As the U.S. Department of Justice conducts its investigation into the patterns and practices of Louisville Metro Police and Metro Government, several former LMPD officers have faced federal charges since 2020 that relate to unlawful uses of force but are unrelated to the death of Breonna Taylor.The following is a rundown of the former department personnel who have faced or are still facing criminal cases in federal court, along with one cop who was under investigation but has yet to face charges. (The list does not include Brett Hankison and three other ex-LMPD officers who face charges in connection with Taylor's killing.)Katie CrewsThe former LMPD officer at the center of the fatal shooting of West End barbecue chef David McAtee was charged in March 2022 with depriving McAtee's niece of her constitutional rights "to be free from an unreasonable seizure, which includes the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a law enforcement officer," according to the DOJ.Crews was among the LMPD officers and Kentucky National Guard members who responded to a crowd just after midnight on June 1, 2020, that had gathered after a city-implemented curfew at Dino's Food Mart near McAtee's barbecue stand at 26th Street and West Broadway amid protests over Breonna Taylor's killing. Some witnesses who were in the Dino's parking lot or with McAtee as he cooked that night noted they were not actively participating in the protests, which were focused several blocks away in downtown Louisville.Crews, of Jeffersonville, Indiana, is accused of firing pepper ball projectiles, a "less lethal" weapon, at M.M. while they were on private property and did not pose a threat to Crews or other officers at the scene. M.M. is not named in the indictment, but McAtee's niece, Machelle McAtee, previously told investigators Crews had injured her by shooting pepper balls at her while police were dispersing the crowd.Crews later admitted to investigators she had fired at Machelle McAtee that night."She was standing, I wouldn’t say in an aggressive manner, but … she was not going to go inside," Crews described to investigators five days after the incident."After giving her verbal commands, I did shoot more pepper balls in her direction. She still refused, so I did shoot off more.”Potential punishment for Crews include 10 years of imprisonment, three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine.Crews was on paid administrative leave from June 1, 2020, until LMPD fired her in February 2022. Crews appealed her firing to the city's Police Merit Board but requested the hearing be put on hold until her federal case is resolved.LMPD's Professional Standards Unit found Katie Crews violated three policies related to the McAtee incident: body camera procedures, de-escalation and use of chemical agents, according to her termination letter.A separate internal investigation related to a Facebook post in which Crews celebrated a protester being shot by pepper balls found she also violated policies on using social media and police conduct.She appeared Sept. 15, 2022, for a status conference, and attorneys indicated a change of plea hearing is likely this fall.Bryan Wilson and Curt FlynnThe two former LMPD officers were convicted in June 2022 of federal civil rights violations related to throwing drinks from their unmarked squad cars at people in Louisville's West End.Wilson, 36, and Flynn, 40, both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the civil rights of Louisville pedestrians through the arbitrary use of force, according to the Department of Justice. Wilson also pleaded guilty in a cyberstalking case, in which he threatened to publish compromising photos or videos of at least six females unless they provided additional compromising material.They are both scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 30. Wilson faces a combined maximum penalty of 15 years in prison in his two cases, while Flynn faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.Brett Hankison:Trial for ex-LMPD detective in Breonna Taylor case delayed nearly a yearAfter his federal conviction, Wilson resigned from LMPD. As for Flynn, Chief Erika Erika Shields said he resigned in July 2020 due to a separate criminal investigation.Both Wilson and Flynn were working as detectives in the Ninth Mobile Division from August 2018 through September 2019 when they threw large beverages, including the container, at civilians who were walking, according to a release from the Department of Justice.The two — joined by others who were not named in the release — threw the drinks while dressed in LMPD uniforms and driving unmarked police vehicles. When they identified a target, they'd drive their LMPD vehicles closer to the person before throwing the drinks after announcing on the police radio that "someone was thirsty," or "thirsty fam," the DOJ release said.After throwing the beverage, the driver of the LMPD vehicle would flee the scene. On many occasions, people were hit with the beverage and on at least one occasion, a person was knocked down after being hit, according to the DOJ.The assaults were also recorded either by the detectives or others participating, "sometimes from inside the car from which the beverage was thrown, and sometimes from an LMPD car following closely behind the car from which the beverage was thrown," the DOJ said."Wilson subsequently displayed these videos to other members of the LMPD Ninth Mobile Unit," according to the DOJ. The behavior of the officers became public in June 2021, when Shields said the FBI was investigating, calling it "another black eye to the department." Jefferson Circuit Judge Jessica Green, who previously served as the Metro Council representative for District 1, which includes West End neighborhoods, had said the victims included Black residents who were homeless.Cory Evans (already sentenced)Cory Evans, who had been an officer for about seven years before resigning from the department in July 2021 after LMPD initiated his termination, was sentenced in February 2022 to two years in prison for beating an unarmed, kneeling protester on the head with a wooden riot stick and then repeatedly lying to his superiors about it.Evans had pleaded guilty in 2021 to deprivation of rights under color of law in connection with the May 31, 2020, assault of Marty Chester, which occurred in the early days of the racial justice protests in Louisville.Chester suffered a gash on his head, needed three staples and lost his hearing for several months. He also said at the sentencing hearing he had experienced anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder since the assault.Evans said he was "embarrassed" by what he'd done during a night of protests that another officer described as "pure chaos," then apologized for his actions and for having "drug (LMPD's) name through the mud."But in an interview with WAVE3 News published soon after his sentencing hearing, the ex-officer struck a different tone, describing the moment when "the feds say that I struck him.""I don't deny that he was hit," Evans said. "I deny that I hit him with the intent or malice."Brian Butler, the attorney for Evans, argued in court that Chester was in a group of people reportedly committing arson and throwing bricks that night.But Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Gregory reminded the court that Chester was not on trial. While Chester was arrested that night, his charge was ultimately dismissed and expunged, Gregory said, and no officer claimed to have seen him throw bricks or start fires. In addition to the two years in prison, Evans must also pay $1,962.85 in restitution.Reach Billy Kobin at [email protected]

Former Louisville Metro Police Lt. Josh Judah resigned Wednesday from his position at the Jewish Community of Louisville after facing fierce opposition from members of the city's Jewish and Black communities, based on his leadership during the racial justice protests of 2020.Judah, who served with LMPD for 21 years before retiring, was announced as the Jewish Community of Louisville's regional security adviser in July, tasked with improving security measures for the city's Jewish community. In the announcement, the nonprofit touted Judah's lengthy law enforcement background but did not mention the two active lawsuits he is named in, nor that his reputation among the city's Black community was featured in a story by VICE.Members of the Jewish community had expressed surprise over his hiring in a July 24 email to the nonprofit's president, Sara Wagner, that was obtained by The Courier Journal. In the email, signed by 16 people, the members said there was little to no discussion before the announcement was made July 11. Moreso, Judah's hiring could "be perceived as disregarding the value of Black lives in Louisville and the pain endured at the hands of unjust, inequitable, and life-threatening overpolicing by LMPD," the email stated.That perception is exactly how many people in both communities have viewed the hiring, Louisville Urban League President Sadiqa Reynolds said."This officer is a symbol of the pain the Black community has suffered through since 2020," she said. "It is appalling that any organization claiming to be allied with the Black community and our struggle for justice, would even consider hiring him. "We are not positioned to speak to his guilt or innocence but many of us believe that if Breonna Taylor and David McAtee were anything other than Black, Mr. Judah could not have had a successful candidacy for employment." Minute by minute:What happened the night David McAtee was shot dead by National GuardIn an email to The Courier Journal about his hiring Aug. 11, Wagner wrote, "Mr. Judah was hired after an in-depth process, based on his expertise, his understanding of the threats and needs of our Jewish community, and his relationships with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies."Unsuccessful attempts to contact Judah were made by The Courier Journal through his attorney and Wagner.On Wednesday, Wagner announced that Judah resigned."We had hoped to continue to engage in constructive dialogue about the new role Josh began in support of safety and security for the Jewish community and beyond," Wagner wrote in an email. "Unfortunately, current circumstances make it impossible for Josh to meet this goal. Recognizing this, Josh has tendered his resignation as Regional Security Advisor for SAFE Louisville."Why is Josh Judah being sued?Judah was on scene in the aftermath of Taylor's killing in March 2020, though he was not involved in the actual raid. Issues also were raised after McAtee was shot to death by a National Guard member in the early morning hours of June 1, 2020. The guardsman was at the scene of McAtee's business and home on 26th and Broadway because of orders given by Judah. The shooting came after days of protests over Taylor's killing, and a citywide curfew had been issued."It is a big deal that the National Guard ended up at 26th and Broadway," Reynolds said. "There were no protests beyond Eighth Street in Louisville. So why in the world was the National Guard sent to 26th and Broadway?" A lawsuit against Judah, two other LMPD officers and the guardsman who shot McAtee that night was filed on behalf of his mother and niece, which describes the scene of the business that summer as a safe haven in the West End, away from downtown protests and unrest."There were no known protestors at the location, and no law enforcement intelligence suggested that violent protestors were meeting up in the area," the lawsuit, filed in September 2020, states.Yet, just over two minutes after police and soldiers arrived, "the police blocked the intersection and yelled at a crowd at a food mart to leave, pursued and fired upon those leaving, shot into the door of the restaurant kitchen striking Mr. McAtee's niece, Machelle, and shot and killed David McAtee inside the kitchen of his business and home," the lawsuit states.While Judah did not deliver the fatal shot to McAtee, the suit alleges his actions that night were in violation of department policy and ultimately led to McAtee's death and to his niece's injuries.Prior to arriving, Judah allegedly called the city's command center and told officials, "'Check out what we're about to do,'" the suit states. "Everyone then turned to the surveillance screens, and watched as law enforcement arrived at 26th and Broadway. One officer in the command room stated, 'I put up my feet and got out the popcorn' because 'that's how the message (from Judah) was delivered.'"Claims in a lawsuit represent one side of an argument.How exactly the night unfolded is unclear given all officers at the scene failed to turn on their body cameras, despite being the department's standard operating procedure.One former officer, Katie Crews, has been federally indicted in the incident and she was fired by the department for her actions that night and for a social media post she made earlier that day.Crews was caught on video from a nearby business standing at close range on the property line firing pepper balls into McAtee's kitchen, hitting his niece several times. McAtee pulled his niece inside and fired twice above his shoulder with a handgun.Crews' social media post was of a Courier Journal photo showing a protester handing a flower to Crews, with a caption that said: "I hope the pepper balls that she got lit up with a little later on hurt … Come back and get some more ole girl, I'll be on the line again tonight."A second lawsuit, filed in July 2021, alleges Judah ordered the arrests of two protesters who were attempting to enter a church prior to the city's curfew in September 2020, but were blocked by barricades from doing so. The suit alleges the arrests were unlawful and the protesters' rights were violated due to LMPD negligence. All charges filed against the protesters that night have been dropped.While Judah has been named in the two suits, he has not been criminally charged nor was he officially reprimanded by LMPD for any of his actions during the summer of 2020. Despite this, the allegations made against him should carry weight with the Jewish Community of Louisville, Reynolds and others said."We believe that whether the allegations are true or false, the community would not have hired him with these allegations circulating, with an active lawsuit, if they valued our (Black) experiences and our lives," she said.Additionally, she said, a lack of charges does not mean a person is innocent. "Do you know how many things happen in the Black community every day and nobody in any position is ever reprimanded?" she asked. Referring to recent indictments and one conviction related to Breonna Taylor's killing, Reynolds said, "The fact that we see any prosecution is an anomaly. So, don't tell me that the fact they weren't prosecuted means they are absolved of any guilt. All the time, our rights are violated." More: What to know about 7 Louisville Metro Police cases the FBI is investigating for misconductWagner declined to directly answer whether the nonprofit's leadership was aware of the allegations against Judah prior to his hiring. But in an Aug. 18 email obtained by The Courier Journal, Wagner wrote, "Josh has been very proactive and candid about his involvement in facilitating peaceful protests and to try to avert any instances of violence.""We certainly expressed our concern and discussed the issue at great length with Josh.At the conclusion of the hiring and vetting process, we were confident that Josh was – and still is – the right person for the job."For Honi Goldman, a local activist and member of the Jewish community, the hiring and continued employment of Judah, despite mounting outrage, represented an unprecedented divide between Louisville's Jews and the nonprofit."My family has been an integral part of Louisville’s Jewish Community for over a 100 years," Goldman wrote in a statement to The Courier Journal. "I cannot recall another schism of this magnitude that has pitted Jews in this city against the Jewish Community of Louisville. This blatant insensitivity of hiring a man who was so involved in one, if not the, most horrible racial crimes in our lifetime, will have repercussions on this entire city for years, if not decades."In her announcement of his resignation, Wagner wrote, "We appreciate that he has put the best interests of the community first in choosing to step aside, and we wish him the best in his next opportunity to serve."Moving forward Wagner indicated a shift in how the next security adviser will be hired."We are committed to incorporating feedback that represents the diversity of the Jewish community and our partners and neighbors across Louisville, with a primary focus on the safety, security, and resiliency of the Jewish community – and with a hope that our efforts can benefit other communities with comparable and shared issues relative to hate crimes and targeted violence," Wagner wrote. "We look forward to engaging with the Jewish community and beyond as we work toward the common goals of safety and security for everyone in Louisville."Contact reporter Krista Johnson at [email protected].

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When it comes to allegations of Louisville Metro Police misconduct, the FBI has had plenty to investigate.Since the shooting death of Breonna Taylor at the hands of police in March 2020, the FBI Louisville Field Office has opened several investigations into LMPD officers. The oldest, which predates Taylor's death, is the five-year probe into the sex abuse scandal in the police department's Explorer Scout program, which was initiated in 2017.The remaining open cases stem from police incidents mostly related to the social justice protests following Taylor's death. Here's a look at where those cases stand.Louisville Police Explorer Scout caseThe FBI is nearing the end of its five-year investigation into the child sex abuse scandal that occurred in the Louisville Metro Police Department’s Scout Explorer program.The scandal came to light in 2017 when a 22-year-old filed a lawsuit alleging he was abused by LMPD officers Kenneth Betts and Brandon Wood when he was between 17 and 19 years both in their homes and in police cars.The lawsuit also said the police department and lieutenant who ran the program conspired to cover up the abuse.Mayor Greg Fischer in 2017 hired a former U.S. attorney to investigate independently and requested an FBI investigation.The federal investigation, which is still ongoing, led to the conviction of three LMPD officers, including Betts, Wood and Brad Lee Schuhmann, for deprivation of rights, attempted enticement, possession and distribution of child porn and the transfer of obscene material to a minor.The case also revealed that the officers propositioned, molested or intimated more than a dozen former Scouts in the program.Authorities said they expect a decision from the U.S. Attorney’s Office soon on whether there will be further prosecutions.The death of Breonna TaylorFederal authorities, including the Louisville FBI and the Civil Rights Division in Washington D.C., continue to investigate the death of Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black ER tech killed by Louisville police who were trying to conduct a search for drugs and cash on March 13, 2020.In May 2020, the FBI opened its "color of law" case, meaning it is investigating allegations of police officers or other officials improperly using their authority, including excessive force, false arrest or obstruction of justice. Taylor, 26, died at her South Louisville apartment when Louisville Metro Police officers attempted to serve a search warrant as a part of a broader narcotics investigation targeting several homes simultaneously.After police forced open Taylor's front door, Kenneth Walker, her boyfriend at the time, fired one shot, striking Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the thigh. Mattingly, and detectives Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison fired 32 times in response, killing Taylor.Walker said he never heard officers announce themselves at the door and thought intruders were trying to break in.Mattingly was cleared of wrongdoing by an LMPD investigation into policy violations but retired from the force in June 2021. Cosgrove and Hankison have been fired, as has detective Joshua Jaynes, who obtained the search warrant with a no-knock clause. Jaynes is still trying to get his job back and recently lost his appeal to a circuit judge.Hankison was acquitted by a jury in state court on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for bullets that penetrated an occupied apartment next to Taylor's.The death of David McAteeThe FBI is investigating the death of David McAtee, a West End barbecue shop owner who was fatally shot by the Kentucky National Guard after authorities, including LMPD, were sent to 26th and Broadway to disperse a crowd that had gathered across the street on June 1, 2020.Though social justice protests had started in Louisville just days earlier, the crowd was not protesting, but rather violating the mayor's 9 p.m. curfew.McAtee fired two shots outside the door of his home and business, YaYa's BBQ, after his niece was shot with pepper balls in their doorway by LMPD Officer Katie Crews.Seconds before his niece was hit, people from the street rushed into McAtee's business while fleeing Crews' pepper balls.Crews was charged federally with excessive use of force for shooting at McAtee's niece, but the case remains open.Crews was fired in February at the conclusion of an internal Professional Standards Unit investigation that found she violated several department policies — including de-escalation, use of chemical agents and body camera procedures — leading to McAtee's death.The internal investigation found that Crews didn't have permission to use the pepper ball gun, and that she shouldn't have fired the rounds because the crowd was neither "disorderly" nor "aggressive."Dusten Dean, the officer who fired nonlethal rounds at a TV crewAn LMPD officer who was captured live on camera shooting nonlethal pepper ball rounds directly at a local television news crew during the city’s social justice protests is under federal investigation.WAVE 3 TV news reporter Kaitlin Rust and cameraman James Dobson were both hit by Dean’s pepper balls on May 29, 2020, while standing behind the police line. A statement from WAVE said the crew was not interfering with law enforcement.Rust told The Courier Journal in 2021 she was interviewed by the FBI later that summer and shared a January email from an FBI victim specialist that included a case number and a note thanking her for her assistance while they investigate the case.A list of officers on investigative leave obtained by The Courier Journal through a public records request indicates Dean has been on paid suspension at home since June 2, 2020, while the department conducts a Public Integrity Unit investigation to determine whether there was any criminal wrongdoing.Officers who threw drinks at residentsTwo former Louisville police officers pled guilty on June 21 to conspiracy to violate civil rights — a federal crime — for throwing large beverages and the containers at numerous Louisville residents while on duty in unmarked police cars.Curt Flynn, 40, and Bryan Andrew Wilson, 36, are both scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 30. They face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.From August 2018 through September 2019, the two officers while working as detectives in LMPD's Ninth Mobile Division in uniform would bring the beverages into their vehicle and get close enough to throw the drinks at targets they identified.They would speed off after throwing the drinks, according to a news release from the Justice Department. At least one victim was knocked onto the ground from the impact of the beverage container and "many" others were hit.Wilson or Flynn would sometimes get on the police radio and announce "someone was thirsty" or "thirsty fam." Both would also either record their actions on a cell phone from inside the vehicle or instruct another LMPD officer to record from a vehicle following closely behind and then show the videos to other officers in the unit.Wilson was placed on administrative light duty in October 2019 and resigned in July 2020 related to another criminal investigation. Flynn was put on administrative light duty in June 2021 and resigned from the department the day he pleaded guilty, according to LMPD Chief Erika Shields.Shields in a statement apologized to those affected by their conduct and said she's initiating a Professional Standards Unit investigation to determine other officers' level of knowledge or involvement."I want to make it clear to everyone the actions of former detectives Flynn and Wilson are reprehensible, sickening and do not reflect the core values of LMPD. Their behavior was demoralizing and dehumanizing to the victims," she said.Officer extorted women for compromising photosWilson, one of the officers who pled guilty in the drink-throwing conspiracy, also pled guilty to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, another federal charge. In the fall of 2020, Wilson used an electronic communication service to harass, intimidate and cause emotional distress to at least six women.As part of the conspiracy, he hacked computer applications belonging to the women to steal compromising" photos, videos and other information that he would then threaten to publish unless they provided additional compromising material to him, according to a news release from the Justice Department.Wilson, combined with the charge for conspiring to violate civil rights, faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. He will be sentenced Sept. 30 in both cases.Aaron Ambers, the officer who punched a protester in the face:An officer caught on video punching a protester in the face during an arrest in April 2021 is under federal investigation.Aaron Ambers was exonerated by an internal Professional Standards Unit investigation released in March.