The horrors the two men endured—as well as the text messages and other details in this report—were included in the federal court document filed on July 31. The six officers were charged with a combined 13 felonies in connection with “the torture and physical abuse” of the two men that night, the Justice Department said in a news release. The officers, who had been fired or had resigned after the incident, pleaded guilty to all charges against them in federal court last Thursday.
Some of the officers involved even called themselves “The Goon Squad” because of their willingness to “use excessive force” and not report it, according to the federal document.
The former officers also pleaded guilty Monday to state charges. All six faced a charge of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, four with obstruction of justice in the first degree, two were charged with home invasion, and one with aggravated assault.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said, “No human being should ever be subjected to the kind of torturous, traumatizing and horrific acts of violence that were carried out by these law enforcement officers.”