6 Chicago Officers Accused of Extortion

Six veteran Chicago police detectives and two former detectives were indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on charges of mail fraud, extortion and racketeering in a scheme to “shake down” motorists involved in hit-and-run car accidents.

U.S. Atty. Dan K. Webb said the detectives took payoffs of up to $300 to dispose of 71 hit-and-run cases involving property damage.

The indictments result from a Police Department investigation that began 16 months ago when a motorist complained that an officer solicited $300 from her to avoid arrest for a minor accident in which she was involved.

The indictments charged the officers with sending letters instructing car owners who were reported to have left the scene of an accident to report to police headquarters. There the officers are said to have told some suspects they could avoid investigations that could lead to loss of their driver’s licenses and heavy fines if they made a payoff to the officers.

One of the former detectives was fired last year after being convicted of similar charges in a state court. Another resigned last year. The other six were suspended by the Police Department pending arraignment and trial.