Chicago Cops Charged in Thefts From Drug Suspects

Former Chicago Police Officer Jerome Finnigan and another member of the now-disbanded Special Operations Section were charged Thursday in federal court with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from drug suspects while two other cops were accused of lying in court.

All four are expected to plead guilty, prosecutors said. Finnigan, 48, was previously charged in 2007 with plotting to kill a fellow officer he believed was cooperating with investigators. He's been in a federal lockup since. Seven other members of the elite unit have pleaded guilty to state charges of wrongdoing.

Lawyers who have sued Finnigan have been frustrated their cases were put on hold as they waited for the feds to complete their criminal investigation.

"Why did it take four years to come out with the same charges that were in state court?" said attorney Louis Meyer, whose firm has four pending lawsuits involving Finnigan.

Also charged Thursday was former Officer Keith Herrera, 33, who wore a wire that captured Finnigan's alleged murder-for-hire scheme. He and Finnigan are charged with civil-rights conspiracy and filing a false tax return, both felonies.

Officer Eric Olsen, 37, who's been on desk duty, and former Officer Stephen DelBosque, 35, were charged with misdemeanor counts of providing false testimony about drug busts.

Finnigan, the alleged ringleader, is accused of reaping $200,000 in five separate ripoffs in 2004 and 2005. Herrera's cut was $40,000, authorities said. Olsen and DelBosque were not charged with theft.

In one incident, Finnigan, Herrera and others illegally searched a home in the 2000 block of North Keeler on Aug. 15, 2005, prosecutors said. They allegedly ransacked an upstairs apartment of a drug suspect, stealing $86,000 but turning in narcotics they found.

The officers also allegedly broke into a downstairs apartment of a family unrelated to the drug suspect and handcuffed 13-year-old Jose Fematt, who was baby-sitting his sister. A female cop drove the boy around the neighborhood in a squad car, asking about his upstairs neighbor and drugs, according to a lawsuit filed last month.

"My client's never been arrested," said Fematt's lawyer, Torri Hamilton. "It's a really backward world where in neighborhoods like this the drug dealers may be nicer to you than police officers who are breaking down the doors, putting handcuffs on you, driving you around and threatening you."

Herrera faces at least 14 years in prison under sentencing guidelines, but his attorney Robert Kuzas said he expects his client will receive less prison time because of his cooperation with the feds.

"He was one of the youngest officers in SOS," Kuzas said. "He got led astray. He is remorseful and he actually put his life on the line for this investigation."

Finnigan's attorney declined comment.