A former Atlanta police officer pleaded guilty Thursday to extortion charges that were uncovered in the ongoing federal investigation of the fatal shooting of an elderly woman during a botched drug raid in 2006.
Daniel Betts, who resigned from the force shortly before his plea, admitted accepting payoffs in exchange for extra patrols. Betts and other officers would give business owners their phone numbers so if there was trouble, the owners could call the officers directly, not 911.
"He was receiving money from a business in a high-crime area for doing nothing other than what he was supposed to do as a police officer," U.S. Attorney David Nahmias said after the plea. "Instead of calling 911, you could call your private 911."
Moreover, the officers, by giving increased patrols to some businesses, pushed crime to businesses that were not giving payoffs, Nahmias said.
Betts, 26, worked as an Atlanta police officer nearly five years. He got involved in the illegal payoff scheme after a former narcotics officer, Gregg Junnier, pleaded guilty last year for his role in the killing of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston.
After his plea, Junnier admitted to his role in the extortion scheme and apparently fingered Betts. Junnier, as part of his plea agreement, is cooperating with federal and local authorities. Betts' cooperation with federal investigators will be considered when he is sentenced April 4.
On Thursday, Betts told U.S. District Court Judge Julie Carnes he initially didn't see anything wrong in collecting payments from an unidentified apartment complex.
"I do now," he added.
After the hearing, Betts' attorney, William McKenney, said Junnier "is dragging everyone into this."
McKenney called the extortion charges against Betts unprecedented and said the police department usually handles such matters administratively.
Betts did not know the payments were illegal because he was working off-duty one day a week for those businesses, McKenney said.
The FBI learned last June that Junnier was collecting $400 to $700 a week from a business owner who would phone for him instead of calling 911, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Erskine said. When confronted with that information, Junnier told authorities about the other businesses he received payoffs from.
After Junnier was suspended in the days following the Johnston shooting, another officer began collecting money from the owner of an apartment complex, Erskine said at Thursday's plea hearing.
The extra patrols stopped, however, so the business owner was not getting anything for the extra money, the prosecutor said. In July 2007, the business owner, whose identity has not been disclosed, allowed authorities to secretly tape-record officers collecting the payoffs.
On several occasions, Betts came to collect money, authorities said.
McKenney said Betts picked up about $120 a week and shared it with another officer.
Nahmias wouldn't named that officer but said, "He knows who he is. We know who he is. We'll see what happens."
Gregory Jones, special agent in charge of the Atlanta FBI office, said there was no evidence such extortion schemes were systemic in the Atlanta Police Department, but Betts's actions "taints their shield."
The ongoing FBI probe began after plainclothes Atlanta drug officers broke down the door to Johnston's house and shot her in her living room.
Two officers, Junnier and Jason R. Smith, have pleaded guilty to state voluntary manslaughter charges and one federal charge. A third officer, Arthur Tesler, goes on trial on lesser charges in April.
AJC: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/01/24/payoff_0125.html
