Episode 072: Juan Jackson – Corrupt Cops, Operation Shattered Shield (Part 1)

June 29, 2017March 4, 2022Drugs and Gangs, Public Corruption, True Crime, Undercover Agents6 Comments

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Retired agent Juan Jackson served with the FBI for 24 years. Most of his Bureau career was spent as an undercover agent working dangerous assignments in New York, Miami, Atlanta and cities throughout the country. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, Juan Jackson is interviewed about his long term undercover role as “J. J.” a drug kingpin in the FBI Group I undercover case – Operation Shattered Shield.

Juan, as his alter ego J. J., hired corrupt members of the New Orleans Police Department to protect his large-scale cocaine operation.

The dirty police officers maintained around-the-clock guard duty at the warehouse where the drugs were stored. During the investigation, monitors overheard officers repeatedly threatening violence against J. J. and his couriers. The case ended abruptly when the FBI wiretap also revealed that one of the officers, Len Davis, had ordered a hit-man to murder a woman who had filed a police brutality complaint against him. In addition to murder, Davis, his partner Sammie Williams and more than 20 other officers were convicted of extorting bribes and offering protection to a drug dealer. Juan Jackson received the New Orleans Police Department’s Medal of Valor for his contributions to Operation Shattered Shield. Post retirement, Juan Jackson has worked as director of security for several NBA teams. Currently, he is Director of Team Security for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Special Agent (Retired)

Juan Jackson

7/10/1983 – 12/10/2007

The following are links to newspaper articles and TV shows and documentaries about Operation Shattered Shield, the FBI’s long term undercover operation, designed to combat police corruption in the often troubled New Orleans Police Department:

FBI Files – Shattered Shield episode – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDWImuWeH54

The Times of Picayune – Len Davis, eight other New Orleans police officers, charged in drug sting

The Advocate – A murder 20 years ago marked low point for NOPD | News

FRONTLINE: law & disorder: FBI Agents To Monitor New Orleans Police | PBS

Juan Jackson received the Medal of Valor from New Orleans Superintendent of Police Edwin P. Compass for his contributions to Operation Shattered Shield.

Photo of Juan Jackson with FBI Director Louie Freeh. The inscription reads, “Dear Juan – My best wishes and appreciation for your outstanding efforts on behalf of the FBI and the nation.” Louie Freeh

Listen to more case reviews about FBI undercover operations here.

Jerri Williams

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Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, jokes that she writes about the FBI to relive her glory days. After 26 years with the Bureau specializing in major economic fraud and corruption investigations, she calls on her professional encounters with scams and schemers to write police procedurals inspired by true crime FBI cases in her Philadelphia FBI Corruption Squad crime fiction series featuring flawed female FBI agent Kari Wheeler. Jerri’s FBI for Armchair Detectives nonfiction series enables readers to discover who the FBI is and what the FBI does by debunking misconceptions about the FBI in books, TV, and movies. Her books are available as ebooks, paperbacks, and audiobooks wherever books are sold. She’s also the host of FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast with more than 300 episodes available on all popular podcast apps and YouTube.