Willie Lovett Is Accused of Taking Bribes over a Ten Year Period
Former Savannah police chief Willie Lovett has been indicted on federal gambling and extortion charges. Lovett, 67, turned his badge in on September 2013. Lovett’s resignation came after a subordinate officer filed a sexual harassment complaint. His retirement ended a 40 year career, including the last 4 as the Savannah-Chatham County police chief.
The charges against Police Chief Lovett read like something out of a TV crime drama script. According to prosecutors, the local police chief was taking bribes to look away. He did not begin this activity when he became the chief–this had been taking place since 5 years before Lovett became the top man at the department. The mayor denies all charges.
Willie Lovett Pleaded Not Guilty
On Thursday June 5, 2014, Willie Lovett pleaded not guilty at his first appearance before a U.S. District Court. Also on Thursday, a grand jury returned a seven-count indictment against him.
The indictment alleges the police chief extorted money from illegal gambling ring operators. In exchange, the Lovett would protect them from the police. Over a 9-year period between 2004 and 2013, Willie Lovett is thought to have accepted cash payments at least 5 times. Bond was set for Willie Lovett earlier. The bond was $30,000, according to reports in the local Savannah newspaper and news reports.
Dow Bonds, the attorney for Lovett, told WTOC-TV journalists, “We entered a plea of not guilty today, and we plan to prove that in a court of law.”
Charged with Seven Crimes
Due to the alleged five payments, Lovett was charged with 5 counts of extortion. He also was charged with one count of illegal gambling operation and one count of conspiring to obstruct enforcement of state laws. If convicted of all 7 chares and required to serve them back-to-back, Willie Lovett could serve up to 110 years in prison.
Two other men were charged with running the illegal gaming business: Kenny Amos Blount and Randall Wayne Roach. Randall Wayne Roach JR. is charged with participation in a gambling ring. The men are being tried as co-defendants in the case, but it is not know if the other men have hired lawyers or not.
Savannah Mayor Says Department Is Now Improved
Mayor Edna Jackson said that it would be inappropriate to comment on the charges of Savannah’s former police chief at the moment. The mayor did say improvements have been made at the Savannah Police Department since Willy Lovett stepped down.
Mayor Jackson said, “We are now focused on the future of the Department, including the selection of a new chief.”
Police Chief Willie Lovett first came under scrutiny in September 2013, when an officer filed a sexual harassment claim against him. A third-party probe was launched into the department, which returned a 183 page report on its findings.
Other Cases of Wrongdoing
The investigators found Willie Lovett has ordered false documents be made in an investigation of lower-level officers. He also withheld information. When the report came out in December 2013, Savannah’s City Manager, Stephanie Cutter, said she would follow the investigation “where it leads”.
Meanwhile, Chatham County District Attorney Meg Heap asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to study accusations which surfaced in the report of possible criminal violations. Those crimes referenced by District Attorney Heap involved the illegal gambling ring.
The investigation led to the discovery of the bribery case and the gambling ring. Such crimes perpetuate pop culture images of southern justice, which involves looking the other way, due to a traditional respect for authority. Corruption in public office is not confined to the American South, though.
More Gambling-Related Official Corruption
Earlier this year, Nevada official was arrested for a multi-year scheme to have high-priced items shipped to his office, where he would store them for resale. The man made tens of thousands of dollars off-the-books, which he used to pay off gambling debts he had incurred through his problem gambling. This official’s plans were thwarted only when a package arrived at his office days late, when he was on vacation.
Another official at that office began to investigate, and eventually found dozens of such transactions which had never been discovered. A full audit was conducted by state-level auditors, who eventually found the man had embezzled state funds for years. This was but one of many cases involving official corruption. Like the case of Willie Lovett, an official thought he was above the law. Such corruption is perennial, though. Over 400 years ago, it was Shakespeare who wrote of “the law’s delay” mixed with the “insolence of office”.
