Six Philadelphia officers arrested by federal agents occurred due to an ongoing corruption probe. The six Philadelphia officers arrested were accused of stealing more than $500K worth of money, drugs and other items in several years, reports NBC Philadelphia.
The U.S. government had the six Philadelphia officers arrested on Wednesday on charges of robbing, and in some cases, kidnapping drug dealers. The six Philadelphia officers arrested were accused stealing included a Rolex watch and a designer suit, and in one instance, they were also accused of seizing cocaine and reselling it on the street.
According to CBS Local, the joint investigation held by the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI also revealed a "game" played by the six Philadelphia officers arrested in which they would score points as they come up with different ways of abusing suspects in custody.
James McIntyre told CBS 3's Walt Hunter in an interview, 'It was a nightmare, an absolute nightmare.'
McIntyre reportedly filed a lawsuit against several of the six Philadelphia officers arrested. He claimed that he was manhandled then wrongfully arrested, for which he was forced to spent six months in jail before charges were withdrawn.
U.S. Attorney Zane Memeger said of the misbehaviour of the six Philadelphia officers arrested, 'The conduct is really egregious.'
Memeger added, 'Unfortunately, a very small percentage of police officers continue to toss their oath aside and act like the very criminals they have sworn to bring to justice.'
According to Reuters, the six Philadelphia officers arrested were identified as 46-year-old Perry Betts, 38-year-old Thomas Liciardello, 46-year-old Linwood Norman, 43-year-old Brian Reynolds, 46-year-old John Speiser and 46-year-old Michael Spicer.
Authorities said that early Wednesday morning, the six Philadelphia officers arrested were taken from their homes and brought into custody without incident.
Charles Ramsey, the Philadelphia Police Commissioner said each officer will automatically be suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss.
Ramsey said of the shame the allegations to the six Philadelphia officers arrested brought to the entire department, 'Conduct like this is simply unacceptable, cannot be tolerated and is inexcusable.'
Ramsey also said, 'I have been a police officer for more than 40 years and this is one of the worst cases of corruption that I have ever heard.'
Meanwhile, Memeger said, 'The defendants used their positions of authority to target suspected drug dealers for purposes of stealing cash, personal property and drugs.'
NBC Philadelphia reports that the 26-count indictment was recently unsealed by the U.S. Attorney's Office Wednesday. The indictment is of the two-year joint investigation between the police department, FBI and U.S. Attorney's office.
In the indictment, the six Philadelphia officers arrested reportedly served anywhere from five to 13 years in the narcotics unit. They are now facing allegations of multiple acts of robbery, extortion, kidnapping and drug dealing dating from February 2006 to November 2012.
The indictment also detailed 22 separate incidents wherein the six Philadelphia officers arrested broke the law, which, prosecutors estimate, the officers were able to take more than $500,000 worth of cash, drugs and goods.
Scenes from the indictment are a perfect epitome for the Mark Twain quote '...truth is stranger than fiction.'
In a 2007 robbery, Liciardello, Reynolds and Walker allegedly took $30,000 from an illegally detained suspect. Afterwards, they took from the suspect's home another $80,000.
During the robbery, Speiser also allegedly dangled a man over an 18th floor balcony for him to reveal the password to his handheld computer, swipe $79,000 and get a designer suit. They were also accused of stealing and distributing multi-kilogram quantity of cocaine.
The allegations against the six Philadelphia officers arrested include declaring them having collected less money than they would report.
Memeger said, 'They literally filed false police reports.'
In other instances, the six Philadelphia officers arrested were indicted of kicking detainees in the teeth, hitting them in the head with metal bars and ordering takeout food with suspects' cash.
In the indictment, one victim told investigators that Reynolds and Betts also stole $6,000 from a federal payment to compensate her for flood damage.
In December 2012, all six Philadelphia officers arrested, except Norman, were removed from the narcotics unit. This was after Seth Williams, the Philadelphia District Attorney, wrote a letter saying he could not rely on their testimony at trial.
According to NBC Philadelphia, sources said agents were tipped about the six Philadelphia officers arrested after they captured former narcotics unit veteran Jeffrey Walker in a sting last May.
In February, Walker pleaded guilty to federal robbery charges and weapons offenses. Meanwhile, Memeger would not say how much Walker has helped in the investigation against the six Philadelphia officers arrested.
According to prosecutors, the probe has resulted in more than 80 drug convictions getting overturned. Hundreds of open cases have also been dismissed as a result. Reuters said that the District Attorney's Office will now be going back to review cases the men have worked on in order to see if post-conviction relief is necessary.
Six Philadelphia officers arrested Wednesday shook the entire force. The Police Commissioner said that the corruption investigation remains open and active. It is also possible that other officers could be charged.
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