"Former O'Hare Police Commander Found Guilty of Theft"

Thursday, September 7, 2006

Ex-cop gets 5 months for stealing $4,000 
BY STEVE WARMBIR
The Chicago (IL) Sun-Times


A former top Chicago cop, who once had the job of notifying the families of
slain officers, was sentenced to five months in jail and five months of home
confinement for stealing $4,000 meant for a police awards ceremony.

Former Police Cmdr. Michael J. Acosta, 60, also admitted he lied to FBI
agents about his relationship with John "Quarters" Boyle, a former city of
Chicago employee who played a key role in the Hired Truck scandal.

Acosta and Boyle, a convicted felon, had a relationship based on trading
favors.

But when FBI agents questioned Acosta about Boyle in October 2004, as part
of the Hired Truck investigation, Acosta denied getting requests for favors
from Boyle.

Acosta denied ever providing Boyle with anyone's criminal history
information.

Acosta didn't know at the time that investigators had put a wire on Boyle's
cell phone from April to August 2004.

And he didn't know that investigators had taped him relaying to Boyle
criminal history information of an employee of a friend of Boyle's. 

Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Manish Shah played two secretly recorded
conversations between the men where Acosta is heard passing along the
information.

And that was only one of a host of favors Acosta did for his friend. Acosta,
later the police commander at O'Hare Airport, even got excess baggage fees
waived for Boyle at the airport.

Boyle, in turn, would help Acosta on construction work at his home and his
daughter's home, prosecutors said.

A Vietnam vet, Acosta could have been sentenced to up to 14 months in
prison. Acosta, represented by Cynthia Giacchetti and George Collins, was
fined $5,000 and ordered to pay back the $4,000 he took.

He is to report to jail Nov. 7.

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