Post by LadyBlue on Sept 27, 2007 15:46:08 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Chicago cop charged with murder-for-hire[/glow]
A Chicago Police officer facing charges of running a robbery crew with fellow cops is now charged in federal court with trying to arrange the murder of a former officer who was prepared to testify against him, prosecutors said.
Jerome Finnigan, 44, was arrested today and charged with using a telephone to commit murder-for-hire.
Jerome Finnigan, 44, was arrested today and charged with using a telephone to commit murder-for-hire.
Finnigan originally discussed the plot in July with another Chicago Police officer who is a co-defendant in the corruption case the Cook County state’s attorney’s office brought against them and other members of the elite Special Operations Section.
Finnigan originally discussed the plot in July with another Chicago Police officer who is a co-defendant in the corruption case the Cook County state’s attorney’s office brought against them and other members of the elite Special Operations Section.
Finnigan allegedly talked about hiring street gang members to kill the officer for $5,000 in what he described as a “paint job.”
Last Friday, Finnigan told the co-defendant he found someone to kill the officer and needed a photo for the hitman to identify his target, the FBI said.
On Sunday, Finnigan told the co-defendant that he was considering killing a second officer he also thought was cooperating with authorities, prosecutors said. He allegedly spoke of having them “taken care of.”
He also wrote down on a piece of paper the names of two other officers he correctly speculated were cooperating with authorities against him, prosecutors said.
[glow=red,2,300]Feds Say Cop Planned Murder Of Fellow Officer
[/glow]
CHICAGO -- A suspended Chicago Police officer assigned to the elite Special Operations Section was arrested Wednesday on federal charges for allegedly planning the murder-for-hire of a fellow officer.
Jerome Finnigan is charged in a criminal complaint with using a phone with intent to commit murder-for-hire of a former Chicago Police officer who is a potential witness against him in an ongoing federal investigation and pending state criminal prosecution, according to a release from the FBI.
Finnigan, 44, who was suspended in 2006, was arrested early Wednesday outside his home on the Southwest Side by FBI agents. Special Agent In Charge Robert Grant said Finnigan cooperated fully when he was placed under arrest. FBI and IRS agents then began executing a search warrant at Finnigan's home.
Finnigan appeared Wednesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole in U.S. District Court, where he pleaded not guilty, according to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald
Cole ordered Finnigan held until a detention hearing Monday morning.
Finnigan, who was shackled at the ankles, declined to talk to reporters as marshals led him away.
"The complaint charges that in the face of serious pending state charges and a federal investigation that could result in additional charges, the defendant solicited the murder of a fellow police officer who he believed would be a witness against him. The gravity of this conduct speaks for itself," Fitzgerald said in the release.
Finnigan's Southwest Side neighbors expressed support, NBC5's Natalie Martinez reported.
"There's good and bad," said Rose Stopka. "The officers that are in my block -- I know of them -- they're great -- they're straight."
"I worked for the Chicago Police Department for 29 years," said another neighbor, Kathy Schickel. "I can probably count on one hand how many police officers that I felt or knew were not right."
According to the complaint affidavit, Finnigan first discussed the subject of commissioning the murder of an unnamed former fellow officer in July 2007 with another unnamed officer, who subsequently began cooperating with law enforcement. Finnigan and the officer discussed hiring street gang members who would commit the murder for $5,000, using the term "paint job" as a code to refer to the murder. Finnigan also asked the second officer for money to pay for the murder, the complaint alleges.
On Sept. 18, while the second officer was with federal agents, Finnigan arranged a meeting at his home and said he was looking for a different hitman who would be more professional and less risky than the gang members, according to the affidavit. He also allegedly asked for help in finding a killer.
On Sept. 21, during a recorded conversation in a car, the officer told Finnigan he had found a killer and needed a photo of the intended target. Finnigan supplied a photo and also agreed to retrieve the potential target's address and provide it, along with a description of the targert's car, to the person who would be paid to do the killing, the affidavit states. Finnigan later agreed to pay half of the fee, according to the affidavit.
On Sept. 23, Finnigan allegedly asked the officer to return the photo and expressed his concern about being surveilled by federal agents. Finnigan allegedly discussed getting another person "taken care of," and wrote the initials of two other officers he believed were cooperating against him, the affidavit states. Finnigan allegedly said he might as well take care of all the witnesses.
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Fitzgerald said authorities take this case very seriously.
"When a person seeks to hire someone to kill a witness against them who's a police officer, it doesn't get anymore serious than that," Fitzgerald said.
Cook County State's Attorney Dick Devine said the case strikes at the heart of the justice system.
"If we can't have a process where witnesses can come forward and testify without fear, we're all damaged. And especially when the individual changed with interfering ... is a police officer, we are all determined to make sure that everything is done appropriately under the law to handle that," Devine said.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine.
www.nbc5.com/news/14210505/detail.html
A Chicago Police officer facing charges of running a robbery crew with fellow cops is now charged in federal court with trying to arrange the murder of a former officer who was prepared to testify against him, prosecutors said.
Jerome Finnigan, 44, was arrested today and charged with using a telephone to commit murder-for-hire.
Jerome Finnigan, 44, was arrested today and charged with using a telephone to commit murder-for-hire.
Finnigan originally discussed the plot in July with another Chicago Police officer who is a co-defendant in the corruption case the Cook County state’s attorney’s office brought against them and other members of the elite Special Operations Section.
Finnigan originally discussed the plot in July with another Chicago Police officer who is a co-defendant in the corruption case the Cook County state’s attorney’s office brought against them and other members of the elite Special Operations Section.
Finnigan allegedly talked about hiring street gang members to kill the officer for $5,000 in what he described as a “paint job.”
Last Friday, Finnigan told the co-defendant he found someone to kill the officer and needed a photo for the hitman to identify his target, the FBI said.
On Sunday, Finnigan told the co-defendant that he was considering killing a second officer he also thought was cooperating with authorities, prosecutors said. He allegedly spoke of having them “taken care of.”
He also wrote down on a piece of paper the names of two other officers he correctly speculated were cooperating with authorities against him, prosecutors said.
[glow=red,2,300]Feds Say Cop Planned Murder Of Fellow Officer
[/glow]
CHICAGO -- A suspended Chicago Police officer assigned to the elite Special Operations Section was arrested Wednesday on federal charges for allegedly planning the murder-for-hire of a fellow officer.
Jerome Finnigan is charged in a criminal complaint with using a phone with intent to commit murder-for-hire of a former Chicago Police officer who is a potential witness against him in an ongoing federal investigation and pending state criminal prosecution, according to a release from the FBI.
Finnigan, 44, who was suspended in 2006, was arrested early Wednesday outside his home on the Southwest Side by FBI agents. Special Agent In Charge Robert Grant said Finnigan cooperated fully when he was placed under arrest. FBI and IRS agents then began executing a search warrant at Finnigan's home.
Finnigan appeared Wednesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole in U.S. District Court, where he pleaded not guilty, according to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald
Cole ordered Finnigan held until a detention hearing Monday morning.
Finnigan, who was shackled at the ankles, declined to talk to reporters as marshals led him away.
"The complaint charges that in the face of serious pending state charges and a federal investigation that could result in additional charges, the defendant solicited the murder of a fellow police officer who he believed would be a witness against him. The gravity of this conduct speaks for itself," Fitzgerald said in the release.
Finnigan's Southwest Side neighbors expressed support, NBC5's Natalie Martinez reported.
"There's good and bad," said Rose Stopka. "The officers that are in my block -- I know of them -- they're great -- they're straight."
"I worked for the Chicago Police Department for 29 years," said another neighbor, Kathy Schickel. "I can probably count on one hand how many police officers that I felt or knew were not right."
According to the complaint affidavit, Finnigan first discussed the subject of commissioning the murder of an unnamed former fellow officer in July 2007 with another unnamed officer, who subsequently began cooperating with law enforcement. Finnigan and the officer discussed hiring street gang members who would commit the murder for $5,000, using the term "paint job" as a code to refer to the murder. Finnigan also asked the second officer for money to pay for the murder, the complaint alleges.
On Sept. 18, while the second officer was with federal agents, Finnigan arranged a meeting at his home and said he was looking for a different hitman who would be more professional and less risky than the gang members, according to the affidavit. He also allegedly asked for help in finding a killer.
On Sept. 21, during a recorded conversation in a car, the officer told Finnigan he had found a killer and needed a photo of the intended target. Finnigan supplied a photo and also agreed to retrieve the potential target's address and provide it, along with a description of the targert's car, to the person who would be paid to do the killing, the affidavit states. Finnigan later agreed to pay half of the fee, according to the affidavit.
On Sept. 23, Finnigan allegedly asked the officer to return the photo and expressed his concern about being surveilled by federal agents. Finnigan allegedly discussed getting another person "taken care of," and wrote the initials of two other officers he believed were cooperating against him, the affidavit states. Finnigan allegedly said he might as well take care of all the witnesses.
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Fitzgerald said authorities take this case very seriously.
"When a person seeks to hire someone to kill a witness against them who's a police officer, it doesn't get anymore serious than that," Fitzgerald said.
Cook County State's Attorney Dick Devine said the case strikes at the heart of the justice system.
"If we can't have a process where witnesses can come forward and testify without fear, we're all damaged. And especially when the individual changed with interfering ... is a police officer, we are all determined to make sure that everything is done appropriately under the law to handle that," Devine said.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine.
www.nbc5.com/news/14210505/detail.html