Officer distributed steroids, official says, By: Maria Cramer and Suzanne Smalley
Police probe also eyes possible use
July 24, 2006
The fourth Boston police officer implicated in a police corruption case allegedly distributed steroids and is under investigation for possible steroid use, a law enforcement official who has knowledge of the matter said yesterday.
Edgardo Rodriguez , 36, was placed on administrative duty and had his gun confiscated after the investigation that resulted in the arrest of three officers last week, the official said.
Rodriguez had been on the same motorcycle unit as two of the officers. It was unclear if Rodriguez is accused of selling steroids or merely giving them away.
Police learned of his alleged involvement with steroids through a federal and departmental investigation of Officers Roberto Pulido, 41, and Nelson Carrasquillo , 35, both of the motorcycle unit, and Officer Carlos A. Pizarro , 36, who was on injured leave.
Pulido, Carrasquillo, and Pizarro were arrested Thursday in Miami on charges of protecting truckloads of cocaine in Boston, stealing the identities of drivers, and helping guard a back-room bordello in Hyde Park.
Pulido, the purported ringleader, regularly distributed steroids in the Boston area, according to an FBI affidavit.
Rodriguez, an 11-year Boston police officer who joined the Mobile Operations Patrol last year, could not be reached for comment at his home in Hyde Park.
Thomas Drechsler , a Boston police union lawyer, said that a letter has been sent to Rodriguez notifying him of his transfer to the district station in East Boston.
Drechsler said the letter, which the lawyer said was read to him by an individual he declined to identify, did not explain why Rodriguez was being transferred. ``I have been given no further information from the department about the reasons why," Drechsler said. ``I'd like to know the reason why, so I can determine what sort of representation is necessary."
Drechsler said the letter did not state Rodriguez was being disciplined. ``No charges either administrative or otherwise have been brought against this officer," he said.
The distribution of steroids, even when there is no exchange of money or goods, is illegal, according to criminal lawyers. But police may wait to arrest a suspect until they believe they have enough evidence to secure a criminal conviction, said David Frank , a former Suffolk County prosecutor and writer for Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly .
``The fact that they've [transferred Rodriguez] does not mean they have enough evidence to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt," Frank said. ``There are plenty of cases where investigators believe `yes, we have probable cause, but we don't have enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt and for that reason we're going to hold off on making an arrest.' "
Pulido, Carrasquillo, and Pizarro had flown to Miami allegedly believing they would meet with drug dealers who were supposed to pay them for guarding cocaine trucked from Western Massachusetts to a Jamaica Plain garage.
Instead, they were arrested by undercover FBI agents posing as drug dealers.
In cellphone conversations recorded by investigators during the 2 1/2-year probe, Pulido unknowingly gave ``extensive information" about the illegal conduct of other Boston officers, public officials, and private citizens, FBI Special Agent Michael J. Kreizenbeck wrote in an affidavit filed in the US District Court in Boston.
Asked whether other officers would be implicated in the investigation, police officials refused to comment.
Acting Police Commissioner Albert E. Goslin released a statement yesterday recognizing the officers who worked with the FBI in the investigation. ``I firmly believe the vast majority of the officers in this department do their jobs faithfully and with integrity," the statement said.
At his home in Hyde Park, Rodriguez often holds Saturday-night barbecues and small get-togethers attended by fellow officers, said Scott Wahlen , who has lived across from Rodriguez on Hallron Street since 2001.
Rodriguez, who owns a Harley-Davidson, said he loved his job, Wahlen said.
``He is a good guy," Wahlen said, `` . . . a typical cop, you know, nothing out of the ordinary."
The arrests of Pulido, Carrasquillo, and Pizarro have hurt morale at the Boston Police Department and shaken the trust of the public at a time when shootings in the city are up and the number of homicides is climbing.
``My grandma told me, `Oh! The Boston Police Department is in big trouble,' " Wahlen said. ``I thought to myself, `Oh, man, I hope it isn't someone I know.' "
