DRUG DEALER'S SENTENCE CUT

He Sparked Probe Of Police Corruption

The Jacksonville drug dealer who kicked off a probe of police corruption
that ended with officers Aric Sinclair and Karl Waldon charged with murder
and other crimes got eight years shaved off his prison term yesterday for
cooperating.

But Abdul Robinson, whose help already got him the low end of a prison
sentence on a drug conviction, angrily told U.S. District Judge Henry Lee
Adams Jr. he deserved less than the 14 years he now must serve without
parole. Robinson, 30, said the investigation would not have gone forward
without his help and added that he put his family at risk by cooperating.

"It's my belief that if I would not [have cooperated] with the government,
the Sheriff's Office individuals would still be out there robbing and
murdering innocent civilians," Robinson said during the court hearing. "I
should be justly rewarded."

Adams, citing Robinson's past as a drug dealer, dismissed his plea for a
lighter sentence. Lead prosecutor Jim Klindt said the investigation would
have gone on without Robinson and he doesn't intend to use him as a
witness. Robinson's attorney, Mitch Stone, accepted the reduced sentence as
the best available opportunity.

Robinson and two other men, Derrick Smith and Dondricka Bates, were
arrested in August 1999 for selling crack cocaine. At the time, Sheriff Nat
Glover called them among the most notorious drug dealers in the city.

All three men began cooperating with police, though Smith eventually
stopped. A week after his arrest, Robinson told investigators that the
group had been paying Sinclair as much as $2,000 a week for information
about pending drug raids, the identity of a confidential informant and
other police activity. Robinson also told investigators about Daryl
Crowden, a drug dealer Robinson said introduced him to Sinclair.

Police eventually used Crowden to make secret tape recordings of Sinclair
they said implicated him in a series of crimes, including a role in the
July 1998 slaying of convenience store owner Sami Safar. Information from
Crowden and others also led investigators to Waldon, who is charged in the
Safar slaying. Two other officers, Jason Pough and Reginald Bones, were
also charged during the investigation.

The officers were arrested in December, and all but Waldon have since
pleaded guilty. Waldon's trial is set for February.

Three weeks after Robinson first began cooperating, Adams sentenced him to
the low end of a 22- to 27-year prison term for selling crack cocaine.
Prosecutors told Adams that Robinson had been helpful in the police probe
but not enough to warrant a special court motion to have his sentence
further reduced.

Klindt told the judge yesterday that Robinson's continued assistance and
the use of Crowden since Robinson went to prison warranted the
post-conviction relief.

Though Robinson said he was being treated unfairly by not getting a lesser
sentence, Adams disagreed.

"While I'm sure the government appreciates his cooperation, I will not let
the fact that he cooperated in a major case overshadow the fact that he's
basically a cocaine dealer and has been for a very long time," Adams said.

Klindt told Adams he won't use Robinson as a witness at trial because he
gave at least one false statement to investigators and could be implicated
in a homicide still under investigation. Robinson's criminal record
includes three murder charges, all of which were never prosecuted.

Klindt told the Times-Union the police probe has gone well beyond
Robinson's initial contact.

"Mr. Robinson's early cooperation jump-started our investigation, but he
has never been the centerpiece and it would have proceeded without his
assistance," Klindt said. "We believe the court's ruling recognizes the
nature and extent of Mr. Robinson's cooperation."

Stone said he was pleased that Klindt agreed to file a motion to reduce
Robinson's sentence.

"Having eight years taken off his sentence isn't something that I can
complain about," Stone said.