I-Team: Feds: Gwinnett Sheriff's Hellcat violates Drug Money Rules
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- By: Randy Travis
Aired: Jul 16 2018
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - It looks like Gwinnett County taxpayers are on the hook for an expensive muscle car bought primarily to get the sheriff back and forth to work.
Longtime Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway has always preferred Dodge Chargers as his official use vehicle, but never a Charger like this one.
The 2018 Dodge Charger Hellcat has a 707 horsepower, supercharged six point two-liter engine, with a top speed of 200 miles per hour. It's considered the fastest sedan ever built. And the feds aren't happy.
In a letter sent to the Sheriff Conway last week, the US Department of Justice pointed out seized drug money cannot be used for “extravagant expenditures” and law enforcement should spend those funds without creating “the appearance of fraud, waste and abuse.” The feds want their $69,258 returned by the end of this month.
So far, the sheriff has not written that check.
"We have not yet responded to that letter and we're examining all our options," explained department spokesperson Shannon Volkodav.
The sheriff has said the car would have a second purpose - provide a draw for the non-profit Beat the Heat program. That's where law enforcement warns young people about the dangers of drag racing and distracted driving, sometimes racing the public in a “safe, controlled environment.”
“We still maintain that this purchase is not an extravagant purchase," insisted Volkodav. "We have very intentional uses for this vehicle."
In the letter, the Justice Department pointed out a concern we raised in our initial report on the Hellcat.
When the sheriff first sought approval to buy the car, his memo to the Gwinnett County administrator did not mention that it would be his official use car or that it would be used in the Beat the Heat program. Instead, it said the Dodge Charger would be used in “undercover/covert operations.”
The Justice Department did not like that, either.
“The stated use," wrote chief program manager Alice Dery, "differs significantly from the vehicle's current and intended use.”
"There was no intention whatsoever to mislead anyone," countered Volkodav. "The verbiage that was used in that memo is the same verbiage used to purchase any vehicle assigned to our Special Investigative Division."
But until the sheriff returns the Hellcat money, the department will be unable to use seized federal drug assets to buy anything else.
The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department's annual budget is $92 million. Last year, the department says $2,907,276.86 in unused money was returned to the general fund.
Gwinnett County Administrator Glenn Stephens issued this statement:
"Staff is working with the Sheriff’s Office to respond to the Department of Justice regarding the vehicle purchase. We are committed to resolving the matter quickly and will be adding review points in our process for equipment purchased with asset forfeiture funds to make sure we comply with guidelines set forth by the Department of Justice. "
FULL STORY: www.fox5atlanta...
He wanted to see how it felt to buy a hellcat with dope money without putting in the work.... It don't work like that.
"Without putting in that work" lmfao that's a good one yo😂😂
Wheezing
Guess you've never heard of jack boys
say it again for the people in the back
That’s right, drug dealing is work. You have to be very, very smart to thrive. You have to watch for the cops and the jealous people around you, who are usually more dangerous than the cops as they will rat your ass away in a heart beat. ;)
😂 He told Linda to leave her desk, get her ass on camera and fix this.
Nah fr😭😭
😂
No cap lol
Lmfaooooooo 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Why do I feel like this is the exact verbiage he used 💀💀💀💀
The cops deadass said "nah don't worry, were gonna use it for work too"
"what kind of?"
"Street racing lmao"
That actually made me laugh 🤣
Lmfao
At least they have a reason for it, encouraging kids to race at the track instead of on the streets killing themselves and others...
Nothing says undercover in a poor neighborhood more than an old man in a Sheriffs uniform sitting in a $70,000 hellcat while staking out a drug house.
They knew they were up to something, because they purposely took all the Hell Cat badges off the car. They even driving around with illegal tint.
Nothing is illegal to the police, the countless times I've been pulled over by police with darker tint than mine....
Ive got 5 percent all around and windshield tint. Our police generally don't care or maybe it's cause I have a Toyota so it's doesn't attract attention. Then again our county is very conservative.
@@CeeZee001 yeah the vehicle you drive sure helps in this case
The government doesn’t look for the hellcat badges they look at the VIN.
Is the tint even illegal? Here in Florida there are no laws on tints. IDK how it is in the land of peaches tho
Cop using drug money to buy cars 😂 the plot twist 🤦🏽♂️
Don’t worry the feds have drug programs to pay for their projects too.
They are criminals no plot twist
@@mexreax4493 we all are tho lol difference is they applied and were eligible for the job.
@@Twig2250 huh
😭😭😭
This is the most Atlanta thing ever, even da cops got hellcats LMAO
I saw Brookhaven PD with a Tesla last year 😅
😂
hahahaha
Clayton county sheriff has a Camaro SS, Widebody Hellcat, And a Mustang 5.0
Correction..... Gwinnett!
I love how shes saying all this while smiling knowing why it was bought
92 million wow, we can’t even get pot hole filled
I know right?!
You have to pay for what you get. No one is going to be a cop for 10$ an hour lol
Police can get hellcats, but can't even get the city to fix its own roads... This is america.
🎶God bless America 🎶🇺🇲
@@Mr_Galaxxy 92 million??! Are you slow
Yeah, another honest cop out there keeping us safe........
I feel safe already when I watched this video 😆
I mean there's no way anyone is getting away from you if this is your patrol car
@@freelanserns187 people will still get away
@@braym2391 maybe if the suspect is on a ninja 1000
The way the police minimize and manipulate situations for their own benefits is absurd.
Surveillance in a hellcat 😭😭😭 don’t even need to look outside, you’ll hear it from blocks away 💀💀
Great point! 😅
They're not loud. Only if you straight pipe them or put a loud exhaust.
The sheriff is having a midlife drug money crisis
He is going to use it to dragrace kids :lol:
😁
I need one of those!
They really thought they was slick by removing the SRT badges and hellcat badges 😭
They sold those badges on offer up to some poor kid with a v6 charger
Until the sheriff hits the gas 🤣. He has a sleeper frfr.
THEY ALL AROUND NYC 😂
@@Jdm_fl5 fake it till u make it right😂😂 nah I got a nice pretty new bmw but I don’t go putting M3 badges on my car when it’s not an m series😂that shits just embarrassing😂🤡
@@Jdm_fl5 U killed me 😅🤣😂
Whenever people talk like her, with a smile , you know they're lying.
They hid this one good on us. 2018 LOL! The Sherriff already upgraded to the Demon.
That woman they interviewed was trying very hard not to crack a smile.
A 92 million dollar budget in addition to collecting traffic fines, court cost, bail bonds, etc. No wonder they protect themselves and serve the public. This is big business Al Caponey Style. 😳😖🤔
Municipal hound dogs
You forgot the money they take in from the prisoners and there families way over charging for commissary. They go to stores like save a lot or aldi then charge more than name brands. Your family's can buy things and bring it to you you have to buy it from them. So let's see you have been kidnapped so you cant make money so your family has to supply money and they are over charged and you cant do anything about it. Fits right in there that to call us we have to accept a collect call that 7 to 8 bucks at least. There just fleecing people's families. What about to bond out you got to sign letting them keep so much of your bond or you cant bond out. This stands even if your proven innocent or it was shown false arrest
Your family can't buy things and take it to them
@@wesleyjackson5881 Its all about the money the power and how to get more funding. It's not to correct or help a problem its solely for monetary gain
Lmao I’m dying at the lady representing them 😭😂🤣
Why don’t feds worry about “extravagant” purchases when THEY buy things?
Stupid pig needs to return the hell cat
You shouldn’t be able to use anything out of the evidence locker! Money included! Now we know they’re dipping into our weed when they bust us too!
Seized property of any kind should be turned into money and returned to the tax payers in the form of check every 3 years! Tax payers pay more than enough for police salaries and equipment.
😂😂😂Little do you know police force are not good guys
and even if you have good guns they also take them and use them....with their lame 50-70k a year money they wish they were that rich
Facts, they resell it of course by distributing it through confidential informants
@@spaceoutmisfit1738 facts,they got buddies at the gun stores who'll FFL Transfer Them
Maybe the feds need to look into his wife, judge Carla brown’s corruption too!
His wife is a judge? Wow Gwinnett has to be one of the worst places in this country!
Carla brown is his wife???? That was my judge that makes so much sense now wow. She is corrupt as hell. She made me sit in jail way longer than necessary because “she didn’t feel like seeing my case at the time” smh
@@dominiquegrant3124 sorry you had to do through that.
@@dominiquegrant3124 🧢
@Mike Dylan ridiculous
Cops: we're here to uphold the law. When its you breaking it. If its us, we're immune.
I'm sure that the cops will investigate themselves and find no wrongdoing.
So much for using it in "undercover operations" when you drive the thing to work every day. Not very undercover if it's parked out front of the police department now is it? LOL
Ummmm
well, im glad it wasn't used for its stated purpose then lol.
New York detectives at their finest
The entire sheriff's department is obviously unbelievably crooked and corrupt and needs to be locked up.
Asus McTablet not as corrupt as dekalb county
Nah, come to johnson county illinois then you'll see crooked. Our sheriff uses federal drug money to buy drugs for him to use! Worse thing is he was a state trooper before getting electrd sheriff. O.o
So the dea can buy these but a sheriff cant? Why? Seems okay to me so long as he realizes it's a patrol vehicle not his personal street racing car.
@@brandonh5201 you gotta be a cop
@Yup Kiss my arse 00 those drug dealers pay those Chicago cops off to keep the heat off their corners
The federal government basically told him don’t get caught and you did
Money moves around period, they basically say it’s their “budget” but in reality its all the money that’s been seized from laundering, drugs etc.
I can imagine a cop coming with in a dealership with a bunch of 20s and 50s and 100s
When you make up rules as you go along. Lol
Lmfao for tho
"If the law doesn't matter when the cops violate it, the law doesn't actually matter."
Nothing is illegal when it comes to any Government Agency they’ll come up with an excuse to keep it.
“Drug money it’s gone buy you what you want “ 🤣🤣 they know
😅😅😅
🤣
Future top 3
🤣🤣🤣
Fish Scale
I been told ppl they was doing this but the public never believed
They've had undercover cars like this for ages lol
I thought everyone knew police used drug money for these purchases?
*With absolutely no one being surprised by this blatant corruption!* 🤦🏻♀️
The feds are saying that they spent too much? Those bastards are the kings of extravagant expenditures.
I believe the pentagon spends $56 million a year on toilet paper alone. Another $2.7 million on lightbulbs. Think about the stuff they buy that they don’t tell us about 🤔
Drug deal use drug money to buy car... Go to jail 🙃
Police use drug money to buy car..... Nothing 🤦
Well they busted the drug dealers took there money and bought a car...so it was a reward for busting drug dealers
@@reyfuentes4572 🤦
@@reyfuentes4572 Man kill that noise! Justifying fuckery, what's the matter with you?
@@mofamog2684 Blue pill squares are a joke, smfh 😒
@@reyfuentes4572 I guess the money the drug dealers get is just a reward for selling some drugs then huh
why didnt they use the money to improve jail conditions ????
michael rogers lol
Because it will be to extravagant
Gwinnett county jail is fine u can raise a fucking dog in ur cell lol
Gwinnett has an extravagant jail as well
Because, it would be doing right that's why.
“Use it in undercover investigations.” Well, a charger is probably the worst undercover and most conspicuous car, considering most police cars are chargers. Same with Tahoe’s, Tauruses, and Explorers. It’d be like saying back in 2008 that he’s using a civilian crown vic so no one knows it’s a cop car. It looks mostly like a police one too.
Hellcat isn’t the badge. It’s the sound and acceleration. We know one when hear it. Removing badges and logo is bs. We know a hellcat by its basic look, tires, rims, sound, and acceleration. Haha. 🤣🤣🤣🚀
Cap! The first thing any MoPar Or No Car head looks for is the Badge Of Honor! The HellCat and Demon patches on the side (or if it is a 392 then the 392 badge, and HEMI badge for the R/T).
@@goodmoney911
True. Maybe my point wasn’t as clear. Those of us who’ve known them and who know them can recognize them without the badge. True or not? Bro, I don’t know if you’re familiar with Mopar my friend. I’ve sold them, driven, and owned them. They all have subtle differences that help recognize them without the badge. At least the car clubs I’ve been part of, mechanics, and salesmen, and Myself can do so. The point is, the sheriff removing the badge wouldn’t keep some of us recognizing he’s pushing a hellcat. As soon as we see it, we will recognize. Worse if he starts it.
I am planning on getting a scat pack widebody charger. I just like the look, the sound, and it looks fun. Had an 2011 RT straight piped. That was really fun. I would get the hellcat, but I really don't care for that power cause I am not racing it.
“That’s the verbiage we always use.”
Bet. Let’s review each and every purchase then.
They say people unchecked are guaranteed to be evil, yet everyone in charge is unchecked. we’re all fucked
Hey They got to get to Krispy Kreme ASAP when that fresh donut light comes on 🐷🐷🐷🐷🚔💨💨💨
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 gotta have a SRT
Hot and fresh sounds good AF right now.
@@PepeDeezNutz fr
Remember when police had nice simple clean crown vics that weren’t expensive, now they have muscle cars, 80,000 dollar suvs, trucks fast motorcycles.
He should be fired... any Officer abusing power and now stealing from taxpayers should be fired and banned from law enforcement.
Lies and stolen money
Corruption starts at the top.
They must’ve watched that hellcat police chase.... 😂😂😂
How is that not felony theft, stealing from impounded evidence? Why isn’t that cop been arrested? Sounds like it should be illegal to do that.
🤣 Mopar for life
Taxpayers need there money back sue the sheriff and city council who back him up the money needs to come from these people
So these taxpayers that bought the drugs with this money should get a refund? That money came from the dopeheads buying the drugs, so should the cops also go after these taxpayers that bought the drugs with that money? 🤷♂️
@@stevelozano9523 You’re not realizing that instead of the drug money for sure I was planning to use the taxpayer budget
The first half of this video is pretty much a Dodge commercial for the hellcat
Here in my country town our department also purchased a performance charger, unmarked. By the way the officer loves burning out after speeders.
Lock his a$$ up immediately. A $70k mascot is ridiculous.
70K viagra shot is more like it........
So the DEA can buy these but a sheriff cant? Why? Seems okay to me so long as he realizes it's a patrol vehicle not his personal street racing car.
Right in front of our faces smh and wonder why ppl don’t respect them
I always wondered what they did with drug money lol they keep it for the department. That’s actually wild🤣
The fact they can spend drug money but you can’t lol
we totally lied about how we are planning to use this POS but its ok because we ALWAYS lie on those forms about how we use federal money........is that a problem?
Why you gotta call the car a POS :(
@@chuckscruffy I love the cars speed and style but I mean POS because the damn things break down all the time. zero reliability and that is not the type of car I think taxpayers should have to pay to maintain so a sheriff can have fun.
@@jamesradcliffe3985 I find the unreliability claim somewhat erroneous, but I will agree that the police spending 70k base on a car is asinine
@@jamesradcliffe3985 but that's the STANDARD for ALL police cars... they ALL break due to stress and overuse
@@jarretthuffin this is a car to be used as the chiefs personnel transportation, to and from work, gettin groceries, etc. im not sure the best use of 70 grand of seized federal drug money is so the chief can have a high performance sports car that requires a lot of tax payer money to fuel and maintain. maybe you do.....ok, great. enjoy.
Dodge commercials are getting weirder by the year 🤨
😭💯
I live in Gwinnett County and just now learned of this. I wonder if he still has that car?
She's doing the "bless your heart" smile!
the plain ones are 22k plus tax tag and title. Not 40k.
jonathan mcadams, no. Chargers start at 30k new.
@@ajlee6933 yeah you are right, 28 and some change plus plus plus. In 2007 They were 22k plus. That was the last time I even looked at a dodge product and I was there test driving an Srt 4.
He needs at least a hemi. What if he's running late to work?
Rt brand new off lot are about 40k
@@Zan0_oX The 5.7 Charger R/T Hemi starts at $37k - The 6.4 Scat Pack starts at $41k.
Corrupt af
So basically long drug investigations are held up until the dealer has a certain amount on hand they can steal I'm mean seize.
Yea kinda like the feds
They do this in my area of NC using seized mustang gt's, corvettes, and other cars to "enforce traffic safety". I'm pretty sure the Charlotte area highway patrol even has a twin-turbo c6 corvette.
Been in Charlotte 10 years, never heard of that one. 😮
Hahaha image how many others actually got away with purchases like this🤔🤔
There is a rebel sheriff where i live lol
Phoenix has a hellcat, camaro ss, and a mustang gt😂
Bro he should be able to get one himself personally
Why do dat and u can get it free I guess huh smh lol
$92 million every year for a police department is excessive and utterly ridiculous
Sneed
This Sheriff needs to teach me about the dangers of street racing, by racing my Mustang lol
They've got tear gas for crowd control. They don't need your slow ass Ford there terrorizing the onlookers in the crowd at the strip!😂🤣
The sheriff is going threw his mid life crisis
Through
@@michaelkelly3501 Your name is Micheal Kelly, you're the last person to be making fun of peoples' spelling.
@@TMediaCo 💀💀💀
Imagine trying to run from that...
Sport bike would eat that sheet up lol....but yeah if you in a car forget about it
Even more slick is the fact that CIVIL ASSET FORFEITURE monies were used, and that DOES NOT EQUATE TO DRUG DOLLARS. This is pitiful and disgraceful
“then they arrest us after we done make it big
they take our money our cars and our houses
now tell me whos really sellin the ounces
and any cash that we might have hidden
goes to the system tryin to stay out of prison”
-Spm
why isn't this money not going to help people in need.
If your house is being broken into and you call 911 in his county and he responds in this car going 190 your gonna tell me that using that power isnt gonna help you?
@@brandonh5201 First of all that would never happen he will never hit 190 anywhere second that’s the Chiefs personal car
How bout in 2021? They get to keep it?
Good luck trying to be quiet an trying to be inconspicuous in a hellcat during undercover operations 😂😂😂
The boss got to get to work on time. He is duty bound to make sure the car is safe for the undercover guys, before making them drive it. You know lead by example.
They dont care fedz was right on that note tryna buy a car to showcase on n off the cloak they thought they was slick he wanted it and he bought it i guess u only live once smh
So the DEA can buy these but a sheriff cant? Why? Seems okay to me so long as he realizes it's a patrol vehicle not his personal street racing car.
we the people are letting them get away with too much bs when they are working for us
I don't get how they indicate they used taxpayers money if the money came from a drug seize? Are they saying these funds should be put back into public circulation? They normally use crime money that was seized to support things for that local department that seized it, saving the taxpayers money. 🤦♂️
The feds want that 70 grand, I assume the department would have to pay the 70 grand out of their budget because they already spent the dope money
Wake up. They are taking things from people that aren't charged or convicted of crimes. If you have more cash than they feel you should have they can take it. Many people that take them to court they try to only give part back
Two sets of rules, One for crooked cops, and one for the rest of us.
If he lied & mislead about this, what else has he mislead people about?
We have investigated ourselves and found that we have done nothing wrong. This incident was reviewed administratively and determined all policies were followed.
The Nerve And Gall Of Some Of These People!! Point Proven Again They Think They Are Above The Law And It Doesn't Apply To Them 🙄He Got Caught Just Think How Many ??? And How Long This Type Of Thing Has Occurred?? Smh 👀👀🙄
That’s my friends grandpa hellcat n he doesn’t care at all😂😂
Wonder how much of the money was seized from the public without charging them with an offense?
Paying attention that’s a damn HELLCAT you really think the whole USA will not know
Just give the hellcat back to them it’s atlanta 😂😂😂
Lol they confiscate about 2 of those a week Just use those
They are thieves. Lock them up for fraud!!!
How can the government benefit from criminal enterprise? Isnt that considered racketeering? Doesnt that represent unequal representation under the law??
You are correct. It absolutely is racketeering. Honest work or not that person that they took the money from still worked for it .
Any and all law enforcement, like sheriff in question should have the right to use drug money, for better equipment. Regardless of the cost.
Shut up
So y’all just gonna ignore the fact that the reporter’s name is Randy Travis? 😕
I ain’t even mad. This is just funny as hell🤣🤣
.....hell *cat* , that is.
They wrote Dodge Charger on that letter but never said anything about it being a damn Hellcat 👀
Wait. So you’re telling me the drug dealer is either in jail or dead for dealing and we “ the law “ is actually using that money?! Wow that is crooked af
Atleast he bought a car fast enough to catch the guys getting away rather then spending a quarter mill on a car a built Honda would beat 🤔👀 my guess is u can't beat em ,join em. Smart purchase
Can’t catch a hellcat redeye
Dominique Dee lmao. Tell that to my k swapped ek hatch on flexfuel. Weighs 2100 lbs and cost me less than $20k to build. gaps these landboat hellkittys
That was not a smart purchase cause he dont need that dam car when u got a radio these 🐷's are everywhere so stop supporting a crook they just as worst as the dope pusher they robbed while the robbed the public smh....
@@ricky7973 if the city hired real mechanics they would know whats up...they hire glorified oil changers to work on police vehicles
Undercover 😂😂😂😂 read that letter shits too funny
“Federal drug money” that’s says it all
The car also cost $80,000 now if he would’ve used the money to buy the car for the state to use as a patrol vehicle it would’ve been legal but when you use confiscated drug money to buy something for personal use and it’s illegal he’ll wind up losing his job!
Update?
70k for a cop car?
Thats how much a fully decked out marked unit cost so idk y they even acting up that man deserves that hellcat if ibwas a resident i wouldn't mind
Shedding Light NYC most marked police cars are only 25k to 40k but I love hellcats so I think it would be cool if they used them as cop cars
@@Junior193rd No they aren’t even close to that does charger RT starts around 30 with all their gear we’re out the door under 40
Anybody else want accountability for all drug money; local and federal? People who never even touched drugs are having their cash seized.
I’m not surprised sure they been doing it things like this all the time. He just wanted a hellcat without having to pay for it.