Four Highland Park officers named in bribery, drug trafficking federal investigation

(WXYZ) - Four Highland Park Police Officers have been named in a federal investigation and criminal complaint.

Friday the US Attorney's Office held a press conference naming officers Anthony Bynum, Price Montgomery, Shawn Williams and Craig Clayton for Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine, Bribery and Carrying a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

The four were arrested Thursday evening.

A criminal complaint by the US District Court says the FBI and Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force have been investigating the four officers since August 2012.

An FBI undercover investigation began after two of the four officers arrested and physically assaulted a man for allegedly carrying a firearm. They are also accused of stealing jewelry and $1,700 in cash from the arrested individual, according to the complaint.

The arrested individual became a confidential source for the FBI and offered the two officers $10,000 in cash bribes to not appear as witnesses in his jury trial. The officers allegedly accepted the bribe.

The complaint also says the two officers allegedly agreed to transport and protect what they believed to be a shipment of two kilograms of cocaine.

In December of 2012 they also accused of accepting $1,500 in cash after transporting the cocaine for the confidential source they believed to be a drug trafficker.

On January 23 the two officers, in addition to two more they recruited, allegedly protected and transported what they believed to be an another shipment of four kilograms of cocaine. Each of the four officers are accused of accepting between $1,000 and $1,500 in cash to do so.

Sources tell 7 Action News Bynum was hired with the Detroit Public Schools just this past September. They also say Montgomery did work for the Detroit Public Schools but was suspended then fired for overtime fraud. He also worked as a personal security guard for former DPS Emergency Manager Robert Bobb.