Don't let these defendants push us back to the day when police officers could beat people with impunity, and arrest people for no reason and lie about it to cover it up. |
The breadth of the charges reflects the serious and widespread nature of the problem. The indictment not only targets the brokers who exploit the investing public but also the dishonest company insiders who secretly profit from the illegal schemes, the money launderers who conceal the illicit gains and the organized crime members and associates who protect and promote the illegal enterprise. |
The verdicts today should send the message that within the police department there is no greater betrayal of the badge and of the brotherhood than to ensnare another officer in a web of lies and deceit. |
This is not a script for the Sopranos. This is the real thing. They make their money the old-fashioned way -- by lying, by cheating and by stealing. |