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| NEWS > 18 April 2007 |
Other related articles:
Alleged Evidence Tampering in
Harvey, Ill. Harvey Mayor Eric J. Kellogg ordered one of his detectives to make a gun seized from a convicted felon vanish from evidence, authorities said Friday in the latest scandal to plague Harvey police and the first to finger the mayor in potentially criminal behavior.
In an October meeting with other unnamed Harvey officials, "Public Official A" told Det. Hollis Dorrough to "help with the case and return property" to the defendant’s stepfather, whom he had known for years, prosecutors said at Dorrough's Friday morning court appearance.
Sources close to the case na... Read more
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 Article sourced from
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Sun-Sentinel.com - Fort Lauder
18 April 2007
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Hollywood Police Department, F
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Plea deal near in Hollywood po
Documents filed Wednesday in federal court by prosecutors indicate that a plea deal is imminent for four Hollywood police officers arrested in an FBI corruption investigation in which agents posed as mobsters involved in drug trafficking, art theft and stolen valuables.
The documents -- known as ``informations'' rather than indictments -- charge each of the four with a single count of conspiracy to possess heroin with intent to distribute, which carries a maximum of life in prison but would likely result in a far lesser sentence under federal sentencing guidelines.
``These informations charge the defendants with the most serious of their crimes, and the resulting penalties will be commensurate with their crimes,'' said Alicia Valle, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta.
The filing of an information in a federal case generally means that the defendant will plead guilty and cooperate in ongoing investigations. Valle would not comment on that and none of the officers' defense lawyers immediately returned telephone and e-mail messages Wednesday.
But former U.S. Attorney Guy Lewis said such a filing indicates that both sides have reached an agreement on a guilty plea and a promise of cooperation from the defendants.
``Generally, the government doesn't forego counts and other charges unless it receives a benefit,'' said Lewis, now in private practice but not involved in the corruption case. ``It tells me that the defense and government and talking and have come to an agreement.''
Court hearings have been delayed several times since the officers were arrested in February to allow time for a plea agreement to be reached. All four were scheduled to appear in court Thursday in Fort Lauderdale.
They are Detective Kevin Companion, 41; Sgt. Jeffry Courtney, 51; Detective Thomas Simcox, 50; and Officer Stephen Harrison, 46. When they were arrested, an FBI affidavit said they agreed to ``protect and facilitate'' a wide range of illegal activities for what they thought was a New York-based crime organization.
In fact, the ``mobsters'' were undercover FBI agents involved in a two-year sting investigation of the Hollywood Police Department.
Among their alleged crimes was the escorting of a multi-kilo load of purported heroin from Miami Beach to Hollywood. They were also allegedly involved in illegal gambling, stolen diamonds and watches, stolen art work and a truckload of cigarettes, but those allegations are not included in the new charges.
The FBI has said its corruption investigation is continuing, but the sting was shut down after its existence was leaked. Hollywood Police Chief James Scarberry has said he told only the city's mayor and senior police officials, and the FBI said Scarberry did cooperate in the case.
Scarberry did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Wednesday.
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