City of Brotherly Love (?) as Philly narcotic cops busted by Feds for alleged shakedown, beatings and kidnappings of suspected perps.
Federal prosecutors set out to change that Wednesday, laying out a sprawling racketeering case against six of the unit's former members, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Federal prosecutors charged the alleged bad cops ran wild – ignoring Miranda rights, reportedly victimizing their targets, holding them incommunicado and beating them — supremely confident that no one dare squeal.
A 26-count indictment says that after years of suspected malfeasance, Officers Thomas Liciardello, Brian Reynolds, Michael Spicer, Perry Betts, Linwood Norman, and John Speiser may possibly be the dirtiest cops in Philadelphia’s long history.
Between February 2006 and November 2012, the indictment says, they stole more than $500,000 in cash, drugs, and personal property – while using extreme force, and falsifying police reports.
Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey described the allegations as "one of the worst cases of corruption I have ever heard."
"Words just don't describe the degree to which their acts have brought discredit," he said.
The alleged bad cops were collared by federal agents during a predawn raid.
Their arrests throw dozens of their case files possibly out the window, reopening civil rights lawsuits from suspects that they arrested.
The District Attorney's Office is now seeking the dismissal of hundreds of cases tied to the six indicted officers.
Lawyers for the six officers denied the allegations against their clients at an initial appearance in federal court. All of the accused entered not-guilty pleas to multiple charges including racketeering, civil rights violations, robbery, and extortion.
"That many of the victims were drug dealers, not Boy Scouts, is irrelevant,” FBI special agent Edward Hanko said.
"This corrupt group chose to make their own rules. Now they will have to answer for it.”
