BOSTON POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED IN EXTORTION AND DRUG CONSPIRACY CASE

BOSTON, MA - A twenty year veteran of the Boston Police Department was arrested by federal agents late yesterday, in connection with his attempt to extort $265,000 from a man on behalf of Colombian drug dealers.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan, Warren Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Edward Davis, Commissioner of the Boston Police Department, announced today that JOSE ANTONIO ORTIZ, 44, of 41 Endicott Street, Salem, Massachusetts, was charged in a federal complaint with attempted extortion in violation of 18 U.S.C.§1951 and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C.§846.

“Jose Ortiz used his uniform and badge in an attempt to extort thousands of dollars on behalf of drug dealers,” said United States Attorney Sullivan. “His actions are an insult to the dedicated men and women of the Boston Police Department and all law enforcement professionals,” continued Sullivan. “I commend Commissioner Davis, the Boston Police Anti-Corruption Unit and the FBI for their effort to detect and investigate officers engaged in illegal activities,” concluded Sullivan.

The Complaint alleges that in late August 2006, ORTIZ threatened the life of a man whom ORTIZ believed to be responsible for a drug deal which had gone bad. ORTIZ told the man that he worked with two drug dealers and a number of Colombians who had lost money on a narcotics transaction and he was there to collect the debt. ORTIZ told the man that he knew everything about him and his family, and showed the man a photograph he had of him. ORTIZ also threatened to harm an associate of the man if he failed to pay the drug debt owed. In a subsequent recorded conversation, ORTIZ told the man that he owed $265,000.

Over a period of several months, the man paid ORTIZ $6,000 in cash. Video recordings of the meetings – made by the FBI – reveal ORTIZ stuffing wads of cash in the pockets of his police uniform. Ultimately, the man, at the direction of law enforcement, offered to pay off his alleged debt with 3 kilograms of cocaine and $5,000. In a subsequent recorded meeting, ORTIZ demanded more; ORTIZ insisted on 4 kilograms of cocaine and a total of $10,000.

Yesterday evening, a team of FBI agents arrested ORTIZ at a parking lot in Revere, where Ortiz was scheduled to rendezvous with the man and two of the drug dealers. Ortiz appeared at the meeting armed and in his Boston Police Department uniform. Before his arrest, Ortiz was shown the four kilograms of cocaine, and took possession of the keys to the car in which the cocaine and $4,000 in cash was concealed.

ORTIZ was held overnight in custody. An initial appearance is scheduled for 11:30 this morning before Magistrate Judge Timothy S. Hillman.

If convicted, ORTIZ faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on the extortion charge. On the drug charge ORTIZ faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 40 years imprisonment, and a $2 million fine. ORTIZ also faces a period of supervised release between four years and life.

The case was investigated by the Boston Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in conjunction with the Boston Police Department Anti-Corruption Unit. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. McNeil in Sullivan’s Public Corruption and Special Prosecutions Unit.

The details contained in the Complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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