One of indicted former Oak Park police officer Mani Adam’s co-defendants entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors last week.
David Wilkins, who along with Donald Brown was charged in the Dec. 9, 2004, hijacking of a semi-trailer truckload of plasma-screen televisions, signed a plea agreement July 27 in which he acknowledges his guilt on one of two counts and implicates Adams as a co-conspirator who he claims agreed to store the stolen merchandise for a cut of the profits.
Wilkens, who faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the single count, has agreed to testify for the prosecution in any trial related to the case. His sentencing on the charge will be postponed until Adams’ and Brown’s criminal cases are resolved. Both Adams and Brown have court dates on Friday, Aug. 18.
Wilkins admits participating in the planning and execution of the theft of a fully loaded semi-trailer from the Averitt Express truck depot in Burbank. That theft drew the attention of Oak Park police after Brown, who was driving the truck, struck a telephone pole at the south end of the alley behind Adams’ home in the 1100 block of Highland Avenue and became wedged in.
Wilkens stated in his plea agreement that he and Brown had arranged to store the stolen electronics in Adams’ garage.
Adams, Wilkens contends, had agreed to the use of his garage for a cut of the profits, which Wilkens hoped would be “over $100,000.”
In related news, Adams recently placed his home up for sale. Adams had earlier this year taken a $103,000 second mortgage out on the house. The Adams are asking $539,000 for the four-bedroom, 3 bath house, which they purchased in 2004 for $376,000.
-Bill Dwyer
