The 13th person to be sentenced in one of the metro area’s biggest police corruption cases was not just a simple barber. But he also was one of the key people in recruiting law enforcement officers willing to don their uniforms, badges and guns to provide protection for drug gangs, prosecutors said.
Jerry Mannery was sentenced Wednesday to four years in federal prison. He could have been sentenced to as much as 14 years in if he had gone to trial and been convicted but the plea deal with prosecutors set his punishment between two and five years.
Two days earlier, nine former law enforcement officers and three civilians also were sentenced to from one to nine years for their roles in protecting the same drug operations.
In total 15 were arrested and the cases against 13 have been resolved with guilty pleas and prison sentences. The cases against two defendants are pending — former Forest Park police Sgt. Andrew Moore and Natasha Henderson, Mannery’s step-daughter.
“We’ve encountered dirty cops for as long as I can remember but this is the first time we’ve had dirty cops from so many law enforcement agencies in this city,” U.S. Attorney Sally Yates said after Mannerly was sentenced.
The former officers had worked on the police forces for Atlanta, Stone Mountain, Forest Park, DeKalb County and MARTA or had been jailers in DeKalb County. Federal Protective Services contract officer Sharon Peters of Lithonia was among those sentenced Monday, getting three years in prison for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Federal authorities learned about the corruption when an informant boasted to the the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that police officers were protecting drug operations. The federal investigation involved an informant identified only as “Baby Boy” and eventually some of the defendants secretly recording discussions of protection with the people who were later indicted.
Federal authorities made arrests when some officers said they would be willing to shoot and kill to protect the drug dealers who were paying them.
“If the deal was going bad, there would be a signal and they would be prepared to shoot the buyer if necessary,” Yates said.
Mannery’s role was recruiting law enforcement officers who came to the Atlanta barber shop where he worked
“Mr. Mannery was the recruiter,” said assistant U.S.Attorney Kim Dammers. “Mr. Mannery inserted himself as the coordinator, the negotiator. Mr. Mannery determined pricing. Mr. Mannery was clearly in charge.”
Prosecutors said Mannery coordinated protection for the sales of 41 kilos of purported cocaine. Prosecutors said Mannery collected $55,000 to provide protection for 10 sales but only gave the officers $14,000.
His lawyer said Mannery would not have gotten involved in the crime had he not been recruited himself. Once federal agencies began investigating cops willing to provide protection — while in uniform and sometimes using their patrol cars — they would stage drug deals, using something that looked like cocaine.
“It’s a shame the government finds the need to go out and create crime and persuade non-criminals to be criminals,” said Steve Sadow, Mannery’s attorney.
“This was not creating crime,” Yates responded. “If you’re a law enforcement officer, you should not be responding (when you hear) that a drug dealer is looking for protection.”
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