This has the makings of an ugly ugly public relations mess.
By John Caniglia
Cleveland Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND – An agent of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was indicted today on charges that he lied repeatedly in a botched 2005 drug case that caused 17 people to be wrongly charged.
Lee Lucas, a 19-year veteran, was charged in U.S. District Court in Cleveland with perjury, making false statements, obstruction of justice and violating a person’s civil rights involving a case that resulted in 26 arrests in Mansfield.
A federal grand jury spent 17 months investigating Lucas’ role in the Mansfield case, a case that years later prompted judges and juries to drop charges against 23 of the people arrested.
Lucas, 41, was known for his intense work ethic, especially when teaming up with Cleveland police narcotics officers. He led a DEA task force that swooped up cocaine and sent scores of people to prison.
But his career, which began in Miami and later Bolivia, often was clouded with controversy and questions about his credibility.
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