Six Philadelphia police
officers were arrested Wednesday in a predawn roundup and charged with robbing,
kidnapping, and extorting drug suspects over a nearly seven-year period.
The officers all were veterans
of a narcotics squad that came under the scrutiny of a joint FBI-Police
Department Internal Affairs investigation.
The officers charged in a
federal indictment are Thomas Liciardello, 38; Perry Betts, 46; Brian Reynolds,
43; Michael Spicer, 46; John Speiser, 42; and Linwood Norman, 46.
The indictment alleges the
officers falsified records, held people without arrest, stole drugs and shared
in the proceeds.
Federal officials said they
stole more than $500,000 from February 2006 to November 2012, including Rolex
watches, electronics and a Calvin Klein suit.
According to a 42-page
indictment, some of the officers allegedly took part in a game involving
beating drug suspects for points. Others held one suspect from a balcony
30-feet above the ground and knocked out his teeth.
Prosecutors said the officers
routinely filed false police reports to cover up their criminal behavior.
