Former attorney Richard “Richie” Roberts, known for his role in bringing down Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas, pleaded guilty to tax crimes in April 2017, according to reports surfacing this week as the 2007 film American Gangster, which dramatized his career, gains renewed attention.
Roberts, a former detective with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Essex County Bureau of Narcotics, built his reputation on the successful prosecution of Lucas, who ran a heroin smuggling operation in New York City. The investigation, conducted by Roberts and the detectives of the Z-TEAM – Eddie Jones, Al Spearman and Benny Abruzzo – also uncovered police corruption linked to the drug trade.
The story of Lucas and Roberts was popularized by Ridley Scott’s American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington as Lucas and Russell Crowe as Roberts. The film depicted Roberts’ relentless pursuit of Lucas and the dismantling of his criminal enterprise.
Following Lucas’s incarceration, Roberts transitioned to private practice, eventually representing Lucas as his defense counsel. However, his legal career came to an end with the tax crimes conviction. The investigation that led to the guilty plea was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Roberts’ career began as a detective in Essex County, New Jersey, before he attended Rutgers University and then Seton Hall University School of Law. He subsequently served as an Assistant Prosecutor in Essex County and later headed a narcotics task force. His work as a law enforcement officer and attorney spanned several decades.
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services maintains a list of decertified police officers, though its relevance to Roberts’ case, which originated in New Jersey and involved federal charges, is not immediately clear. The list, current as of February 8, 2023, details officers who have lost their certifications for various reasons.
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