Quietly, with little fanfare, prosecutors agreed this week to drop two more cases tied to disgraced Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts and his former tactical team on the south side.
The two men, 31 year old William Carter and 50 year old Bruce Powell, both alleged they had been framed by Watts and his crew.
Carter spent four years in prison. Powell was sentenced to two years in prison in 2009.
The Watts tactical team was accused by residents and two undercover officers of shaking down and framing drug dealers for years.
"The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office moved to vacate and dismiss the conviction and sentence in the Carter and Powell cases as part of our Conviction Integrity Unit’s ongoing review of Watts-related matters," a spokesman for State's Attorney Kim Foxx told NBC 5 in a statement Tuesday evening. "We will continue to review these matters on a case-by-case basis and take appropriate action where we have concerns about the quality and sufficiency of the evidence."
Watts and one of the officers on his team were charged federally 5 years ago with stealing money from a man they thought was a drug dealer who was actually working as an undercover informant. Others on their team continue to work in the Chicago Police Department.
At least three other individuals have had cases thrown out as a result of the corruption tied to the officers. Another man, Anthony McDaniels is attempting to have his conviction on gun charges overturned as well. A hearing on his case is set for Wednesday morning.
