Crooked cop ordered hit: witness

[Pedro56]

Officer told me to 'light up' agents' home with gunfire, ex-drug dealer says

February 4, 2007
BY STEVE WARMBIR Staff Reporter

One of the most corrupt Chicago cops in history directed a drug dealer in the early 1990s to spray gunfire at the suburban home of a federal agent who was raising red flags about the officer's corruption, according to federal court testimony Friday.

The crooked cop, Joseph Miedzianowski, told Jose Rivera, then a drug dealer, to "light up" the house of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Diane Klipfel and kill everyone inside, Rivera said in chilling testimony.

Rivera, who admitted to being a onetime gang member but said he no longer dealt drugs, never carried out Miedzianowski's request even though the cop gave him an AK-47 for the job, according to court testimony.

Rivera was a snitch for both Miedzianowski and Klipfel. Rivera recognized it was Klipfel's house Miedzianowski was pointing out to him during a visit, even though the cop didn't tell him who lived there.

Klipfel and her husband, ATF agent Michael Casali, contend in a lawsuit that their careers were ruined by Miedzianowski and the Chicago Police Department after they reported corrupt activity by Miedzianowski. They said the Police Department turned its internal investigation focus on them.

The two agents were making their reports on the crooked cop years before he was charged in the late 1990s with running a drug ring. Miedzianowski later was sentenced to life in prison.

Rivera testified Friday before a jury that Miedzianowski prompted him to lie about Klipfel before Chicago Police internal affairs interviewers.

The brutality of Rivera's testimony was leavened at times by one difficulty he had.

He's an extremely fast talker who mumbles at times, and lawyers in the case had trouble understanding him.

It took Rivera three tries, for instance, to get across the rather minor point that he was eating a cheeseburger with jalapenos while having a meal with Miedzianowski.

swarmbir@suntimes.com

[Pedro56]

'Light it up'
Cop told me to shoot up ATF agents' house, ex-drug dealer testifies

February 3, 2007
BY STEVE WARMBIR Staff Reporter

One of the most corrupt Chicago cops in history directed a drug dealer in the early 1990s to spray gunfire at the suburban home of a federal agent who was raising red flags about the officer's corruption, according to federal court testimony Friday.

The crooked cop, Joseph Miedzianowski, told Jose Rivera, then a drug dealer, to "light up" the house of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Diane Klipfel and kill everyone inside, Rivera said in chilling testimony.

Rivera, who admitted to being a onetime gang member but said he no longer dealt drugs, never carried out Miedzianowski's request even though the cop gave him an AK-47 for the job, according to court testimony.

Rivera was a snitch for both Miedzianowski and Klipfel. Rivera was able to recognize that it was Klipfel's house that Miedzianowski was pointing out to him during a visit, even though the corrupt cop didn't tell him who lived there.

Cop got life in prison

Klipfel and her husband, ATF agent Michael Casali, contend in a lawsuit that their careers were ruined by Miedzianowski and the Chicago Police Department after they reported corrupt activity by Miedzianowski. After reporting the corruption, the couple found the Police Department turned its internal investigation focus on them.

The two agents were making their reports on the crooked cop years before he was charged in the late 1990s with running a drug ring. Miedzianowski was later sentenced to life in prison.

Rivera testified Friday before a jury that Miedzianowski prompted him to lie about Klipfel before the Chicago Police's internal affairs interviewers -- and that Miedzianowski was allowed to sit next to him during the interview.

The brutality of Rivera's testimony was leavened at times by one difficulty Rivera had.

He's an extremely fast talker who mumbles at times, and lawyers in the case had trouble understanding him.

It took him three attempts, for instance, to get across the rather minor point that he was eating a cheeseburger with jalapenos while having a meal with Miedzianowski.

At another point in his testimony, Miedzianowski's attorney, Gerald Zansitis, asked Rivera where he put one of the ammunition clips Miedzianowski gave him for the AK-47.

"In my trunk," Rivera motormouthed.

"You're ... not sure?" Zansitis asked, apparently not catching what he said.

"In my trunk," Rivera said, slowing down just enough to be clear.

swarmbir@suntimes.com