CHICAGO—A former Chicago police officer was charged Monday with attempted extortion and with selling firearms to a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Ali Haleem, 45, who worked in Chicago Lawn from 1994-2012, is charged with attempting to extort cash bribes to steer business toward a tow truck operator and with selling three firearms to the same operator, a convicted felon, authorities said in a statement.
This makes Haleem the 11th Chicago police officer charged since 2008 in Operation Tow Scam, a federal bribery and extortion investigation spanning several Chicago police districts.
To date, seven Chicago police officers and three civilians have been convicted in the ongoing investigation. An additional three officers await charges.
No date has been set for Haleem’s arraignment, but the retired officer could face serious jail time if convicted. Attempted extortion is punishable with up to 20 years in prison; each gun charge could tack on up to 10 more years.
All three gun counts carry a $250,000 maximum fine.
