Pubdate: Sat, 14 Sep 2002
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Copyright: 2002 The Sacramento Bee
Contact:  http://www.sacbee.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States)

LAPD LINKS EX-DEPUTIY CHIEF TO COCAINE RING

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A confidential police department report has found that a 
retired deputy chief for several years helped launder money from his son's 
sprawling cocaine ring, a newspaper reported Friday.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the police department probe found that 
Deputy Chief Maurice Moore, who retired earlier this year, allegedly 
retrieved, delivered, stored and laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars 
in illicit profits. Moore allegedly acted on behalf of his son, who ran the 
drug operation from federal prison, according to the LAPD's internal 
investigation.

Moore, 67, denied any wrongdoing through his attorney.

Investigators based their findings on real estate and escrow documents, 
court bond papers, city financial disclosure forms, statements from FBI 
informants and interviews with people connected with the drug ring, the 
police report said.

Interim Police Chief Martin Pomeroy has requested more analysis before 
deciding whether to uphold six internal department allegations against 
Moore, a police spokesman said.

Some of the allegations in the report, if true, would constitute crimes, 
but the statute of limitations for many of them has passed.

The FBI in December 1999 sent a letter to then-Chief Bernard C. Parks 
telling him about their agents' suspicions that Maurice Moore was involved 
in a major drug ring.

Chief Parks received the report in the midst of the Rampart corruption 
scandal, which was sparked by a rogue police officer who told of 
unjustified shootings, beatings, evidence planting and drug dealing by 
other officers.

Despite the FBI's concerns, Parks allowed the deputy to help direct the 
department's official inquiry into the Rampart scandal.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom