Federal and International, State Crime Reports

Former Melrose Park Police Detective Sentenced to 11 Years


Department of Justice, Melrose Park Police Detective
Source: justice.gov

Pleaded Guilty To Dealing Drugs Stolen from Police Evidence Room

Chicago, IL-(ENEWSPF)- A former Melrose Park Police Detective has been sentenced to eleven years in federal prison for dealing narcotics stolen from the police evidence room.

In the spring of 2014, GREGORY SALVI obtained a kilogram of cocaine that the Melrose Park Police Department had stored in the evidence room after seizing it during an investigation. He then sold the cocaine to an individual for cash. Later in 2014 and early 2015, Salvi sold additional grams of heroin and cocaine that he had removed from the evidence room.

Salvi, 44, of Melrose Park, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of attempted possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, and one count of carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve on Wednesday sentenced Salvi to 72 months in prison on the drug charge and 60 months in prison for the firearm charge, to be served consecutively.

The sentence was announced by Joel R. Levin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“There is no question that defendant’s actions were a disgrace to his police department and a significant breach of the public trust,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick M. Otlewski and Nicole Kim argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Salvi not only breached the trust that his local police department gave him when he swore to uphold and protect the law, but he also breached the community’s trust in him as an officer and in his local police community.”

The gun charge stemmed from an incident in April 2015, when Salvi, carrying a loaded handgun and driving a law enforcement vehicle, went to a storage facility in Hanover Park to obtain approximately five kilograms of cocaine. Salvi intended to transport the cocaine to two individuals in exchange for cash. Unbeknownst to Salvi, the individuals were cooperating with law enforcement.

Related: Melrose Park Police Department Detective Arrested For Possession With Intent To Distribute Cocaine And Illegal Firearm Possession


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