Richie Roberts

Richard M. Roberts (born November 28, 1937) is an American former law enforcement officer and disbarred attorney. Roberts worked as a detective in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Essex County Bureau of Narcotics. After completing law school at Seton Hall University and passing the bar examination, Roberts served as an Assistant Prosecutor in the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Roberts is known for his role in the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of Harlem "drug kingpin" Frank Lucas, who operated a heroin smuggling and distribution ring in the New York City metro area. He was assisted by the hard work and dedication of the three detectives of the Z-TEAM – Eddie Jones, Al Spearman, and Benny Abruzzo. In addition to destroying Lucas's drug operation, the Z-TEAM's investigation uncovered police corruption connected with the drug trade. Lucas's criminal enterprise and the investigation by the Z-TEAM was the subject of the 2007 film American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington (as Lucas) and Russell Crowe (as Roberts). After Lucas was incarcerated, Roberts entered private practice as an attorney specializing in criminal defense and was retained by Lucas as defense counsel.

In April 2017, Roberts pleaded guilty to tax crimes after an investigation against him by the Internal Revenue Service's criminal division and investigators from the U.S. Attorney's Office. He was sentenced to five years of probation, 270 hours of community service, and was ordered to make restitution payments. Contrary to popular belief, Richie Roberts did not arrest Frank Lucas. Frank Lucas was arrested by New York City police officers, whilst Roberts worked in New Jersey at the time.

Biography Life and career Roberts was born in the Bronx, New York City, on November 28, 1937. Roberts was raised by his grandparents in the Bronx until he moved to Newark, New Jersey, with his parents when he was eight years old. He graduated from Newark's Weequahic High School, where he was a star football and baseball player. Roberts is Jewish.

After high school, Roberts served for six years in the United States Marine Corps and attained the rank of Sergeant before being discharged from the service in 1961. He was briefly affiliated with the firm Harkavy, Goldman & Capri, but soon established his own firm. During private practice, Roberts has defended many homicide cases and was involved in New Jersey's first Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) case. He has also been a guest speaker to conferences held by several police and private groups. Even Roberts has stated that his character in the film is more of a composite of several investigators' work and not an accurate portrayal of him.

Lucas was a petty criminal until he became associated with Harlem crime lord Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (1905-1968). After Johnson's death, Lucas sought advancement by bypassing the Italian Mafia's control of the New York City heroin trade and obtained his heroin direct from Asia's Golden Triangle, often travelling to Bangkok, Thailand, and using military personnel to transport narcotics. Lucas frequently boasted that he smuggled heroin back to the United States by using the coffins of American servicemen killed in the Vietnam War.

Lucas and his associates, who were largely drawn from family and close friends, sold heroin under the name "Blue Magic" and claimed that it was 98-100% pure when it was shipped from Thailand. However, it was cut with mannite and quinine and resulted in a final product that was only 10 percent pure when it hit the streets. that heroin dealers in New York area were claiming their drugs were "Blue Magic," hoping to take advantage of the publicity generated by American Gangster.

In January 1975, Lucas's residence in Teaneck, New Jersey, was raided by a task force consisting of agents from Group 22 of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and detectives from New York Police Department's Organized Crime Control Bureau (OCCB). In 1976, Lucas was convicted of drug trafficking and distribution offenses and sentenced to 70 years in prison (a consecutive 40-year federal prison sentence and 30-year New Jersey state prison sentence). After cooperation in the prosecution of over 100 other drug-related cases, Lucas was offered placement in the federal witness protection program, and in 1981, after five years in prison custody, his sentence was reduced to "time served" with lifetime parole supervision.

Depictions in media The story of Roberts' investigation and prosecution of Frank Lucas was adapted into the 2007 film American Gangster, starring Academy Award-winning actors Denzel Washington portraying Lucas and Russell Crowe portraying Roberts. The film grossed more than US$127 million and was met with generally-positive reviews. However, several people involved with the actual events regarding the investigation and prosecution (including Lucas and Roberts) have criticized the film as a largely fictional and exaggerated portrayal that contained inaccuracies and fabrication.

The film portrays Roberts as being mired in a personal child custody battle and suggests that aspect of his personal life was compromised by his dogged investigation of Lucas. That was entirely fabricated, as Roberts never had a child. In 2008, former DEA agents filed a lawsuit against Universal Studios that alleged that the events depicted in the film defamed them and hundreds of other agents.