untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Highland park is another Emergency manager city that drastically cut officers salaries. Some commentors on this story blamed the low wages as an incentive to entice corruption among officers. Could a similar story happen in Flint?
January 25, 2013 at 7:10 pm
4 Highland Park officers schemed to deliver cocaine, feds allege
By Tom Greenwood and Tony Briscoe
The Detroit News
4 Highland Park officers charged: Federal officials announced charges of accepting bribes, conspiring to distribute cocaine, and carrying firearms in furtherance of a drug traffic crime.
A scheme that began with two Highland Park police officers taking bribes from a criminal defendant grew into a conspiracy with two other colleagues to deliver cocaine to a drug trafficker, authorities said Friday.
The four officers were arraigned in federal court on drug trafficking, bribery and firearm charges.
Charged are: Anthony Bynum, 29, of Highland Park; Price Montgomery, 38, of Highland Park; Shawn Williams, 33, of Detroit; and Craig Clayton, 55, of Highland Park.
"Our community deserves to be served and protected by police officers who perform their jobs with integrity," U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said. "Police officers who take bribes and participate in criminal activities will be discovered and prosecuted."
Judge Laurie J. Michelson set bond for all four co-defendants at $10,000. All four were represented by Rafael Villarruel, a federal public defender.
Bynum, who wiped away tears from his bloodshot eyes as he looked over the criminal complaint, was also ordered to wear a tether and to have a curfew after the government argued he might be a flight risk.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dave Gardey said Bynum, a former Detroit Public School public school officer, would be a danger to the community as well, citing complaints of "beatings" and "pistol-whipping" of arrestees. He also allegedly agreed to carry out a contract-killing for $20,000, according to an FBI affidavit.
All four are due back in court on Feb. 15 at 1 p.m.
According to the FBI, Bynum and Montgomery arrested a man in August 2012 for carrying a firearm, beat him and stole jewelry and $1,700 from him.
Authorities allege that the arrested man, while in the hospital, offered to pay the officers to dismiss the charges against him. The officers agreed and were captured on videotape taking $10,000 in cash from the man, who had become a confidential source for the FBI, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Later, Montgomery and Bynum agreed to transport and deliver two kilos of cocaine for the confidential source, who they thought was a drug trafficker.
Federal authorities say on Nov. 15, 2012, both officers protected and delivered what they thought was two kilos of cocaine from the Oakland Mall in Troy to a location in Taylor.
Each was paid $1,500 for his role, the feds say.
The two then recruited Williams and Clayton to help deliver a second, larger shipment on Jan. 23, 2013. They delivered four kilos of what they thought was cocaine, again from Oakland Mall, according to authorities.
Bynum and Montgomery were each paid $1,500 while Williams and Clayton each received $1,000, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The four officers each carried a firearm and some carried their police badges, authorities allege.
Each defendant faces a maximum of 40 years in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine. Additionally, each faces a maximum of 10 years in prison on the bribery charges and an additional five-year consecutive sentence for carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.
Highland Park Police Chief Kevin Coney said the ring and $1,700 taken from the arrested man never turned up.
Coney was already looking into the conduct of these officers before the FBI investigation due to complaints from citizens about them stealing money and other property from them and assaulting them.
In one case, a complainant said Bynum and Montgomery arrested him at a gas station on Woodward and then stole $13 in cash and a bottle of Dolce & Gabbana cologne from his car.
Another arrestee said he was beaten on the back and head while he was handcuffed.
"The illegal actions of these officers do not represent or reflect the ethical standards and values consistent with the Highland Park Police Department," Coney said. "We remain committed to providing our citizens with first class public safety and ensuring our officers display integrity at all times."
Roy Roberts, DPS emergency financial manager, said none of the allegedly activities occurred on district grounds or involved any students.
"I applaud the leadership of our police department for cooperating fully and am highly appreciative of the efforts of the agencies in the FBI-led Public Corruption Task Force who brought this matter to justice," Roberts said.
Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130125/METRO01/301250378#ixzz2J3QoGV9B |
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