Aug. 7 and Nov. 18, 2005.
In addition to the tracking device and 15 fake bricks of cocaine found at Cook's Cambridge residence, another tracking device and eight fake bricks, sliced open, were found in a garbage bin behind the Blinds to Go store on Dundas St. near the Mississauga/Oakville border on the same day the search warrant was executed at Cook's home.
Cook remains suspended with pay. The case is also being watched closely by Peel's internal affairs bureau.
As a result of his arrest on Nov. 18, 2005, Justice Canada decided not to prosecute at least six drug cases where Cook was the arresting officer.
As well, a month after his arrest, a Peel judge acquitted former Toronto Argonaut Orlando Bowen of drug and assault charges that were laid by Cook and another officer. Bowen alleged at trial that Cook had planted a small amount of cocaine on him during his arrest.
More Information: http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/544372
Monday, November 10, 2008
Const. Sheldon Cook Pleads Not Guilty to Stealing Fake Cocaine
A veteran Peel police officer has pleaded not guilty in a bizarre case that saw 15 kilograms of fake cocaine disappear from an RCMP sting operation.
Police say they found the white powder in a storage area in the Cambridge, Ont., home of Const. Sheldon Cook, along with marijuana and 21 MP3 players. He was arrested in November 2005 and accused of removing the fake cocaine from a truck being used in an RCMP sting.
The truck with fake drugs hidden in its cargo was on its way to a Mississauga warehouse when the driver, who was not involved in the controlled RCMP drug investigation, became suspicious of the cargo he was carrying.
The truck driver called Peel police and Cook allegedly responded, meeting the truck before it made it to the warehouse. Cook then allegedly removed the fake cocaine, which had a GPS tracking device hidden inside.
That equivalent amount of real cocaine was valued at $500,000.
The seven charges against Cook, 40, include an attempt to possess a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking; possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking; possession of stolen property from a police investigation; and breach of trust as a police officer in connection with the other offences. Cook, a 14-year veteran, remains suspended with pay by the Peel force until his case is dealt with through the courts.
As a result of the arrest, the federal justice department decided not to prosecute at least six drug cases involving Cook as the arresting officer.
A month after he was charged, a Peel judge acquitted former Toronto Argonaut Orlando Bowen of drug charges and charges of assaulting police that had been laid by Cook and another officer.
Police say they found the white powder in a storage area in the Cambridge, Ont., home of Const. Sheldon Cook, along with marijuana and 21 MP3 players. He was arrested in November 2005 and accused of removing the fake cocaine from a truck being used in an RCMP sting.
The truck with fake drugs hidden in its cargo was on its way to a Mississauga warehouse when the driver, who was not involved in the controlled RCMP drug investigation, became suspicious of the cargo he was carrying.
The truck driver called Peel police and Cook allegedly responded, meeting the truck before it made it to the warehouse. Cook then allegedly removed the fake cocaine, which had a GPS tracking device hidden inside.
That equivalent amount of real cocaine was valued at $500,000.
The seven charges against Cook, 40, include an attempt to possess a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking; possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking; possession of stolen property from a police investigation; and breach of trust as a police officer in connection with the other offences. Cook, a 14-year veteran, remains suspended with pay by the Peel force until his case is dealt with through the courts.
As a result of the arrest, the federal justice department decided not to prosecute at least six drug cases involving Cook as the arresting officer.
A month after he was charged, a Peel judge acquitted former Toronto Argonaut Orlando Bowen of drug charges and charges of assaulting police that had been laid by Cook and another officer.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Michael Shannon sentenced for Stealing Wants to Remain an Officer
Windsor police Const. Michael Shannon was sentenced Thursday to six months of house arrest for stealing $425 from an undercover RCMP officer during a sting operation.
Immediately after Ontario court judge Don Downie handed down the sentence, the Windsor Police Service put Shannon on an unpaid suspension. Since his arrest Oct. 4, 2007, Shannon had been suspended but still collecting a paycheque, in accordance with provincial regulations.
Shannon, 40, pleaded guilty to theft and breach of trust after taking the bait during an orchestrated traffic stop. Windsor police brass enlisted the help of an RCMP officer who Shannon wouldn't recognize, after receiving information more than six months earlier that pointed to Shannon being a dirty cop. He took planted money out of a duffel bag, and despite finding a crack pipe in the car, sent the driver off without so much as a ticket. The 15-year-veteran officer was arrested a few minutes later by waiting officers.
Shannon wrote a seven-page letter read in court by his lawyer Thursday in which he said he wants to remain a police officer. "I want to continue to serve my community," he said.
In the letter, he detailed his lifelong struggle with alcohol and drugs. He said he became a substance abuser at the age of 10 after being sexually abused by a babysitter. He managed to function well in life despite his addictions, getting a college diploma and a university degree before becoming a police officer. He racked up 37 commendations for exceptionally good work.
Despite going into rehab in 2001, he said he kept reverting to drugs and booze after: a bitter divorce; responding to the call in which fellow officer Const. John Atkinson had been shot dead; the stillborn birth of a daughter with an ex-girlfriend; the suicide of one fellow officer; and the cancer death of another.
"There's a saying that into every life a little rain must fall," said the judge. "Const. Shannon has had more than his share of rain."
Shannon's defence lawyer asked the officer be spared jail time and be allowed to serve his sentence in the community.
Crown prosecutor David Foulds, called Shannon's conduct "a terrible stain on the Windsor Police Service" and asked the judge to "be mindful of public perception" and send Shannon to "real jail" for six months to one year.
"I hope this is a compromise between what you were both looking for," said the judge.
But after the judge's ruling, Foulds said he was disappointed with the sentence.
"I would have wished a stronger message to be sent that when police officers commit serious breaches of trust, as this was, that real jail is a distinct possibility."
During his sentence, Shannon will be allowed out of the house from noon to 6 p.m. He will have to complete 24 hours of community service during the six months.
Following his sentence of house arrest, Shannon will be on probation for 12 months, during which time he must complete another 72 hours of community service.
Defence lawyer Andrew Bradie called the sentence fair for someone with an addiction. "Some people will be offended by it, some will understand."
Windsor police Deputy Chief Al Frederick said the department will seek Shannon's termination. He said the department has programs to help officers deal with stress and addictions, but "criminal conduct will not be tolerated at any time."
The department brought Shannon up on Police Services Act charges after his arrest. The hearings had been postponed until his criminal proceedings were complete.
Shannon lost his badge and gun at the time of his arrest. He never spent any time in jail, being released about 90 minutes after his arrest on a promise to appear in court.
He is to appear before a Police Services Act tribunal Oct. 16.
Immediately after Ontario court judge Don Downie handed down the sentence, the Windsor Police Service put Shannon on an unpaid suspension. Since his arrest Oct. 4, 2007, Shannon had been suspended but still collecting a paycheque, in accordance with provincial regulations.
Shannon, 40, pleaded guilty to theft and breach of trust after taking the bait during an orchestrated traffic stop. Windsor police brass enlisted the help of an RCMP officer who Shannon wouldn't recognize, after receiving information more than six months earlier that pointed to Shannon being a dirty cop. He took planted money out of a duffel bag, and despite finding a crack pipe in the car, sent the driver off without so much as a ticket. The 15-year-veteran officer was arrested a few minutes later by waiting officers.
Shannon wrote a seven-page letter read in court by his lawyer Thursday in which he said he wants to remain a police officer. "I want to continue to serve my community," he said.
In the letter, he detailed his lifelong struggle with alcohol and drugs. He said he became a substance abuser at the age of 10 after being sexually abused by a babysitter. He managed to function well in life despite his addictions, getting a college diploma and a university degree before becoming a police officer. He racked up 37 commendations for exceptionally good work.
Despite going into rehab in 2001, he said he kept reverting to drugs and booze after: a bitter divorce; responding to the call in which fellow officer Const. John Atkinson had been shot dead; the stillborn birth of a daughter with an ex-girlfriend; the suicide of one fellow officer; and the cancer death of another.
"There's a saying that into every life a little rain must fall," said the judge. "Const. Shannon has had more than his share of rain."
Shannon's defence lawyer asked the officer be spared jail time and be allowed to serve his sentence in the community.
Crown prosecutor David Foulds, called Shannon's conduct "a terrible stain on the Windsor Police Service" and asked the judge to "be mindful of public perception" and send Shannon to "real jail" for six months to one year.
"I hope this is a compromise between what you were both looking for," said the judge.
But after the judge's ruling, Foulds said he was disappointed with the sentence.
"I would have wished a stronger message to be sent that when police officers commit serious breaches of trust, as this was, that real jail is a distinct possibility."
During his sentence, Shannon will be allowed out of the house from noon to 6 p.m. He will have to complete 24 hours of community service during the six months.
Following his sentence of house arrest, Shannon will be on probation for 12 months, during which time he must complete another 72 hours of community service.
Defence lawyer Andrew Bradie called the sentence fair for someone with an addiction. "Some people will be offended by it, some will understand."
Windsor police Deputy Chief Al Frederick said the department will seek Shannon's termination. He said the department has programs to help officers deal with stress and addictions, but "criminal conduct will not be tolerated at any time."
The department brought Shannon up on Police Services Act charges after his arrest. The hearings had been postponed until his criminal proceedings were complete.
Shannon lost his badge and gun at the time of his arrest. He never spent any time in jail, being released about 90 minutes after his arrest on a promise to appear in court.
He is to appear before a Police Services Act tribunal Oct. 16.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Ottawa police officer charged with sexual assault
OTTAWA - An Ottawa police officer was charged Monday with sexual assault and breach of trust stemming from an incident last November.
The charges came after an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit after a woman reported that she was sexually assaulted by an on-duty police officer on Nov. 3, 2007.
The woman approached the Ottawa Police Service with these allegations two days later, according to an SIU news release Monday.
Acting Sgt. Rohan Beebakhee, 38, faces one charge of sexual assault and one charge of breach of trust. He is scheduled to appear in Ottawa court on April 21.
Investigators with the SIU declined further comment on the case, saying the matter is now before the courts.
The SIU is a civilian agency that probes cases of serious injuries, sexual assaults and deaths involving police officers in Ontario.
The charges came after an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit after a woman reported that she was sexually assaulted by an on-duty police officer on Nov. 3, 2007.
The woman approached the Ottawa Police Service with these allegations two days later, according to an SIU news release Monday.
Acting Sgt. Rohan Beebakhee, 38, faces one charge of sexual assault and one charge of breach of trust. He is scheduled to appear in Ottawa court on April 21.
Investigators with the SIU declined further comment on the case, saying the matter is now before the courts.
The SIU is a civilian agency that probes cases of serious injuries, sexual assaults and deaths involving police officers in Ontario.
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