Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Narcs' Supervisor Counted Drug Money, Never Read Indictment

by Ralph Cipriano
for Bigtrial.net

Sgt. Joseph McCloskey told the prosecutor that he never read the federal indictment against the six narcotics officers he used to supervise because, "I just don't believe it."

And when the sergeant showed up for an interview at FBI headquarters, he angrily told the feds he'd been "passed over for promotion because of this shit."'

On the witness stand today for more than five hours, Sgt. McCloskey was blunt and prickly, especially when he was standing up for his guys on the narcotics squad.

"The quality of their work was exceptional" McCloskey said of the six defendants that he supervised for some ten years. But Officer Jeff Walker was another story, the sergeant told the jury. That guy used to show up so drunk on the job he couldn't remember where he left his gun.

"I was the supervisor," McCloskey told the jury. The guy who signed the search warrants and property receipts. The guy on the other end of the police radio who would hustle out to a drug bust or a surveillance site to back up his guys.

The mission of the Narcotics Unit was to get drugs and guns off the streets of Philadelphia, the sergeant testified.

When his squad scored some drugs, McCloskey bagged the stuff in heat-sealed plastic.

When his squad raided drug dealers' houses and found stacks of money, McCloskey counted the cash.

One drug dealer's mother, McCloskey recounted, was impressed with how fast the sergeant could count a stack of money.

"You must have worked in a bank," she said.

I did, McCloskey told the jury. For six years before he became a cop, he worked as a bank teller.

When the squad pulled over Robert Kushner, the marijuana dealer was sampling his product while driving his maroon Hummer. Sgt. McCloskey was the guy who got the police dog out at the scene for a "sniff" test.

"I called K-9 for the Hummer," he said.

Sgt. McCloskey was there back in 2007 when his squad busted dope dealer Michael Cascioli at his 19th floor penthouse. The bust didn't go down the way the drug dealer described it, Sgt. McCloskey told the jury. The drug dealer had claimed the cops wore ski masks and didn't identify themselves. The drug dealer told the jury he thought the Mafia was after him.

The sergeant was one of the guys waiting in the stairwell.

"People were yelling police," he testified. "It was pretty noisy in that stairwell."

"I sat down next to him," McCloskey said about the drug dealer. He was staring at pictures posted on the fridge of his last trip to Costa Rica.

"I should have stayed there," the drug dealer lamented.

"Do you want to help yourself," the sergeant said he told the drug dealer. "We got you pretty f-ing good."

Did a couple of your guys hold the drug dealer by his feet and dangle him off the 19th floor balcony, defense lawyer Jack McMahon asked.

"Absolutely not," the sergeant said. If that had really happened, "We wouldn't be here today," McCloskey told the jury. "I would have taken care of that seven years ago."

Did the cops steal $18,000 from hearing impaired drug dealer Michael Procopio?

"No, it's a lie," McCloskey said.

But the sergeant did hear the drug dealer toss an ethnic slur at Officer Thomas Liciardello.

"Hey macaroni head, why are you doing this to me," McCloskey said he overheard the drug dealer tell the cop.

While he lauded the work of the defendants, McCloskey said that former Officer Jeff Walker, now the government's star witness, was a less than stellar performer.

The sergeant talked derisively about "Walker's less than active performances in the squad."

"He was not going out and doing active investigations," McCloskey said of Walker. "He was just laying back. I thought it was unfair to the squad."

Did Jeff Walker really help himself to six of 13 pounds of marijuana that the squad had packed away as evidence in sealed bags, McMahon was asked.

"It's ridiculous," McCloskey told the jury. First of all the property receipts have the true weight of each bag, the sergeant said. Second, if Walker actually tried to pull a stunt like that, "You violate the seals" on the bags of evidence, McCloskey said.

It couldn't happen.

McCloskey testified about the day Jeff Walker was so drunk he forgot where he left his gun.

"He was in a cold sweat," McCloskey testified. "He was semi-intoxicated. He said to me he lost his gun."

Walker told the sergeant, "Betcha it was Tommy [Liciardello] who did it," McCloskey testified.

When a couple of cops found the gun in Walker's squad car, McCloskey had another officer drive Walker home unarmed.

"I took the gun off of him and put it in my safe," McCloskey said.

Walker was a mess, McCloskey testified. The cop's marriage was on the rocks, he had made some bad investments, and he was drinking heavily.

"It was a gradual slide down a slippery slope," McCloskey said about Walker. At the end of his slide,
Walker wound up on the witness stand telling lies.

The officer showed up drunk at work.

"He was pretty banged up a couple of times," the sergeant said.

It got to the point where the only cop on the squad who would work with Walker was Officer Linwood Norman, a fellow African-American.

But even Norman finally had enough.

"Officer Norman requested to leave the squad," McCloskey said. "I told Officer Norman I didn't want to lose him but he put in the paper work to go to another squad."

After Norman split, nobody wanted to work with Walker, McCloskey said.

The sergeant told Walker he would let him partner with any officer he chose. But out of a pool of some 200 officers, nobody would work with Walker, McCloskey said.

After Officer Norman left the squad, Walker worked alone until he was busted in an FBI sting operation walking out of a drug dealer's house with $15,000 and five pounds of marijuana.

McCloskey was asked about the arrest of marijuana dealer Victor Rosario. The cops pulled Rosario over in a Lowe's parking lot on a day he was driving around with ten pounds of marijuana in the trunk of a rented Honda Accord.

"Most amazing thing I've seen in 26 years," the sergeant testified. Rosario "gave up himself" and told the squad about the house where he was stashing guns and drugs.

Note to Victor Rosario -- the next time a cop stops you and says we think you're a burglary suspect, can you hang around to meet the victim, take off.

"It's a ruse," McCloskey confided. You tell a guy he's a burglary suspect because he knows he didn't rob anybody. So he thinks he can beat the rap.

If the cops told a suspect to hang around because they thought he had drugs on him, the suspect would take off, McCloskey said.

After they pulled Rosario over, "I called K-9 to do a sniff around the car," McCloskey told the jury.

Did the cops actually steal $5,000 that Rosario had tucked in his wallet, McCloskey was asked.

"I don't know how you can keep $5,000 in your wallet," the former bank teller testified.

Did the cops help themselves to a Rolex watch and a cache of Tiffany jewelry that Rosario had supposedly stashed at his place?

"No watches or jewelry were taken from any location," McCloskey flatly said.

"I had a set policy," McCloskey said. The narcotics squad was after drugs and money. They didn't touch jewelry because you never knew whether it was fake or not.

"We never confiscated jewelry," McCloskey said.

Rosario, McCloskey confided, was a sloppy housekeeper.

"The place was a mess," the sergeant said.

When they raided drug dealer Jason Kennedy, did you notice any injuries, McMahon asked.

Kennedy had claimed that one of the cops punched him in the mouth, pushing a tooth through his lip, and knocking him down on a hard tile floor, leaving a big bump on the back of his head.

"None whatsoever," McCloskey said.

If you had seen any blood on Kennedy, what would have happened?

"He would have been transported to the hospital," McCloskey said.

The defendants found a pile of cash in Kennedy's apartment. McCloskey counted it. So did Lt. Otto.

A government exhibit showed the lieutenant counting a pile of money on his desk -- $130,970.

"It's the largest amount of money that we ever seized," McCloskey said proudly.

Did the cops bust out Kennedy's window with a sledgehammer, McMahon asked.

"No," the sergeant said, contradicting the testimony of the drug dealer. "We don't carry sledgehammers."

McCloskey was also there the day the cops raided former state trooper Kenneth Williams' row house.

"Not a big job," McCloskey said. The cops only found 25 grams of marijuana.

Williams was also a bigger slob than Rosario, McCloskey told the jury.

"It didn't smell real good," McCloskey said about the suspect's row house. There was "trash all over," the sergeant said.

What about the story Williams told on the witness stand? That he had $14,000 stashed in a pair of pants and the cops stole it.

"Not that I'm aware of," McCloskey said. "If somebody had $14,000 in that house, I don't know why they were staying there."

At the end of the day, Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Wzorek only had about 45 minutes to cross-examine the sergeant. The prosecutor began with McCloskey's interview with the feds.

You insisted that the interview be videotaped, Wzorek told the witness. You brought a lawyer. You insisted on a proffer, an informal session where the ground rules usually are nothing you say will be used against you.

"You waited six months to interview me," McCloskey shot back.

You wanted a proffer so that you would have "no criminal liability," the prosecutor argued.

"That is correct," McCloskey agreed.

The cross-examination of Sgt. McCloskey will continue when court resumes at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

37 comments

  1. McCloskey is a drunk .

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  2. Sergeant ( bottles ) McCloskey agreed to be interviewed by the FBI this year only on the condition that nothing he said could be used to prosecute him and that his conversation with agents be recorded . A real honest cop .He should be fired . A real example of great supervisors in the Philadelphia police department .

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    1. Don't worry His days are number . He spends all His time at the bar .

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  3. I don't know why McMahon put McCluskey on the stand, that was not good, he just convicted them,and when Tommy and the boys are convicted they are going to rat on McCluskey, its a joke laugh out loud

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    1. Tommy will make a deal He will give up McCoskey, Werner ,and Blackburn . He will get time knock off His sentence .Because everybody knows Tommy does not want to meet Mr. Bubba . Everybody knows Tommy will fold ,He is not a tough guy, unless six cops are with Him .

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  4. What kind of supervisors needs a grant of immunity ,before He answers question , I will tell you a crooked one . This is also a violation of Philadelphia Police Policy . Ramsey should deep six this drunk .He is a disgrace to the Cops that do their job with integrity , This guy should go back to the bank . One thing for sure He is no Supervisor .

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    1. He did the right thing, excellent decision. Seems like it must have bothered the feds. Probably the only thing they could think of to say to confuse the jury. Any one who talks to the FBI or a prosecutor without an attorney is jail bait. Try it, I am sure everyone with believe you and not the FBI or the Prosecutor, when your words are twisted, it happens every day. Ask an attorney. Really you don't get it. FEDS....NOT ON OUR SIDE.

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  5. I knew people would jump alllllll over the end of this at the end that it left off saying that he insisted on a proffer. Do you think if you are the supervisor of 6 men who got caught up in this mess of a he said she said case lost their jobs their reputations are ruined not to mention parts of their lives, McCluskey has been sitting down in DPR since all of this happened, they dont tell you when they send you down there why your there, how long youll be there etc etc. Any person with a brain innocent or not would have said that he asked for it to be video taped as well because the feds dont have to tape or even record interviews with anyone. They can report the interview as they interpret it. IF you told 6 men, the same story chances are very good that all 6 men would interpret it differently. So with that being said he did not just ask for a proffer he asked for a video taped interview and of course brought a lawyer along. Look what the FEDS just did to the 6 guys hes been in charge of for yearsssss. Keep watching people......just keep watching. p.s really to comment on his drinking? chasing after phillys finest scum of the earth day in and day out would be stressful to ANYONE. Even if your a teacher, a Dr, a stay at home mom.....dont tell me you dont have a drink, a few drinks...etc etc after a long days work ( those guys work more then most of you will in a month in a week) all of you haters will just grab any little part of any of these articles and just jump all over it. You look like idiots. Follow the WHOLE THING or dont follow it at all.

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    1. Stop it you know its true . Why do you think Chief Inspector Boyle was piss off . He was replace by Chris Werner .Who wore a wire for the feds to get cops .McCloskey could take a lawyer with Him when He was question , He ask for immunity from prosecution, Innocents cops do not ask for immunity . Sorry McCloskey is dirty and He will eventually be arrested . He better retire the hammer coming down !!!!

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    2. I don't know it's true or i would not have wrote that, (don't know why my name did not show in the original comment 12:18)
      all of you jealous bitches show up at IAB with a lawyer does that mean you're all guilty? Or does it mean you don't want to deal with the BS.
      The FEDS can interpret an interview how ever they would like because for them they play by their own rules they don't need it to be recorded or filmed. Just like when they had O'malley up there the Feds made comments like "isn't it true that you said x y and z" and numerous times he said No that's not in fact I said, what I said was....etc etc. Now if the interviews were recorded that wouldn't be an issue- ( for example the Feds- didn't you say you Hated the color Blue, O' malley- no I just said my favorite color was Red, didn't say anything about blue. But because the Feds can interpret how they please they try to spin something in to something it's not because they DONT HAVE ANYTHING) Walking in to a case that "he said she said"got 6 of your men fired-locked up on house arrest and one still in jail because of "here say". Who wouldn't ask for a proffer, a lawyer and a video recorded interview, he was saving his ass from having to deal with the FEDS, and if you wouldn't do the same after seeing what they did to 6 guys that worked right under you for Years you're a lair.
      To the idiot who said a lot of these cops may be arrested for perjury because of the statements they give on the stand? SERIOUSLY- you're clearly on the other team here and you're team name was PERJURY, get outta here. No matter what these officers get up here and say for the next few days all of you jealous fellow officers are going to try to dis credit or take stabs at them. Sorry they wouldn't let you sit at their lunch table, I can see why- who would want to be seen with a bunch of bitch ass catty grown men.
      Don't worrie, Tony Boyle will let you sit with him, I bet he would even share his sand which with you (pardon my French) Pussies.

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    3. Stop It He an investigator .He knows how to answer question about corrupt cops . He also knows proper police procedure was not follow . He tells the feds He wants immunity . That is not the way it works . He is acting like a criminal . Also He is not following the oath of office . He took to become a Police Officer

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    4. Sometimes the truth hurts Haters. The truth is these men are not guilty the truth is right in front of your mornin faces, fact after fact after fact actual PROOF that the defense has. YOUR CHOSING NOT TO SEE it because you would see how jealous and pathetic you are, that's on you.

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    5. M.T. you know these guys were robbing dealers . Little Tommy figure they would keep quiet .But the idioits who stole the money ,think they will put it in other family accounts and names .The IRS will call the relatives in for a audit . They will fold like a cheap suit M.T.

      Little Tommy was told numerous times to back off his illegal police raids .Nothing to do with jealousy M.T. . Little Tommy and His band of outlaws got caught . The money they think they hid ,will come out of hiding . Family relatives once they are sworn in they are done . The truth will come out about certain cash deals , made by Tommy and His gang of thugs !!!!!

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    6. M.T. Chief Inspector Boyle will have his day to tell all . You don't sent a 13 page email to 7 thousand cops ,without some flak from the third floor .The last page of the Email , He accuse Ramsey and his deputy Commissioners, of covering up crimes . He is going to have to tell Federal authorizes what he means by those statement .

      Chief Boyle will He stand up ,or will He be a coward and not say anything ? We shall see if Chief Tony Boyle backs up His words in the Email . It is time for the Chief to act like a chief and take on Commissioner Ramsey and his corrupt decisions concerning high ranking Supervisors .Chief Boyle let the genie out of the bottle !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    7. "He's little" "he's a drunk" "he's cocky" "he's 9ft tall with his badge"
      your fires are fueled by animosity and jealousy ( you'd hate to admit it ) all of those statements are not crimes, they might be reasons for people to not like you ( ehhh em) but their not crimes. Over 5 THOUSAND cases these men have don't in the time of this investigation and the FEDS do not have one ounce of proof, your personal vendetta against these men is not proof, if the Feds thought the money was in family members bank accounts why wouldn't they have checked that out prior to trial, that would have been a slam dunk for them, but they couldn't even find the title to a "sale of a van" they couldn't even find information on a "disability check" which I believe is public knowledge. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP COMMENTING UNTIL SOMEHWERE SOMEONE SHOWS SOME PROOF, I'll tell you what if these men did this ( which I do not think they did) and the FEDS spent a DECADE investigating them...trying to set them up, tapping their phones checking their bank accounts and they came up with NOTHING, then these SIX MEN are the smartest men on earth that they even knew when they were being set up----- they deserve to get away with it. ( that's not the case but if it makes you idiots feel better....) USE YOUR BRIANS, I'd be more nervous if I lived in Philadelphia to know that people as DUMB as you people are patrolling our streets more then I'd be worried about cops robbing drug dealers. OPEN YOUR EYES AND YOUR EARS! GO SIT DOWN THERE ONE DAY ( hurry up because the not guilty verdict is coming soon ) and see for your self.

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    8. I'll tell ya what--- To be fair to everyone's own options whatever they may be for whatever reasons....I'll sit back and wait for tommy to flip on McClusky I'll wait for Boyle to come and set the record straight I'll wait for them to go get Blackburn and Werner ill wait for Walkers book to come out yada yada yada, and you guys wait for the Not Guilty verdict and whos left waiting and who's not. Good day fellas.

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    9. Hey MT you should quit your miserable 9-5 job and apply for a dick sucking internship with Tommy. Show him this love you are always communicating, he's gonna need it!!!

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    10. Maybe if he pays well, since he has all that extra money.

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  6. Officer Sean O'Malley said Tuesday in defense testimony. "Paperwork had to be perfect. Joe is 100 percent straight and by the book." A lot of these cops testifying may be arrested for perjury . Sergeant McCloskey knows the feds are going to come at him . He is a weak link in the chain of corruption . The end is near for McCloskey .

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  7. I know one thing if i was a juror i did not interpret by these comments any of this coming out of McCloskeys mouth. Why are you spinning what he said. I know he had to testify more today let him finish then Judge what he said you cops are pitifull.

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  8. So you say more arrest are coming. If these guys are found not guilty why would more arrest be coming please explain.

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  9. I learned a long time ago you start talking have attorney present guilty or not guilty Supervisor or street punk that.s just common sense especially when dealing with the feds the rules and protocol are all different from local protocol . U spineless SOB should be ashamed of yourselves. Hopefully someday a little sreet justice will come to you bitter few. Karma is a bitch.

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  10. Holy shit, you guys are like old women at the beauty salon. Rumor, gossip, innuendo. I am pretty certain you bitches all take lawyers to IAB when you get interviewed so why wouldnt you take one to 6Th and Market when the Feds want try and jam it up your ass. I know Iknow I know Tony Boyle will talk to the feds without a lawyer.

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  11. The jealousy in the police department is pitiful. Grown men acting like teenage girls. What a shame.

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    1. Its not jealousy its criminal . Police Officers know these bums are crooks . Supervisors turning their back on proper police procedure .Supervorios giving honest cops a hard time , because they did not want to work with weasel tommy.

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    2. Omg ☝️please read your post out loud to yourself! You don't think you sound like a little school girl crying over a scraped knee! Your a police officer and this is real life! It's not always fair! Put your big pants on or get a new career!

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  12. Sergeant Rum Dumb and His outlaw gang . Sergeant Rummy needs to go to AA . He needs help .He is living in the fog of alcoholism . He does not know the truth .His brain is fried . He needs to come clean and admit He is a drunk . That is why low life Tommy took advantage of Illness !!!!!!!!

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    1. I think you hit the nail on the head . He does have a problem . I think the problem is going to get bigger . He needs HELP !!!!!!!!!!

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  13. Why don't all of you UNEMPLOYED and UNEDUCATED people make some good use of your time and go sit in the court room and listen to the facts and evidence presented, you will then see that the verdict will be NOT GUILTY. Don't sell drugs to people kid's and ruin your neighborhoods, then the police would not have a reason to come after you, I have no mercy on a no good drug dealer, get a job, pay taxes and make a good contribution to society instead of sitting here day in and day out bad mouth the department. What happens in the end is out of your hands and out of my hands and who really cares who is drunk at this point. I hope they get found NOT GUILTY and at this point I think that is going to happen, no evidence, just he said this and she said that, is really a joke of a trial.

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    1. hey knucklehead, it's not about the drug dealers or should I say unlicensed pharmacist,it's about police stealing money from the Commonwealth / taxpayers,I was a victim, they are guilty,

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    2. They are accused of stealing money from drug dealers! They are not in the same classification as tax payers! Oh they claim that revenue on what line item on their tax form? And if you were a so called victim you are a drug dealer! So again, too bad! Play with the big boys!

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  14. Read article april 30, 2015 PHILA CITY PAPER:
    THE PRICE OF PERJURY
    The story of one lying cop in Phillys wild west drug war.

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  15. Go get a life boys NOT GUILTY! !!!!!!!!!!!!

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  16. Little tommy will never be free . He is done , The FOP knows ask fat Johnny .

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  17. Wow! Most of you are police officers? Police officers who took an oath! Supposed to be one of the most honorable jobs to be given! You are snitching on fellow officers on social media? Seriously! The jealousy within your department is obvious and sad! Actually pitiful! Long gone are the days where issues are discussed and resolved within!
    You will see a not guilty verdict in this case, as you should. You will see six officers return to the streets and work harder than most of you clowns that push papers of do school beAts! You have given credit to drug dealers who are killing our children and making millions and evading the irs! Nice all over jealousy! Turn in your badges and become a fucking wal mart greeter assholes! I am embarrassed that as a citizen that some of you are patrolling our streets!

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  18. my money is on Hell solidifying over first). In any case, don't do anything until the point that one of the accompanying has happened.https://domoneyout.com/shop/usd-100-bills-high-quality/

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