Former Melrose Park Cop is Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison
Drug trafficking is a not a rare offense in Chicago, but it’s unusual for police officers to be involved in the drug trade. However, in a recent case, a decorated former police officer was convicted of selling drugs stolen from the evidence room.
A report in the Sun Times noted Gregory Salvi, once a decorated Melrose Park police officer, sold drugs he stole from the evidence room.
The indictment said he offered to illegally carry narcotics in his patrol car and wore his badge as he accepted what he believed was 5 kilograms of cocaine.
A federal prosecutor alleged in a hearing in July that Salvi offered to sell cocaine to a child. No further details were given in court. A memo from the prosecution suggested he bragged about making $4,800 by selling six ounces of cocaine to a kid.
The Sun Times reported U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve viewed details of that sale as the most disturbing of Salvi’s numerous betrayals of the public trust.
The former cop was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the judge. Salvi told the court he lost his way. He apologized to the judge.
Salvi pleaded guilty this spring to trying to sell 500 or more grams of cocaine as well as carrying a Glock .45 caliber handgun at the time of the transaction. The federal authorities accused him of seeking to make money ahead of retirement in 2015.
The Sun Times detailed the scheme that began in the spring of 2014. The Melrose Park police seized a kilogram of cocaine stated Salvi’s 21-page plea agreement. The officer got his hands on it and later sold it for cash.
In November of the same year, Salvi sold more than two grams of heroin that he stole from the evidence room in Melrose Park. He also sold baking soda that appeared to be cocaine to federal informants for $500.
The next month, he sold another four grams of cocaine and 1.3 grams of heroin to the informants for $300.
In early 2015, Salvi offered to move cocaine for the same informants. He also said he would use a vehicle with law enforcement plates to move drugs for $2,000.
In April 2015, Salvi showed up in a police car at a storage locker facility in Hanover Park. He accepted five packages he believed were five kilograms of cocaine. He took them into his vehicle. He was then arrested. The FBI investigators said he was wearing his police badge at the time of his arrest. He planned to deliver the drugs to a condo in the South Loop.
Federal crimes typically carry higher sentences, we explain in our blog. The federal authorities take drug crimes extremely seriously, particularly when they involve someone in a position of responsibility. If you have been charged with a crime of this nature, please call Abdallah Law at (312) 229-0008.