'American Gangster' Lucas Sued By Officers He Accused of Corruption

October 23, 2008— -- Nine former Drug Enforcement Administration agents and three former New York City detectives have filed suit against convicted dope lord 'American Gangster' Frank Lucas and New York Magazine charging they were libeled by Lucas' assertions that the narcotics officers stole "9 to 10 million dollars" during a search of his posh home in 1975.

This is the second attempt the agents have made to sue over Lucas related allegations. An earlier suit against NBC Universal was dismissed by the federal court in New York. It charged the agents were defamed in the closing credits of the movie "American Gangster" which asserted that the narcotics cops involved in the Lucas case were corrupt. The suit is currently on appeal.

As the final credits rolled on the flick starring Denzel Washington as the Harlem drug thug Lucas, a screen appears that states that three-quarters of the drug enforcement agents assigned to New York were convicted as a result of Lucas' cooperation with "outcast cop" Richie Roberts, portrayed by Russell Crowe in the movie. There were no such convictions, Drug Enforcement Administration officials told ABCNews.com.

The latest suit has been brought in New York State Supreme Court and asserts that by printing Lucas' remarks, New York magazine's current and past publishers (New York Media and PRIMEDIA respectively), Lucas, and journalist Mark Jacobson libeled the agents and detectives who had entered as evidence in the case against Lucas $585,000 they said was seized in the search of his home. The search was a key element in the prosecution that resulted in Lucas' subsequent conviction of dealing narcotics and related crimes and sentence of 40 years in prison.

"They said we stole a lot of money, that is utterly ridiculous," said retired NYPD Det. James Haefner. "We were very straight guys. Look, you know as well as I do that in every bunch there are some bad apples. But we were all good apples and it is a shame that we are getting kicked around by a guy who is a dope dealer. He is not a nice man."