Chicago-(ENEWSPF)- A
Chicago Cop was charged January 28 with attempting to extort a cash
bribe to steer business to a tow truck owner and also with selling three
firearms to the same towing operator, who is also a convicted felon. The
defendant, Ali Haleem, was charged as part of Operation Tow Scam, a federal
investigation of past bribery and extortion involving cops and towing operators
in several Chicago Police districts.
Haleem is the 11th Chicago Cop to be charged in the
corruption probe since 2008. So far, seven officers and three civilians,
including two tow truck drivers, have been convicted. Charges are pending
against three other officers who were charged last fall.
Haleem, 45, of Chicago, a cop from 1994 to 2012, was
assigned to the 8th District, also known as Chicago Lawn. He was assigned to
desk duty after being confronted by law enforcement authorities in 2008 until
he resigned last September. He was charged with one count of attempted
extortion and two counts of selling firearms to a convicted felon in a criminal
information that was filed today. No date has been set yet for his arraignment
in U.S. District Court.
The charges were announced by Gary S. Shapiro, United States
Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Cory B. Nelson, Special Agent
in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and
Garry McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
According to the charges, between March 13 and 20, 2008,
Haleem attempted to extort Individual A, who owned a towing business, and who
unbeknownst to Haleem was cooperating with law enforcement at the time.
On December 11, 2007, Haleem allegedly sold a .32 caliber
semi-automatic pistol and a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol to Individual A,
knowing that Individual A was a convicted felon. On March 13, 2008, Haleem
allegedly sold a 9mm semi-automatic pistol to Individual A, knowing that
Individual A was a convicted felon. The indictment seeks forfeiture of the
three firearms.
The government is being represented by Assistant U.S.
Attorney Michael Donovan.
Attempted extortion carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in
prison, while each count of delivering a firearm to a convicted felon carries a
maximum of 10 years in prison, and all three counts carry a $250,000 maximum
fine. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal
statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that the charges are not evidence of
guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at
which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Chicago
cop was federal ‘mole’ in corruption cases
An informant helped authorities bust a Chicago Cop in a
tow-truck scandal in 2008, federal prosecutors said Monday.
But instead of facing charges right away, Officer Ali Haleem
stayed on the police department and became a snitch himself, court records
show.
Haleem was a key informant for authorities before they
brought bribery cases against nine people, including political workers for
state Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago), according to records and sources.
On Monday, it was Haleem’s turn.
The U.S. attorney’s office charged Haleem with attempted
extortion and selling firearms to a convicted felon.
He’s accused of trying to extort a bribe from a tow-truck
owner in exchange for steering towing business to the owner in 2008.
And between 2007 and 2008, he allegedly sold three handguns
to the tow-truck owner, who was prohibited from possessing firearms because
he’s a convicted felon.
Prosecutors said the tow-truck owner cooperated with the
government in their case against Haleem.
Haleem, 45, is the 11th Chicago Cop charged in Operation Tow
Scam, a federal probe of bribery and extortion involving cops and towing
operators in Chicago. Seven cops have been convicted.
Haleem, the self-proclaimed “Mayor of 63rd Street,” became
an officer in 1994. He was lauded for helping build trust between the Southwest
Side’s Arab community and the police department.
Haleem, who worked in the Chicago Lawn District, also
offered his expertise to the FBI’s anti-terrorism efforts after 9/11, the
Sun-Times reported at the time.
But, after he was confronted about the tow-truck probe in
2008, Haleem wore a wire to produce evidence that prosecutors used last year to
charge nine corruption defendants — including Hendon’s former campaign
treasurer, according to records and sources. Seven of those defendants are
accused of giving illegal kickbacks for government grants.
In a separate case, two men are accused of taking bribes to
fix property-tax appeals cases while they worked for Cook County Board of
Review Commissioner Larry Rogers Jr. Hendon and Rogers haven’t been charged
with any wrongdoing.
The Chicago Sun-Times revealed Haleem’s role as an informant
in August. He resigned from the police department the following month, records
show.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison on the
gun charge and 20 years on the attempted extortion charge. But a stiff prison term
is unlikely because he cooperated with the government as an informant.