Huerta will not face federal charges, since a federal prosecutor decided to dismiss the charges "without prejudice."
By H. Nelson Goodson
May 16, 2013
Milwaukee, WI - On Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric O'Neil decided to dismiss federal charges "without prejudice" against Milwaukee Police Detective Willie Huerta, 39, who was accused of providing police inside information and protection services to his cousin, Julio Cruz, 42, a suspected drug dealer. O'Neil can re-file charges at a later time against Huerta.
Huerta remains under paid suspension from the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
An informant alleged that Cruz bragged that he had an inside MPD source who provided him with vital police operations intelligence and protected him from getting busted for drugs.
Cruz, his drug supplier and another suspect have been indicted for cocaine trafficking.
Det. Huerta was previously charged by the feds with obstruction of justice for helping to prevent several police officers in early 2011 from using a K-9 dog to search Cruz' tow-truck for drugs, which the truck had an ounce of cocaine and marijuana hidden, according to an informant.
