Ex-cop gets 2 years for tipping drug kingpin to raid

Former Philadelphia police officer Rickie Durham was sentenced to 24 months in prison today by a federal judge who rejected the government's primary argument for a stiffer term.

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Savage said Durham did not intend to warn drug kingpin Alton "Ace Capone" Coles when he made a phone call just hours before Coles was arrested in August 2005.

Savage said Durham's intent was to help the sister of his good friend Jerome "Pooh" Richardson, who was living with Coles at the time of the raid.

Durham, 44, was convicted of obstruction of justice during a two-day jury trial in September. The jury also found him guilty of lying to federal investigators who were trying to determine how Coles found out he was about to be arrested at his $450,000 home outside Mullica Hill on that summer morning five years ago.

Savage rejected a prosecution argument that Durham's sentencing guidelines should have been in the range of 188 to 235 months. He also eliminated a probation department recommendation of 121 to 151 months. He then set the guideline range to 41 to 51 months and citing Durham's 12-year career as a police officer sentenced him to just 24 months.

Durham had no comment as he left the courtroom. He is scheduled to surrender July 12 to begin serving his sentence.

Durham, his voice cracking, told Savage before sentencing that he accepted responsibility for his actions but insisted that he never intended to warn Alton Coles or to put other officers in harms way.

Coles was arrested Aug. 10 2005 as federal authorities launched a series of raids aimed at taking down his multimillion dollar cocaine distribution network.

Durham was one of more than 200 officers assigned to assist in the raids that morning. Just hours before authorities broke down the door of Coles' home, Durham made a phone call to Richardson in California and told him that if his sister was in the house he should get her out of there.

The government argued that Durham knew when he made that call that Coles would be alerted to the raid.

Coles was arrested without incident that morning. He was subsequently sentenced to life plus 55 years as a drug kingpin.