COPS SEIZE BAIL MONEY LINKED TO DRUG SALES

In a first for Chicago Police, investigators served a warrant on the
Cook County Circuit Court clerk's office Friday to seize $10,000 that
investigators say was posted to get an alleged drug dealer out of jail.

Law enforcement officials said the seizure warrant, signed by a judge
Friday, is the first time a police department in the county has used
a warrant to confiscate drug money used for bond money.

"To the best of our knowledge, it has not been done, at least on the
state level," said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Anthony
Kyriakopoulos. "I am not aware of any warrant being served on the
clerk of the Circuit Court."

A spokesman for the clerk's office could not confirm that the warrant
had been served.

The seizure warrant grew out of a complex drug conspiracy case that
started in the Wentworth Police District in January after neighbors
complained to the local commander about drug activity.

Before it was over, a ranking gang member was charged with trying to
give a Chicago Police officer $1,000 a week for protection, and his
girlfriend was charged with money laundering -- the first time such
charges have been filed in a Chicago Police street-corner drug
investigation, officials said.

Detectives traced the proceeds Anthony Robinson, 36, was making from
his drug operation at 46th and Evans and uncovered a scheme his
girlfriend, Lenore Henderson, used to try to legitimize their money,
police officials said.

'Just Like The Guy Next Door'

Among the items allegedly seized was a $10,000 bond slip signed by
Henderson. She paid the money to get Robinson out of jail last fall
on a felony weapons charge, officials said.

In an 11-page filing Friday, detectives laid out the alleged
connection between the bond money and the drug business.

"It was hard police work," Kyriakopoulos said. "It was the uncovering
of a bond slip for the main target."

Investigators also said it was notable that they got the
money-laundering charges against Henderson, who allegedly used a
money order scheme to deposit drug money into bank accounts and
support the couple in south suburban Matteson, where they were
raising two kids in a $300,000 home.

"These higher-echelon gang members, they are just like the guy next
door," said Sgt. Ken Boudreau, who heads up the asset forfeiture
unit. "They cut their grass. They shovel their snow. They hang their
Christmas lights. The only difference is they are selling drugs."

The street-corner investigation focused on two corners, including
Robinson's alleged site on Evans and one at 47th and Vincennes.

The investigation took a unique twist when Robinson -- a ranking
member of the Black Disciples who allegedly controlled the Evans spot
but was never seen at the location -- was picked up by police after a
traffic stop. He allegedly had $4,000 on him and was taken to the
Wentworth District for processing, officials said.

'Officer Did Do The Right Thing'

There, he made a quiet offer to one of the officers, telling him he
thought there was a way both could get rich and to call one of his
underlings if he was interested, officials said.

"It doesn't happen all the time," said Sgt. George Karuntzos. "The
main point is the officer did do the right thing."

After talking to his bosses, the cop was told to pretend to go along
with the scheme. Investigators got necessary court orders to tape the
negotiations, which allegedly included Robinson offering the officer
$1,000 a week for protection, giving him a cell phone so they could
stay in touch and telling the officer he would buy drugs the officer seized.

At one point, the cop even tipped Robinson off about a search that
was going to happen near his drug spot as a way to build trust. After
a couple of weeks, the officer offered to sell Robinson two kilos of
cocaine, and during the exchange, which included a diluted substance,
Robinson was arrested.

Frank Limon, chief of the department's Organized Crime Division, said
the case shows the department's commitment to follow the money trail.

"We were able to make a full circle on where the money was
laundered," Limon said. "That's a model of what we are trying to do."