PHILADELPHIA - December 3, 2013
(WPVI) -- A 23-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police force was found guilty
Monday of interfering with a federal drug investigation.
52-year-old Rafael Cordero of
Philadelphia was convicted by a federal jury for passing along sensitive
information about a drug investigation to his half-brother, David Garcia, who
is an alleged member of the Christian Serrano/Edwin Medina Drug Trafficking
Organizations.
Prosecutors say Cordero tipped
Garcia off to a surveillance camera installed by the DEA to monitor drug
related activities at a garage, located at 538 East Indiana Street in
Philadelphia.
In addition, when the FBI and DEA
executed search warrants at several locations, including the garage, Cordero
showed up at the locations without having any official reason to be there -
allegedly informed of the raids by his half-brother. Authorities found him
looking in the windows of the garage, and when asked what he was doing, Cordero
allegedly lied about his reasons for being there, and even offered to assist in
the search.
Cordero then called Garcia
immediately after leaving the garage to share with him details about the
search. In a subsequent phone call Cordero allegedly told Garcia, "When
you get home take my picture down."
Garcia also removed a recording that
law enforcement missed during the search which captured footage of Cordero at
the garage at the time of the search. Prosecutors say Cordero never informed
law enforcement of the video tape's existence.
In addition, prosecutors say that
between January and July of 2011, David Garcia was permitted to store money at
Cordero's home, which Cordero apparently knew were the proceeds of illegal drug
sales. After DEA agents arrested David Garcia on July 27, 2011, Cordero
allegedly had his brother, E.C., take the money, thereby obstructing justice.
Cordero faces a maximum possible
sentence of 20 years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.