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Is RPD unlawfully targeting and framing black men?

ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION IN WAKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: Is RPD unlawfully targeting and framing black men?

According to the facts listed in the dismissed lawsuit (Washington et al. v. The City of Raleigh, et al, 21-CV-00194 (EDNC) against the City of Raleigh, North Carolina, filed on April 26, 2021:

In the fall of 2018, RPD officers David Chadwick Nance and Omar Abdullah arrested Dennis Leon Williams Jr. on suspicion of selling cocaine. However, during surveillance, Williams sold what was believed to be cocaine to an RPD confidential informant, but it was later discovered to be crushed aspirins. Officers Nance and Abdullah still arrested Williams and charged him with selling fake drugs, giving him the nickname "Aspirin."

After this incident, Nance and Abdullah recruited Williams to work as a confidential informant for RPD's Vice Squad. The department approved Williams as a confidential informant for its Vice Squad on August 16, 2019. However, Williams got in trouble again and was re-arrested. After his release, he resumed his role as a confidential informant for Nance and Abdullah.

Three years later, news broke of corruption within RPD involving:

1. Lieutenant JENNINGS BUNCH

2. Sergeant WILLIAM ROLFE

3. Officer RISHAR PIERRE MONROE

4. Officer JULIEN DAVID RATTELADE

5. Officer MEGHAN CAROLINE GAY

6. Officer DAVID CHADWICK NANCE

7. Officer JASON GWINN

8. OMAR ABDULLAH (Terminated)

9. Confidential Informant Dennis Leon Williams, Jr

Based on the lawsuit details, several black men were arrested, charged, and detained by RPD officers Nance, Abdullah, and six others for over 2.5 years, with bonds up to $500,000 and facing a minimum of 7.5 years in prison if convicted. The officers used fake evidence from Williams and accused the men of trafficking heroin. However, all cases were dismissed due to improprieties, including fabricated evidence identified by the RPD laboratory.

The complaint alleged that Aspirin and the Raleigh Police Department colluded to fabricate heroin charges against the black men in Wake County, North Carolina. According to the complaint, officers Nance, Monroe, Rattelade, and Gay stated that they believed the substance was brown sugar, not heroin, due to the packaging. Field tests conducted by RPD officers on the substance always came back negative, yet RPDstill charged the men with trafficking heroin.

It was reported that RPD officers often delayed submitting the substance for lab testing until weeks or even months after the men's incarcerations. In cases where the substance was eventually tested at the CCBI lab, it tested negative for heroin. RPD continued to employ Williams as a CI.

District Attorney Lorrin Freeman took several months to investigate allegations of wrongful arrests tied to Dennis Leon Williams Jr, also known as "Aspirin," and officers Nance and Abdullah. The complaint alleges that RPD officers "fabricated heroin trafficking charges" against over a dozen black men (14 to date have been released). Officer Monroe reported the scheme to Sergeant Ralph and Lieutenant Bunch, but neither supervisor took action to stop the false arrests and prosecution of the men.

Officers William Rolfe, Rishar Pierre Monroe, Julien David Rattelade, Meghan Caroline Gay, David Chadwick Nance, Jason Gwen, and Lieutenant Jennings Bunch were reportedly aware of the alleged conspiracy, yet failed to intervene and prevent the wrongful arrests and incarcerations of the black men.

In September 2021, the City of Raleigh reached a $2 million settlement with more than a dozen men who were wrongfully arrested and jailed on drug charges. The settlement was a result of false arrests by eight RPD officers, including Abdullah and Nance.

Attorney Abraham Rubert-Schewel, from the law firm Tin Fulton Walker & Owen, has represented 29 black people (23 males and six females) who were affected by the group of officers involved in this case. Fourteen of them were wrongly incarcerated for some period and later released, while fifteen others were temporarily detained, had their homes raided, and held at gunpoint. Schewel confirmed that none of the officers listed in the dismissed lawsuit have had their cases reviewed for fraud and that there are two more pending lawsuits related to this matter.

As a result of what can be called police corruption, RPD terminated officer Abdullah, one of the eight RPD officers listed in the dismissed lawsuit against the City of Raleigh, NC, on October 28, 2021. When asked about the status of the remaining seven, RPD declined to explain, citing a pending appeal. On July 26, 2021, the Wake County Grand Jury indicted Abdullah with felony obstruction of justice.

What charges would officers face if they framed, kidnapped, and falsely charged over 14 individuals with trafficking heroin? Why were none of the eight officers named in the dismissed lawsuit indicted for that? If there was no evidence, why were the black men arrested in the first place? How many other men are still unlawfully detained, and how long has this been going on? Can we trust the word of a known criminal, and what is the informant policy? How are confidential informants vetted and monitored, and what are their qualifications? Is there a protocol for handling informants, and if so, is it the same across the board, and who monitors it? Were protocols skipped in this instance?

When RPD officers cause individuals to be charged and detained for crimes based on false evidence, how are they reprimanded? Did RPD uphold its oath to serve and protect, or did they prey upon, target, frame, charge, and ultimately falsely imprison these men? If that is the case, who is following the paper trail? Is it true that RPD gave Aspirin $10,000 to make drug deals, and if so, how many CIs does RPD employ, and are they all given $10,000 to make drug deals? Where does the money paid to the CIs come from, and how is it distributed? How does RPD account for the money given to him? Where are the drugs Aspirin bought?

Is it true that two of the eight police officers are now working with the Wake County District Attorney in the case against their fellow ex-officer Omar Abdullah? And is it true that there is text message evidence, received during deposition, of RPD officers joking and betting on what fake drug Aspirin would use next? These are important questions that need answers, and we need to hold law enforcement accountable for their actions.

“Place your bets…. what’s he gonna do this time…fake heroin….It’s gonna be fake.”

Does Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman stand by her initial stance that she cannot see criminal intent…. and if so, how does she see it?

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said the following: following:

"What we know so far is that we do have a confidential informant who was providing false information to law enforcement, and law enforcement was relying upon that in making charging decisions,"

-Wake County District Attorney, Lorrin Freeman.

"None of us want to be part of a system where a confidential informant is lying to law enforcement, and we're relying on that to prosecute people,"

-Wake County District Attorney, Lorrin Freeman.

"Certainly, if at some point, we determine that the officer was aware that the confidential informant was providing bad information, then this review will take a different direction."

"At this time, I cannot see criminal intent. I do, however, see where things could have been handled better."

-Wake County District Attorney, Lorrin Freeman.

At the core of this issue is the City of Raleigh, NC, because, after all, the CI, RPD, and DA are agents of the City. The City of Raleigh is responsible for appointing, training, supervising, promoting, and disciplining its employees. How are RPD officers disciplined when they violate the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 14th amendments?

As of August 8, 2022, the National Registry of Exonerations listed 3,200 defendants convicted of crimes in the United States and later exonerated because they were innocent; 53% of them were Black, nearly four times their proportion of the population.

At the heart of this issue is the City of Raleigh, NC, because the CI, RPD, and DA are all agents of the City. The City of Raleigh is responsible for appointing, training, supervising, promoting, and disciplining its employees. How are RPD officers disciplined when they violate the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 14th amendments? This is a crucial question that needs to be addressed.

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, as of August 8, 2022, there were 3,200 defendants in the United States who were convicted of crimes and later exonerated because they were innocent. Shockingly, 53% of them were Black, which is nearly four times their proportion of the population. This statistic highlights the systemic racism and bias that exists in our criminal justice system, and it's vital that we work towards addressing these issues and holding those responsible accountable.

Given the facts surrounding this case, should the remaining seven officers be held responsible for their actions or inaction, just like Abdullah was? But perhaps the more important question is whether all the cases involving these eight RPD officers (and their CIs) should be re-opened and investigated for fraud. We can only imagine the magnitude and impact of the actions of these eight RPD officers and the number of innocent black males who were wrongly imprisoned in Wake County, North Carolina. How many people are still behind bars, knowing they are innocent? The trauma that these individuals and their families must have endured is unimaginable.