By Ann W. O’neil, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Miami -- A federal jury Thursday morning found three police officers guilty of conspiracy in a gun planting scheme.
The officers -- Lt. Israel “Izzy” Gonzalez, 45, Sgt. Jose “Pepe” Quintero, 40, and Officer Jorge “Termite” Garcia, 41 -- were accused of lying about guns planted to justify questionable police shootings. They were members of elite plainclothes details put on the street in response to a rash of tourist robberies during the 1990s.
Garcia was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making a false statement while Gonzalez, a rising star in the department, was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and perjury. Each faces up to 10 years in prison. The third cop, Quintero, was convicted of a single count of conspiracy and faces up to five years in prison.
Sentencing is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Alan S. Gold on July 2.
All three officers were accused of conspiring to cover up a Nov. 7, 1995, shooting of two “smash and grab” robbery suspects by lying about guns planted near the suspects’ bodies. The charges were filed in connection with a larger overall conspiracy under which Miami police officers seized guns from citizens and planted them at scenes of officer-involved shootings.
Jurors deadlocked at another trial nearly a year ago covering three police shootings between 1995 and 1997. The retrial focused on the bloodiest incident, in which 37 bullets rained down on two fleeing robbers from the Interstate 395 overpass at North Miami Avenue.
The 19-year-old robbery suspects, Antonio Young and Derrick Wiltshire, were unarmed. They were shot in the back.
The deliberations were contentious. On the fifth day, a Thursday, the judge dismissed two jurors. He let another juror go the following Monday. Two alternate jurors were seated and deliberations began anew on Tuesday.
The first jury deadlocked last April on the three being retried, acquitted four officers, convicted three and hung on the 11th officer, who faces a separate retrial.