Ronald E. Nash died at Little Company of Mary Hospital on Sunday 10/11/2015 after becoming ill.
As a detective, Ronnie Nash was once the partner of retired Chicago's Alderman Fast Eddie Vrdolyak`s brother, Victor, who also became an Chicago Alderman of the 10th Ward following his retirement from the police department.
The Nash, Braasch, Tash club of the Chicago Police Department was infamous!
Retired Chicago Police Captain Ronald E Nash Gets 4-year Prison Term for Bribes in Mob's Chop Shop Operation - April 26, 1989|By John Gorman
Lamenting that the ``tragedy of a fallen police officer is a tragedy for the community,`` a federal judge Tuesday sentenced a highly decorated Chicago police captain to 4 years in prison for taking bribes to help an auto theft ring operated by undercover FBI agents.
U.S. District Court Judge William Hart told former Capt. Ronald E. Nash that he had taken into account ``his heroics, his record, his alcoholism, his age and his family`` before deciding to impose the minimum sentence. Hart also fined Nash $800.
In a dramatic plea moments earlier, Nash fought back tears as he apologized for his crimes.
``I`m sorry for what I did to the job, and I`m sorry for what I did to my family,`` Nash said, as family members sat holding hands in the audience. ``AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) has shown me how to deal with some of this, but I`ll have to deal with this the rest of my life.``
In asking for probation, Nash`s attorney, William Martin, recalled the day 31 years ago when Nash was critically wounded after he interrupted two burglars breaking into a South Side building. After suffering four bullet wounds, Nash killed the two burglars.
``For that he received the city`s highest award for heroism,`` Martin said. ``While my family and I have been safe for every day since, Ronald Nash has put on his uniform and put his life on the line . . . a thankless tough and dirty job.``
Assistant U.S. Atty. James Fleissner conceded that Nash was a ``legend``
in the Police Department who rose to the rank of captain faster than anyone in the department`s history, but the prosecutor accused Nash of ``making a mockery`` out of the department slogan, ``We serve and protect.``
``He served and protected the criminal enterprise, not the citizens of Chicago,`` Fleissner said.
In asking for probation, Martin asked Hart to look ``at the entirety of the man`s career . . . (a career during which) he genuinely was a hero . . . Show me a hero and I`ll show you a tragedy.``
Though acknowledging that alcoholism was not an excuse, Martin termed Nash`s dependence on drink as ``a gigantic factor in understanding this case.``
Martin said that during the period that Nash was on the take, he was drinking so much that he left his gun at home, he avoided driving and he delegated his responsibilities as a watch commander to a lieutenant.
Fleissner, however, argued that the six-month period outlined in the indictment reflected ``an accurate slice of the defendant`s life.``
Fleissner said that although Nash took only $800, ``the small amount of money is an aggravating factor because this high-ranking officer sold himself so cheaply.``
Nash and three other officers were charged with taking bribes and filing false auto theft reports in connection with the phony auto theft operation.
Nash was paid $800 in bribes for helping to prepare false auto theft reports and for checking out the names and addresses of cars targeted by the auto theft ring.
In January, 1987, Nash accepted two $100 bribes to help the theft of cars and one $100 bribe for providing the ring with information to help collect a debt. In March, 1987, Nash took a $500 bribe to aid the ring in stealing a $20,000 truck, Fleissner said.
Nash and the other police officers allegedly collected the bribes at a storefront sting operation, known as Willoden Inc., 14032 S. Kostner Ave., Crestwood, that was run by the FBI and the secretary of state`s office. The other officers are awaiting trial.
In the investigation, dubbed Operation Chi-rings, the undercover agents posed as salvage operators who dealt in stolen cars and stolen parts.
Nash`s career, while acclaimed, was marred by controversy that included civil rights complaints and violations of department rules.
In 1970, he was suspended for three days for submitting a faulty police report about an accident in a police car he was driving. In 1979, while commander of a West Side district where merchants credited him with cutting crime in half, Nash was dumped by Mayor Jane Byrne in a purge of allies of Edward Vrdolyak, then her political enemy.
As a detective, Nash was once the partner of Vrdolyak`s brother, Victor, a former police officer and now 10th Ward alderman.
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