Cleveland DEA Informant Scandal Wraps Up

Radley Balko | July 14, 2008

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a long and fascinating wrap-up of a massive debacle involving DEA agent Lee Lucas, drug informant Jarrell Bray, and the many people the two of them wrongly put behind bars.

The case reads a little like a trashy crime noir novel.  Despite ignoring repeated warnings about Bray's trustworthiness from local police, and despite signs early on that he should have known Bray was prone to making things up, Agent Lucas continued to take the convicted felon at his word, and continued to wrack up arrests and convictions based on Bray's assertions. 

Two dozen cases were dismissed.  All but one of those wrongfully arrested were black.   The kicker is that after all of this, Lucas is still on the DEA's payroll (despite about a half dozen prior incidents where he has been accused of unethical behavior).  And former U.S. Attorney Greg White, who prosecuted the cases Lucas brought in, has since been promoted to U.S. magistrate.