Behind The Hate-Crook County Cops

The undercover operation began in early 2007 where an undercover agent posed as an employee of the Skybox a Harvey strip club the alleged smoking gun of police corruption where he met two sheriff's officers Ahyetoro "Red" Taylor and Raphael Manuel, who sold drugs to agents later providing security for deals in the parking lot at Target, 17601 South Halsted St., Homewood on Aug. 1, 2007, for a set-up deal at the Holiday Inn at 183rd Street and Harlem Avenue, Tinley Park, on Aug. 22, 2007 and again in a deal for 25 kilos of cocaine at Cracker Barrel restaurant at 18531 North Creek Drive, Tinley Park, Oct. 24, 2007. Manuel reassured undercover agents, the county motto was "They pay us for what we might have to do, not for what we do."

In May, a plane landed at DuPage Airport, where jail guards Taylor and Manuel boarded and allegedly began counting what they thought were 80 kilos of cocaine stashed in four duffel bags. Also caught up in the sting was Harvey officer and Metra conductor Archie Stallworth, who is accused of accompanying an undercover agent to DuPage Airport on Aug. 11 and accepting $1,000 after handling three duffel bags purportedly containing 30 kilos of cocaine. Harvey officer Dwayne Williams is accused of taking $400 to provide muscle during a purported $100,000 poker game staged by FBI agents. Fellow officer Antoine D. Dudley allegedly got $400 in protection money.

According to the common affidavit, the undercover agent paid a total of $44,000 to 16of the defendants, not including an additional $1,000 to Archie Stallworth. The largest shares allegedly were paid to Taylor ($15,000) and Raphael Manuel ($14,500), respectively, for providing security during alleged drug transactions in Metra stations. Of the 17 defendants, 10 are Cook County Sheriff’s correctional officers, four are Harvey police officers and one is a Chicago police officer. They allegedly accepted between $400 and $4,000 each on one or more occasions to serve as lookouts and be ready to intervene if real police or rival drug dealers attempted to interfere with transfers of cocaine and heroin, according to the affidavit.

Among the others charged were:
-Tavis Ramsey, 31, of Chicago;
- Dwayne Williams, 42, of Country Club Hills;
- Antoine D. Dudley, 28, of Harvey, Harvey police officer;
- James Engram, Jr., 41, of Calumet City, Harvey police officer;
- Kyle T. Wilson, 31, of Chicago, Chicago police officer;
- Timothy Funches, 26, of Bellwood, sheriff's officer;
- Diallo Mingo, 34, of Calumet City, sheriff's officer;
- Antwon Funches, 34, of Chicago, sheriff’s officer:
- Antonio B. McCaskill, 30, of Harvey:
- Richard O. Hall Jr., 35, of Chicago, sheriff's officer;
- Robert L. Kelly, 32, of Glenwood, sheriff’s officer:
- Daniel L. Lee, 31, of Chicago, sheriff's officer: and
- Julius L. Scott Jr. , 34, of Richton Park, sheriff’s officer
source myfoxchicago, sun-times, tribune