Paul O’Brien
United States Attorney
Courtney D. Trombly
Hal B. McDonough
Assistant U.S. Attorneys
(615)736-5151
METRO NASHVILLE POLICE OFFICER CONVICTED ON COCAINE AND ROBBERY CHARGES
Nashville, TN - September 26, 2007 - United States Attorney Paul M. O’Brien announced today that Ernest B. Cecil, a former police officer with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD), has been convicted of federal drug and robbery charges by a federal jury in Nashville, Tennessee. After a four day trial, the defendant was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846; one count of aiding and abetting the possession with the intent to distribute over 500 kilograms of cocaine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a); one count of robbery in violation of the Hobbs Act, Title 18 United States Code, Section 1951; and one count of brandishing a firearm during a drug robbery in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c).
During a trial that spanned four days, the evidence showed that Officer Cecil assisted and provided protection for his nephew Corey Cecil’s drug distribution activities from approximately April 1, 2003 to September 27, 2005. Specifically, then-Officer Cecil warned his nephew about MNPD investigations; arranged for the dismissal of traffic citations issued to Corey Cecil; advised Corey Cecil to change his cellular telephone number because his nephew’s name had been mentioned in connection with MNPD investigations, and, above all, participated in a drug robbery on April 30, 2003.
Witness testimony and evidence established that, on April 30, 2003, Officer Cecil assisted Corey Cecil with a robbery of 3.5 kilograms of cocaine. Corey Cecil and Officer Cecil planned to steal cocaine from one of Corey Cecil’s cocaine suppliers by making it appear as if a legitimate law enforcement drug bust had taken place. To make the drug bust look more authentic, Officer Cecil recruited a second MNPD officer, Officer Charles R. Williams. The supplier handed the cocaine over to Corey Cecil, who pretended to need to drive to another location to retrieve the purchase money. As Corey Cecil and his supplier drove down the street in separate vehicles, the two officers used their flashing police lights and sirens to pull the cocaine source’s vehicle over right in front of a playground filled with children attending a church daycare center in South Nashville, TN. The officers drew their service weapons and pointed them at the supplier, ordered him to lie prone on the ground, and placed him in handcuffs. This interference enabled Corey Cecil to speed away in his own vehicle with the 3.5 kilograms of cocaine, while at the same time providing him with an alibi for his inability to pay his suppliers: Corey Cecil later told his suppliers that he, too, had been chased by the police, and that when he ditched his car to flee on foot, the MNPD had seized his car and the cocaine. Because he didn’t have to pay any overhead to his suppliers, Corey Cecil later distributed the cocaine for a 100% profit of over $70,000 and paid Officer Cecil $10,000 in cash for his assistance in the robbery.
In conjunction with this testimony regarding the payment for the drug robbery, the government introduced bank records from two checking accounts associated with the defendant. Those records showed that just a few days after the April 30, 2003 robbery, three cash deposits totaling $6,000 went into the accounts on May 5, 2003 and May 6, 2003. A special agent for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) testified regarding his financial analysis of the Cecil bank accounts, which showed that from 2002 through 2004, those three deposits were the only such sizeable cash infusions into the Cecil accounts.
The jury found the defendant guilty of the first count of conviction, conspiracy to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine, a lesser included offense to the original charge of conspiracy to distribute over 5 kilograms of cocaine. That first count is punishable by a term of imprisonment of 5 years to life, and a fine of up to $2,000,000; the second count of conviction, possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine, is punishable by a term of imprisonment of 5 to 40 years and a fine of up to $2,000,000; the third count of robbery is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000; the fourth count of the indictment is punishable by a term of imprisonment of 7 years to life, which term would run consecutively with any other term of imprisonment. In sum, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years in prison.
In January, 2007, in a separate trial, Charles R. Williams III, the other former MNPD officer at the scene of the crime, was convicted of misprision of a felony for his involvement in the April, 2003 robbery. Mr. Williams faces up to 3 years in prison. The sentencing hearing for Mr. Williams will be held on October 15, 2007 at 9:00 a.m..
These charges were brought following a coordinated investigation conducted by members of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the IRS.
Mr. O’Brien commented that, “Any abuse of the power and trust we place in police officers is unacceptable. We will investigate and prosecute any such abuses thoroughly and completely to ensure that the public confidence in the hard work of our loyal and trustworthy law enforcement community is not undermined by the criminal acts of a few. The convictions of both of these officers sends a message that this type of rogue, criminal behavior will not stand here in the Middle District of Tennessee, and is a testament to the integrity of law enforcement officers who police their own ranks. That these two officers used their badges to play an active role in the distribution of cocaine on the streets of our city is reprehensible.”
The sentencing hearing for Mr. Cecil will be held on January 4, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. The Hon. Aleta Trauger presided over this case and all of the related cases.
Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney D. Trombly and Hal McDonough prosecuted the case for the United States.