FORMER POLICE OFFICER GETS 24 YEARS FOR THEFTS

He Took Drugs, Cash From Dealer

A former Chicago police officer was sentenced to 24 1/2 years in prison Friday for stealing more than 200 pounds of marijuana and cash from a narcotics dealer and trying to hold up other drug dealers on three occasions in 2001.

The sentence imposed on Mario Morales, a patrol officer since 1996 who at the time of the thefts was assigned to the Rogers Park District, was among the stiffest handed down in U.S.  District Court against a law enforcement officer, according to a government filing.

U.S.  District Judge Matthew Kennelly had considered rejecting Morales' plea deal with prosecutors as too lenient until the defense agreed to a stiffer sentence because of the mistreatment of a baby in one incident.

Morales, 35, pleaded guilty in January to racketeering conspiracy and brandishing a firearm in the last of the four incidents, Assistant U.S.  Atty.  Diane MacArthur said.

Morales' lawyer, Kent Carlson, said his client had turned around his life since the crimes, finding religion, marrying and working as a Chicago public school teacher while out on bond on the charge.

At the time of the offenses, Morales was an alcoholic, abused steroids and became addicted to a painkiller because of an injury, Carlson said.

Morales pleaded guilty to stealing 220 pounds of marijuana and more than $10,000 in cash from the home of a Latin Kings gang leader in May 2001.

Two co-defendants, James O'Neill and Gerald Cooper, also pleaded guilty to that theft.

The month after the theft, O'Neill and Morales tried to steal drugs and money from the gang leader's girlfriend, failed to find any and left her handcuffed with her baby on her lap.

Two other co-defendants, Kevin Kane and Ivan Madorin, pleaded guilty to aiding Morales in a kidnapping attempt of another suspected dealer in June 2001.  But the dealer struggled and fled, authorities said.

Morales said he had pulled over the suspected dealer in his car while wearing his badge to make it appear he was conducting police business.  He also brandished his gun in that incident, which automatically added 8 years in prison to his sentence Friday, authorities said.