He planted drugs how many times?
Former Philadelphia police officer Jeffrey Walker was once hailed as one of "Philadelphia's finest"—participating in well-publicized drug raids. That is, until he was busted by the
FBI:
Fifteen years later, an FBI case revealed a different Jeffrey Walker, then a member of the Narcotics Field Unit. Busted in a sting in May 2013 - the FBI caught him stealing money from a drug dealer - Walker pleaded guilty and began cooperating with federal investigators.
Walker, who is in federal custody awaiting sentencing for his February 2014 guilty plea in federal court, faces a maximum of life behind bars.
In the meantime, he is expected to be a star witness this week in the federal trial against six Philadelphia narcotics officers arrested with his help: Thomas Liciardello, Perry Betts, John Speiser, Michael Spicer, Linwood Norman - Walker's longtime partner on the narcotics unit - and Brian Reynolds, Walker's old "Robin."
Walker took the stand today and stunned the courtroom
with his testimony:
A disgraced ex-police officer testifying against his drug squad colleagues acknowledged Tuesday that he stole drug money, planted evidence and lied on police paperwork too many times to count.
Jeffrey Walker told jurors that the Philadelphia Police Department drug squad targeted white “college-boy, … khaki-pants types” who were “easy to intimidate.”
Walker is trying to avoid a life sentence and a jury must now decide whether he's a credible enough witness to convict the other officers. In the meantime, his confessions have
already had a lot of ripples:
So far, a total of 39 federal suits have been filed against Walker and the city. And 165 convictions have been dismissed.
