Scandal Archives - Crime Museum

Law Enforcement is Not Above the Law

Susan Frese — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:34:49 +0000

An indictment that was unsealed on Tuesday, July 13, 2010, has charged four members of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) with federal civil rights violations, specifically deprivation of rights under color of law and use of a weapon during the commission of a crime. Clearly, law enforcement is not above the law.

Just days after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, two men were found dead on the Danziger Bridge in New Orleans, and another four were found wounded. According to recent statements from responding officers at the scene, the civilians were found wounded and bloody. There were no weapons present. However, at the time of the shootings, it is said that the involved officers fabricated witness statements, falsified reports, and event planted a gun at the scene.

In December 2006, seven NOPD officers were charged with either murder or attempted murder for the Danziger Bridge crimes. However, these charges were thrown out in August 2008 by a state judge. A month later, a new mayor stepped in and invited the Justice Department to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the police department. When asked about the investigation, Attorney General Eric Holder stated, “Put simply, we will not tolerate wrongdoing by those who are sworn to protect the public.”

Since the onset of the Justice Department investigation, five former NOPD officers have pled guilty to helping cover up the shootings on the bridge. They are currently awaiting sentencing. However, their statements have the potential to lay grounds for more serious charges against those actually accused of the shootings and engineering the cover-up. If those charged for the shootings are convicted, they could face the death penalty.

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Non-Discriminatory Mugging

Susan Frese — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:00:17 +0000

In New York City, it seems that there is slim pickings of mugging victims, or so ex-convict Jermaine Washington seemed to think. Washington was in Riverside Park, NY looking for someone to mug when he decided to pull his fake gun on two police officers who happened to be walking by. The two officers pulled their real guns and quickly took Washington into custody, and from there Washington no doubt went straight to prison.

The National Museum of Crime and Punishment wants to say congratulations to America’s Most Wanted for nabbing genuinely hard to catch criminals for 1000 episodes!

Read about a man who pretended to be a police officer

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Shopping for an Arrest

Susan Frese — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:03:43 +0000

When Fannie Henson of Virginia found a man’s lost wallet she must have thought it was her lucky day. She took one of the man’s credit cards and ran up almost $400 in charges from a gas station and a grocery store combined. Her undoing? Ms. Henson was a smart shopper and she was sure to scan her personal discount card before paying for her groceries with a stranger’s credit card. She was soon linked to the stolen card and was arrested for credit card theft, a felony.

Read about another criminal who made a silly mistake

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You Have a Drinking Problem When…

Susan Frese — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:56:42 +0000

One not so smart criminal got a thirst for some liquor during his hold up of a convenience store. A Colorado Springs man walked into a corner store with a shotgun and demanded all of the money from the register. The clerk complied. As the robber was about to leave he spotted a bottle of scotch and demanded the clerk add it to the bag of money, the clerk refused on the grounds that he did not have proof that the robber was of drinking age. The two argued back and forth until the robber gave in and showed the clerk his license, the clerk, after seeing the robber was of age, gave him the scotch and the robber took off. Needless to say he was apprehended soon after he left the store after the clerk called the police and gave them the name and address he had gotten off of the robber’s license.

Read about another senseless crime here

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In a Jam

Susan Frese — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:51:44 +0000

Nineteen year old Adam Cooper decided to make some extra money on the side when he got hired to clean the vents of a grocery store. Cooper, after an honest day’s work cleaning, snuck back into the vent system at night with the hopes of robbing the store. Unfortunately for Cooper the vents seemed smaller at night and he ended up stuck, unable to move, in the vent system of the store. After about an hour of being wedged in the vents he decided he could not free himself and started yelling for help. Once police arrived on the scene they had to grab a bottle of vegetable oil from a shelf and douse him with it in order to wiggle Cooper loose. Although it’s unclear whether Cooper had to pay for the bottle of vegetable oil he did have to pay his $10,000 bail for burglary and criminal mischief.

Read about another senseless crime here

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