Friday, April 10, 2015

Rogue Cop Jeffrey Walker Set To Testify

By George Anastasia
For Bigtrial.net

Jeff Walker walked out of the house in the 5600 block of Florence Avenue with $15,000 in his pocket, certain that he had just ripped off another drug dealer.

Seconds later he was in handcuffs, stung by the FBI.

Walker, a burly, dreadlocked narcotics officer gone bad, quickly agreed to cooperate following his arrest that night back in May 2013. He pleaded guilty to robbery and extortion charges and began talking. He has been before a federal grand jury and has sat for nearly three dozen debriefing sessions by the FBI.

Next week, the former member of the Narcotics Field Unit is expected to make his debut as a government witness, taking the stand in the ongoing corruption trial of six other members of that squad.

Described by one defense attorney as a "train wreck both personally and professionally," Walker's testimony will be pivotal in the now two-week old trial. To date, the jury has heard from a half dozen drug dealers, each telling a version of the same story. All claim that they were threatened, beaten and robbed by what authorities charge was a corrupt group of police officers who over a six-year period stole more than $500,000 in cash, drugs and other valuables from the drug dealers they were arresting.

Walker will be the first witness to offer an account from inside what prosecutors say was a conspiracy within the police department. Like the other witnesses in the case, his credibility and motivation will be challenged.

It will be up to the jury to decide whether Walker is a dirty cop giving up his partners-in-crime or a dirty cop trying to get out from under his own criminal problems by telling federal authorities what they want to hear.

The anonymously chosen jury headed home for the weekend this afternoon after hearing more testimony from drug dealers allegedly targeted by the narcotics cops. Key testimony came from Michael Procopio, a South Philadelphia-based dealer in oxycontin who, like several other witnesses in the case, has a civil suit pending against the Police Department and the city alleging cash was stolen from him during an illegal search at his home.

Procopio, who has a hearing disability, answered questions translated by a sign language expert. His story was similar to those of several other witnesses. He claimed that Thomas Liciardello, the alleged leader of the rogue unit, stole $18,000 from his home during an illegal search back in December 2008.

The indictment alleges that Liciardello and co-defendants Michael Spicer and Brian Reynolds took part in the arrest of Procopio that night but reported seizing $4,750 not $18,000. The indictment also alleges a Rolex watch was taken and that the police officers ordered food delivered to Procopio's home and paid for it with cash taken from his pocket.

Through their cross-examination, defense attorneys raised questions about the amount of money on hand, offering statements made by Procopio over the past two years in which he claimed different amounts of cash had been taken. The money, he insisted, was what remained of wedding gifts he and his wife had received seven months earlier and was not part of his drug dealing.

The other defendants in the case are Perry Betts, Linwood Norman and John Speiser.

Walker, who is likely to take the stand some time Tuesday, the day the trial resumes, worked with most of those officers and is expected to provide details about many of the alleged ripoffs. His story is that of a once decorated police officer gone bad.

Depicted in the indictment as an enforcer for the rogue unit, Walker joined the Police Department in 1989 and ten years later was assigned to the Narcotics Field Unit where he earned several citations for his work. But somewhere along the line, he  and those he was working with went bad, authorities say, stealing drugs and cash from those they were arresting and literally taking the law into their own hands.

Walker was arrested on May 21, 2013, in an FBI sting operation that began two weeks earlier when he unknowingly solicited an FBI informant to set up another drug dealer. The informant recorded conversations with Walker, including one in which he boasted about his routine, claiming that he staged most of his robberies on Mondays, his day off.

On the tape, Walker told the informant he did "all of my dirt on Mondays."

In another he talked of ripping off a marijuana dealer.

“Let me grab the motherfucker as he has the (marijuana) brick already on him,” Walker said as the tape rolled. “I could rob him for the half of a brick.”

The FBI sting unfolded with Walker lured into setting up another dealer. As the FBI listened in, Walker described a plan to plant cocaine in the car of the unsuspecting drug dealer. He would then have the dealer arrested and while the dealer was in custody, Walker would go to his home and rob him.

The targeted "dealer," however, was an FBI undercover. The plan unfolded as Walker had described it. However when the unsuspecting narcotics officer emerged from the house with the $15,000, FBI agents closed in.

Walker immediately admitted he had planted cocaine on the dealer and had stolen the cash from his house. He has been talking ever since. But his story, according to defense attorneys, has varied and his accounts have been inconsistent. That, they claim, is one of the reasons he has been debriefed 33 times by the FBI.

"Jeffrey Walker despised these six men," Gregory Pagano, the lawyer for Perry Betts, said in his opening statement to the jury when the trial began two weeks ago. "There is no love lost between these six men and him."

Pagano told the jury that Walker had been "ostracized" by the other members of the narcotics unit because of his erratic and unprofessional behavior. He described Walker as "a train wreck both personally and professionally," an angry, frustrated cop who had an alcohol problem and who was, among other things, a "Ponzi scam artist" who ripped off other members of the drug unit.

When Walker takes the stand, Pagano and the other defense attorneys will be focused on convincing the jury that he is the only rogue cop in the courtroom.

George Anastasia can be contacted at George@bigtrial.net.

18 comments

  1. Bring on Walker, more lies. For the life of me I don't know why they are even continuing with this shit. A few people should get in the Feds ears about what is going on in the Field Unit now and get the right crum, let these guys walk free

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  2. Gotta love this bullshit can.t make it up he had 33 debriefings . If he could.nt get it right on the first five what makes them think he got right on the next 28. He.s gonna lie his black ass off too and if things don.t go accordingly you.ll probably find him with a self inflicted wound to the head 8 months from now. He.s a loser and a drunk and embarrassment to himself and his badge and he wants to take down others who would.nt buy in to his corrupt bullshit. The Jury will see through him and the rest they parade up there and Not guilty will be the verdict witin a day or so tops. Gotta get a couple good lunches for there service.

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  3. ALL LAW IS OUT OF CONTROL.THEY ALL SHOUD SPEND SOME TIME IN JAIL...

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  4. Doesn't seem to be the slam dunk case the feds told the public it would be. The more I read the more I see the case is falling apart. I'm all for putting dirty cops in jail for taking drug money but so far I have some doubt.

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  5. If he did all of his "dirt" on Mondays, his day off, he was alone. WTF. I can't believe the shit I'm reading. There has to be a book written after this trial.

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  6. It.ll be written may be George will right it. Will call it the bad lands Philly style after the statuet of limitations pass of course.

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  7. Jail time for all of them!!!

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  8. Ole officer Jeffrey Walker. Lol Set to take the Grand ole stage with a performance worthy of bringing the house down. Whats (Jackass) Jack McMon gomma say or do now? You cant win a championship thinking because your opponent is on the rope in the early rounds you have him beat(Muhammad Ali). This trial was over before it started. Do you think Phila and judges also those behind the scene are letting these 6 dirty narcs(sick pups) go with the pope comming and elections near lol lol lol lol lol. Notttttttt!!!! These dirty pigs conviction means Promotions for alot of people. And no one cares about these 6 psycho ex narcs families. Thier wifes and children reeped the benefits of the thousand of dollars they stole and robbed. Ole saying goes:" YOU REEP WHAT YOU SOW". The life these 6 ex dirty narcs chose in the begining is the one they should of stuck with. THE EX DIRTY RINGLEADER TOM L knew he would get caught at some point any how. He didnt believe this vicious and malicious game he played behind The Shield of Phila and our Police department could go on forever how? For sure he believes(especially now) that every dog has his day and every criminal(even the master mind he thought he was) gets caught! So to you officers home on the couch(house arrest) reading this and your fellow Republicans; Jail time for these 6 monster law breaking ex dirty narcs will be more then Fair! It will give the city and police Dept their Respect back and the Harshest prison sentence possible given to these 6 ex dirty narcs Should serve as a deterent for would be followers of of these 6 criminals. Yes i know a few things the people on this site dont and one thing i know for sure "THERES CONVICTIONS COMING OUT OF THIS TRIAL" .

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    1. Man shut your sick badge wearing mouth up .How and the hell did u ever pass the psych test. Your an embarrassment to yourself and the Gentleman you work with.
      Stifle yourself before you embarass you and your family also This trial is in shambles and a embarassment to the City of Phladelphia the detectives who investigated it all the way to those who let it be tried with the lack of evidence. People like you and the commisioner are the reason the phila pd is in the shape it is in. U get promoted for the Job you do and the seasoning of Veteran officers who show you the ropes. Not on 6 guys on trial hoping they get found guilty so you and others like you can move up ass hole.Geez what rock did you crawl out from under pal. Straighten up! !!

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    2. Yessa masta yessa. F OUTTA HERE PECKERWOOD. YOULL BE IN JAIL SOON. BE HAPPY WITH YOUR HOUSE ARREST. Jack the defenses lawyer better tell them(his client)about that letter he got from Jeffrey walker giving him details about information wich carrys no statue limitations. Wait untill the jury hears this.

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    3. You are a certified 302. Stop trying to portray youself as someone who is in law enforcement. You my friend are delusional

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    4. 2 up
      You can.t argue with a hood rat democrat. I thought u were a cop but ur one of those punk kids who got pistol whiped by one of these fine gentlemen during a raid u little cry baby lying scumbag grow up.

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  9. Some one please make some sense of this trial. I feel like my taxpayer dollars are being wasted on these same drug dealers who were locked away in the first place. And why are these officers not being let go after all the mistakes made by the goverment so far?-Shesaid.

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    1. Your dollar will be best used when these officers are far gone and sent to do some hard time.

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  10. These cops r goin to get what they deserve after they abused there authority, they r far worse than any drug dealer cause they r suppose to be helpin communities

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    1. Thats the truth!!! They will be held accountable for their actions and made an example of by the Court of Law.

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  11. Walker is a no good drunken scum, you got caught, take it like a real man instead of trying to throw other under the bus. karma is a bitch and your ass is going away for a long time regardless of the outcome, you are a coward Walker

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  12. I don't understand why it is a problem because the people testifying against these officers have records and at one time may have been in trouble with the law?? Don't our narcotics officers use these same kind of people to get the info that they need on suspected drug dealers?? They use scumbags with drug problems and dangle the prospect of drugs and money in their face for them to tell them the info they want, so why is now it a problem that these type of people are being used against these "respectable officers doing their jobs", give me a break they have been doing this shit and getting away with it for years so now it is time for them to face their own fate!! Hopefully the jury don't fall for the bullshit these lawyers trying to make their clients look like respectable police officers just doing their job, hopefully they see thru the bullshit and see them for the dirty criminals they are!!!

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