Pubdate: Tue, 15 Mar 2005
Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
Copyright: 2005 The Commercial Appeal
Contact:  http://www.commercialappeal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/95
Author: Chris Conley
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States)

ATTORNEY GUILTY IN DRUG PLOT

Crawford Enters Plea To Bribery, Laundering Charges

A well-known Memphis attorney facing charges of bribing a police
officer and laundering profits from drugs swiped from the police
evidence room pleaded guilty Monday.

Scott Crawford made the surprise announcement that he was pleading
guilty to most of the charges minutes before the jury picked to hear
his case was brought into the courtroom.

Crawford, a "special judge" who filled in for absent General
Sessions judges from 1998 through 2004, pleaded guilty to seven counts
of laundering drug money through his law practice, and to an array of
bribery charges.

Crawford will be sentenced May 20.

The laundered money was part of the millions of dollars made from the
sale of drugs looted from the police evidence room by Kenneth
Dansberry, an evidence room employee, and sold by Patrick Maxwell, an
Atlanta drug dealer.

Dansberry told investigators he stole more drugs than he could
remember.

When arrested in September 2003, he had $1 million in his home, some
covered in mold.

The property and evidence room, which for months has been under
federal auditors' scrutiny, is again operating without restrictions,
Memphis Police spokesman Sgt. Vince Higgins said.

"It is a tight ship, with accountability at all levels," he said.

Crawford also pleaded guilty Monday to charges of bribery, obstructing
justice and possessing an illegal handgun.

Three charges of crack cocaine possession, all of which carry
mandatory minimum five-year sentences, will be dropped by the government.

Following a brief hearing, U.S. Dist. Judge Bernice Donald sealed some
of the documents outlining Crawford's admissions.

Crawford was charged in February 2004 after being taped by a Memphis
police officer posing as a crooked cop.

On the tapes, Crawford agreed to pay Lt. Jeff Clark to fix gun cases
involving the heads of two Memphis street gangs.

Crawford also was recorded discussing plans to set up another gang
leader by planting a handgun with an obscured serial number and a
small amount of crack cocaine.

When Crawford was arrested Feb. 29, Clark remarked, "now you know I'm
not a dirty cop; you're just a dirty lawyer." Crawford later that day
detailed his wrongdoings to Memphis Police Lt. Dennis Benjamin and DEA
special agent Brian Chambers.

Friday, Donald denied Crawford's request to keep those confessions
from being used against him.
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