cannabisnews.com: D.C. Officer Allegedly Leaked Information





D.C. Officer Allegedly Leaked Information
Posted by FoM on March 07, 2000 at 04:19:09 PT
By Ruben Castaneda, Washington Post Staff Writer
Source: Washington Post
D.C. police officer Andrew James McGill Jr., who is charged with being part of a major drug gang that sold heroin, cocaine and marijuana for most of the past decade, provided "confidential law-enforcement information" to a member of the gang, according to court records filed in connection with recent guilty pleas in the case and a related case.
Three other men charged with participating in the drug ring that allegedly included McGill, 29, have pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt to drug conspiracy and money laundering. The three also have agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors against the remaining defendants, according to court records."Using confidential law-enforcement information provided by co-defendant Andrew James McGill Jr., defendant Jeffrey Ewing warned other members of the conspiracy of pending law-enforcement activity at and in the vicinity of 37 Forrester St. SW," according to a statement of facts Ewing signed in connection with his Feb. 25 plea. He pleaded guilty to distributing marijuana.Federal prosecutors allege that the drug gang used the house at 37 Forrester St. SW as its headquarters. For much of the 1990s, until he was transferred in 1997, McGill worked as a patrol officer and sometimes in plain clothes in the 7th Police District, which includes Forrester Street.In exchange for the information McGill allegedly provided, Ewing gave the officer "things of value," according to the statement of facts. The statement did not detail what information McGill allegedly gave the drug gang, nor did it describe what Ewing, also known as "Fat Cat," allegedly gave the officer.McGill, who has been suspended without pay from the police department since his Jan. 6 arrest, has pleaded not guilty. His attorney, William C. Brennan, declined to comment yesterday.The documents filed in connection with Ewing's guilty plea provided more information than had been previously disclosed about McGill's alleged role in the drug ring. The indictment charging McGill and nine others with being part of the drug gang and other court records filed in connection with the case do not contain details of McGill's alleged role.In court papers seeking dismissal of the charges against McGill, Brennan said prosecutors have given him "absolutely no incriminating evidence demonstrating that McGill was involved in the conspiracy charged in this case."However, in a motion to suppress evidence, Brennan wrote that law-enforcement officials questioned McGill after his arrest and "obtained incriminating statements from him." The motion, which did not detail what statements McGill made, is pending.In addition to Ewing, two other men charged in the drug conspiracy have pleaded guilty in the past two weeks. Denard "Den Den" Hartwell, a cousin of alleged ringleader Erskine "Pee Wee" Hartwell, pleaded guilty to one count of being part of a drug conspiracy, and Dominic Dorsey pleaded guilty to money laundering, according to court records.With those pleas, six of the 12 alleged members of the drug gang who have been publicly identified have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors against the remaining defendants, including McGill.A seventh defendant, former Clinton auto dealer Bassem Najjar, was found guilty by a federal jury last year of running a stolen car operation that prosecutors allege helped launder money and provide cars for the drug ring.Brennan's motion to have McGill's case separated from the other alleged conspirators was granted. McGill, who originally was to stand trial March 28, is now scheduled to go to trial May 2. By Ruben CastanedaWashington Post Staff WriterTuesday, March 7, 2000; Page B02 © Copyright 2000 The Washington Post CompanyRelated Articles:D.C. Officer's Ties to Gang Outlinedhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4253.shtmlProbe Links Officer to Drug Ringhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4225.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: