LOS ANGELES, March 31 (UPI) -- A former high-ranking Los Angeles police official is under investigation for possible money-laundering activities in a 1992 real estate deal with his son, a convicted cocaine trafficker, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.
The FBI is looking into the possibility that Deputy Chief Maurice Moore, 66, was helping his son, Kevin, hide profits from his Detroit-based cocaine operation when he took part in at least two real estate transactions in 1992 involving an apartment building and a home in Los Angeles that were valued together at a total of more than $1 million.
Moore, who retired Jan. 26 after 40 years on the force after becoming one of the LAPD's highest-ranking African American officers, declined to comment on the allegations, but the Times reported that the police department as well as the FBI had been investigating the accusations for more than a year.
"At the conclusion, we will determine if there's anything he is culpable of," the paper quoted Police Chief Bernard Parks -- a close friend of Moore -- as saying.
Moore's lawyer, Albert DeBlanc, who also declined to comment on the investigation, did tell the Times that his client was troubled by the allegations.
"It concerns him deeply that these accusations are being made at the end of a sparkling career," DeBlanc said.
Moore's career included stints with the elite Metro division as well as internal affairs and the vice squad. He was the LAPD's tactical commander at the Democratic National Convention and served on the board of inquiry that probed the Rampart scandal -- evidence planting, perjury and violence by anti-gang officers. He was promoted to deputy chief in 1998 where he served as a special assistant to Parks.
According to the Times, Moore was considered an outstanding and dedicated officer, but his son made his mark on the other side of the law by running a major cocaine trafficking ring based in Detroit during the 1980s.
"He was charismatic," IRS investigator Kevin Boudreau told the newspaper, referring to Moore's son. "He was clever enough to accomplish what most drug dealers only dream of, which is to establish a direct connection with a member of a Mexican cartel."
Kevin Moore was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in 1989, but he continued to manage his drug-dealing enterprise from behind bars. It was during that period, the Times said, that the Los Angeles real estate transactions took place.
One deal involved the elder Moore's purchase of an apartment building on 6th Avenue that was later valued at $260,000. Kevin Moore later stated in court documents that he was the owner of the building even though his father's name was on the property records.
The second deal was the purchase of a four-bedroom home in the upscale Cheviot Hills neighborhood valued at around $726,000.
Kevin Moore and federal prosecutors struck a plea agreement in 1999 in regards to his alleged wrongdoing while in prison. The agreement stipulated that the government would not seize the two properties even though Moore did not have any documentation to prove he actually owned them. In exchange, Moore agreed to turn over $1 million in drug profits to the government.
