FBI Agent Found Probable Cause That Ex-Judge Cook Possessed Drugs With Intent To Distribute
From the Madison County Record
Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Julie Neiger found probable cause to believe former St. Clair County judge Michael Cook possessed drugs with intent to distribute them and conspired to distribute them, she swore last year.
An affidavit she signed on April 9, 2013, portrayed Cook as partner of heroin dealer Sean McGilvery rather than customer as their eventual guilty pleas would indicate.
It shows AT&T provided McGilvery’s records on March 11, 2013, a day after St. Clair County associate judge Joe Christ died at Cook’s hunting lodge near Pittsfield.
Neiger filed the affidavit to obtain a warrant for satellite tracking of Cook’s cell phone.
She asked for a 30 day delay in notice, writing that immediate notice would give him an opportunity to destroy evidence, change behavior patterns and flee from prosecution.
She filed a similar affidavit on McGilvery, writing that he and Cook communicated on their cell phones more than 2,000 times in a year.
Her affidavits provide evidence of drug dealing beyond the evidence that news outlets reported months ago from Neiger’s affidavit for a warrant to search Cook’s home.
The warrant for the home search involved a drug user owning weapons, while the warrant for tracking involved drug dealing.
The Record found the tracking warrants by conducting an Internet search of Cook’s phone number.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Madison County Record
Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Julie Neiger found probable cause to believe former St. Clair County judge Michael Cook possessed drugs with intent to distribute them and conspired to distribute them, she swore last year.
An affidavit she signed on April 9, 2013, portrayed Cook as partner of heroin dealer Sean McGilvery rather than customer as their eventual guilty pleas would indicate.
It shows AT&T provided McGilvery’s records on March 11, 2013, a day after St. Clair County associate judge Joe Christ died at Cook’s hunting lodge near Pittsfield.
Neiger filed the affidavit to obtain a warrant for satellite tracking of Cook’s cell phone.
She asked for a 30 day delay in notice, writing that immediate notice would give him an opportunity to destroy evidence, change behavior patterns and flee from prosecution.
She filed a similar affidavit on McGilvery, writing that he and Cook communicated on their cell phones more than 2,000 times in a year.
Her affidavits provide evidence of drug dealing beyond the evidence that news outlets reported months ago from Neiger’s affidavit for a warrant to search Cook’s home.
The warrant for the home search involved a drug user owning weapons, while the warrant for tracking involved drug dealing.
The Record found the tracking warrants by conducting an Internet search of Cook’s phone number.
Read more in our daily News Update...