Nov 8, 2008 1:52 pm US/Eastern
Ex-NYPD Officer Faces New Robbery Charge
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Jorge Arbaje-Diaz is accused of being part of a group of 13 men who robbed drug traffickers, taking more than 750 kilos of cocaine and $4 million since 2003.
CBS
Federal prosecutors have filed a new robbery charge against a former New York City police officer accused of helping a robbery crew.
Jorge Arbaje-Diaz could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the new charge filed on Friday.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Arbaje-Diaz and six others conspired to rob a suspected drug dealer on Aug. 26. His lawyer did not immediately return a telephone call.
The former officer was charged in Brooklyn federal court last week with participating in a robbery crew that impersonated police and tortured drug dealers. Police say Jorge "Shorty" Arbaje-Diaz, a three-year veteran on the
NYPD, was part of a group of men across six states on the east
coast that netted more than 750 kilograms of cocaine, along
with multiple kilos of heroin and marijuana, and $4 million in drug
proceeds dating back to 2003.
Police say during at least one robbery, Arbaje-Diaz, was present while in uniform and on duty.
The 30-year-old resigned from the force after his Oct. 31 arrest. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Brooklyn. They include robbery and drug dealing and carry a potential 45-year prison sentence.
"The robust investigation and collaboration between multiple law
enforcement agencies foiled a criminal enterprise that used police
impersonation among its weapons and had spread to at least six states,"
Commissioner Ray Kelly said in a statement. "It was disappointing that
a real police officer was among the impersonators, especially when
police officers risk – and too often lose – their lives in combating
violent crime."
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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