Louisville Metro Police Chief Fires Cop Who Tipped Off Jack Conway's Brother, Mathew, Of His Drug Sale/Use Investigation. Come on. FBI!
LMPD detective fired for lying about tipping prosecutor in drug case
By R. G. Dunlop
A Louisville Metro Police narcotics detective has been fired for lying to investigators when he denied tipping off a Jefferson County prosecutor that he was under investigation for possible drug use and trafficking.
In a letter dated Monday, Police Chief Robert White fired Detective Ronald Russ, saying he'd violated the department's policies on truthfulness and keeping police business confidential.
White said Russ brought discredit to the department when he disclosed to Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Matthew Conway that he was being investigated by the police narcotics unit, a case on which Russ was assisting. No charges were filed against Conway in connection with the drug investigation.
Shortly after alerting Conway to the investigation, Russ admitted to investigators that he had lied initially, which led to the truthfulness violation. The case was investigated by the department's professional standards unit, which determines whether police polices were violated.
Russ' attorney, David Leightty, said Tuesday that he had instructed Russ not to discuss White's action. But Leightty said Russ intends to appeal to the Louisville Metro Police Merit Board.
White also issued a written reprimand to Detective Chauncey Carthan, who made public statements about the investigation of Conway, the brother of state Attorney General Jack Conway. Carthan's statements also violated the department's confidentiality policy, according to a department letter issued Nov. 30 to Carthan.
White wouldn't comment Tuesday on Russ' firing and Carthan's reprimand because action against a third officer is still pending.
In a March 10 interview Russ repeatedly asserting he had not informed Conway of the police inquiry involving him, then told investigators the truth about 30 minutes later — that in January, during a chance encounter with Matt Conway in the Jefferson County Hall of Justice, Russ had confided that Conway was suspected of illegal drug activity.
Russ said he told Conway: “ ‘Matt, whatever you're doing, you need to quit, 'cuz if you don't, you're gonna get caught.' And I said, ‘if you ain't doing nothing, you don't have nothing to worry about.' And I walked on … that was it,” according to a transcript of his statement to investigators, obtained by The Courier-Journal in an open-records request.
Russ, who has been a police officer since 1997, told the investigators he decided to tell the truth because he “couldn't let my conscience keep beating me up. I just couldn't do it.”
Investigators in the department's Public Integrity Unit knew or strongly suspected during their initial interview with Russ that he was lying to them and pleaded with him to tell the truth, according to the transcript.
“I'm not telling you to change your story, but I'm telling you that if there is another story, you have to trust me … that we're trying to lead you in the right direction,” Sgt. Rick Polin told Russ.Russ' personnel file reflects numerous citations as well as a two-day suspension in September 2008 for his role in a traffic accident; a written reprimand in connection with a 2004 traffic accident; and counseling for a violation last year related to court attendance.
Punishment meted differently
Although Matt Conway also lied to police investigators, and was under oath when he did so, he was not punished by Commonwealth's Attorney David Stengel.
Stengel said in October that Conway had made a “well-intended but boneheaded statement” in lying to protect Russ. Stengel also said he found no evidence that Conway was a drug user or trafficker, and that his decision not to punish him was based in part on the fact that Conway had “immediately” corrected the record about being tipped off.
However, the records show that Conway waited four days before acknowledging to police that he had lied — after learning from Josh Carr, another police detective and a longtime friend, that Carr had told investigators, the day after Conway lied to them, that Conway had confided to him about receiving information from Russ.
After his conversation with Carr, Conway told investigators, he decided to return and tell them the truth.
Asked again Tuesday about Conway, Stengel said his office has “reviewed the facts and circumstances surrounding this matter and have dealt with … Conway in what we feel is an appropriate and responsible manner.”
Stengel wouldn't elaborate, except to say that Conway remains in his job. Conway did not respond to a telephone message left at his office.
David Harris, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh who writes and teaches about law enforcement, said it is “no less serious” for a prosecutor to lie to investigators than for a police officer to do so and “no less harmful to the prosecutor's integrity and the integrity of the prosecutor's office.”
More discipline possible
Police administrative charges are pending against Detective Scott Wilson, who allegedly leaked information to Conway about a 2008 drug investigation involving him, and who initially answered evasively when police investigators asked him about it earlier this year. That investigation also resulted in no charges against Conway.
When he learned of the first investigation in early 2008, Conway had recently resigned from the Jefferson County attorney's office to enter private practice. He was hired by Stengel as an assistant commonwealth's attorney last year.
Related
Carthan was not involved in the leaks but was reprimanded by White Tuesday for publicly discussing the second investigation in a restaurant last March. Carthan, who had been pursuing that inquiry, told investigators that he saw no harm in talking about it because Russ' leak had already compromised the investigation.
Carthan's conversation in the downtown restaurant early in March was overheard by a political supporter of Jack Conway, who at the time was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. After the supporter called Jack Conway to tell him what he had heard, the Conway brothers subsequently conferred with Louisville attorney Bart Adams.
Adams then met with White to discuss Carthan's conduct, according to police department records obtained by The Courier-Journal.
Jack Conway's office told the newspaper in October that he did not attempt to influence the investigation of his brother, and that his only involvement in the matter was to advise Matt Conway to obtain legal counsel.
Jack Conway lost this year's Senate race to Republican Rand Paul and announced recently that he intends to seek a second term as attorney general next year.
Reporter R.G. Dunlop can be reached at (502) 582-4227. Reporter Jessie Halladay contributed to this story.
Editor's comment: My question is: when will the FBI and the U. S. Justice Dept. step in and investigate this SORDID matter?
By R. G. Dunlop
A Louisville Metro Police narcotics detective has been fired for lying to investigators when he denied tipping off a Jefferson County prosecutor that he was under investigation for possible drug use and trafficking.
In a letter dated Monday, Police Chief Robert White fired Detective Ronald Russ, saying he'd violated the department's policies on truthfulness and keeping police business confidential.
White said Russ brought discredit to the department when he disclosed to Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Matthew Conway that he was being investigated by the police narcotics unit, a case on which Russ was assisting. No charges were filed against Conway in connection with the drug investigation.
Shortly after alerting Conway to the investigation, Russ admitted to investigators that he had lied initially, which led to the truthfulness violation. The case was investigated by the department's professional standards unit, which determines whether police polices were violated.
Russ' attorney, David Leightty, said Tuesday that he had instructed Russ not to discuss White's action. But Leightty said Russ intends to appeal to the Louisville Metro Police Merit Board.
White also issued a written reprimand to Detective Chauncey Carthan, who made public statements about the investigation of Conway, the brother of state Attorney General Jack Conway. Carthan's statements also violated the department's confidentiality policy, according to a department letter issued Nov. 30 to Carthan.
White wouldn't comment Tuesday on Russ' firing and Carthan's reprimand because action against a third officer is still pending.
In a March 10 interview Russ repeatedly asserting he had not informed Conway of the police inquiry involving him, then told investigators the truth about 30 minutes later — that in January, during a chance encounter with Matt Conway in the Jefferson County Hall of Justice, Russ had confided that Conway was suspected of illegal drug activity.
Russ said he told Conway: “ ‘Matt, whatever you're doing, you need to quit, 'cuz if you don't, you're gonna get caught.' And I said, ‘if you ain't doing nothing, you don't have nothing to worry about.' And I walked on … that was it,” according to a transcript of his statement to investigators, obtained by The Courier-Journal in an open-records request.
Russ, who has been a police officer since 1997, told the investigators he decided to tell the truth because he “couldn't let my conscience keep beating me up. I just couldn't do it.”
Investigators in the department's Public Integrity Unit knew or strongly suspected during their initial interview with Russ that he was lying to them and pleaded with him to tell the truth, according to the transcript.
“I'm not telling you to change your story, but I'm telling you that if there is another story, you have to trust me … that we're trying to lead you in the right direction,” Sgt. Rick Polin told Russ.Russ' personnel file reflects numerous citations as well as a two-day suspension in September 2008 for his role in a traffic accident; a written reprimand in connection with a 2004 traffic accident; and counseling for a violation last year related to court attendance.
Punishment meted differently
Although Matt Conway also lied to police investigators, and was under oath when he did so, he was not punished by Commonwealth's Attorney David Stengel.
Stengel said in October that Conway had made a “well-intended but boneheaded statement” in lying to protect Russ. Stengel also said he found no evidence that Conway was a drug user or trafficker, and that his decision not to punish him was based in part on the fact that Conway had “immediately” corrected the record about being tipped off.
However, the records show that Conway waited four days before acknowledging to police that he had lied — after learning from Josh Carr, another police detective and a longtime friend, that Carr had told investigators, the day after Conway lied to them, that Conway had confided to him about receiving information from Russ.
After his conversation with Carr, Conway told investigators, he decided to return and tell them the truth.
Asked again Tuesday about Conway, Stengel said his office has “reviewed the facts and circumstances surrounding this matter and have dealt with … Conway in what we feel is an appropriate and responsible manner.”
Stengel wouldn't elaborate, except to say that Conway remains in his job. Conway did not respond to a telephone message left at his office.
David Harris, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh who writes and teaches about law enforcement, said it is “no less serious” for a prosecutor to lie to investigators than for a police officer to do so and “no less harmful to the prosecutor's integrity and the integrity of the prosecutor's office.”
More discipline possible
Police administrative charges are pending against Detective Scott Wilson, who allegedly leaked information to Conway about a 2008 drug investigation involving him, and who initially answered evasively when police investigators asked him about it earlier this year. That investigation also resulted in no charges against Conway.
When he learned of the first investigation in early 2008, Conway had recently resigned from the Jefferson County attorney's office to enter private practice. He was hired by Stengel as an assistant commonwealth's attorney last year.
Related
Carthan was not involved in the leaks but was reprimanded by White Tuesday for publicly discussing the second investigation in a restaurant last March. Carthan, who had been pursuing that inquiry, told investigators that he saw no harm in talking about it because Russ' leak had already compromised the investigation.
Carthan's conversation in the downtown restaurant early in March was overheard by a political supporter of Jack Conway, who at the time was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. After the supporter called Jack Conway to tell him what he had heard, the Conway brothers subsequently conferred with Louisville attorney Bart Adams.
Adams then met with White to discuss Carthan's conduct, according to police department records obtained by The Courier-Journal.
Jack Conway's office told the newspaper in October that he did not attempt to influence the investigation of his brother, and that his only involvement in the matter was to advise Matt Conway to obtain legal counsel.
Jack Conway lost this year's Senate race to Republican Rand Paul and announced recently that he intends to seek a second term as attorney general next year.
Reporter R.G. Dunlop can be reached at (502) 582-4227. Reporter Jessie Halladay contributed to this story.
Editor's comment: My question is: when will the FBI and the U. S. Justice Dept. step in and investigate this SORDID matter?
Labels: Crime, Keeping them honest, Kentucky politics, Punishment
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 10:10 AM
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