Courthouse News reports a Chicago man is suing two former police officers and the Village of Schaumburg over a claim that the officers stole $5,000 from the man’s grandmother.

The plaintiff, Kelley Altom further asserts that the officers “essentially ran a robbery ring which entailed illegally entering persons' homes; conducting illegal searches of homes, vehicles, and persons; false arrests; stealing narcotics and money; and engaging in physical abuse, intimidation and threats in order to extort narcotics and money as well as cover up the officers' own illegal conduct."

On January 16, federal agents arrested defendants Matthew Hudak and Terrance O’Brien and accomplice John Cichy for stealing and reselling illegal narcotics obtained during arrests. A Chicago Tribune report says the DEA used an informant to catch the Schamburg officers in the act.

One of the conspirators, O’Brien told the Tribune that he and his buddy cops peddled stolen drugs “for the thrill of it.”

As the officers battle federal charges, Altom’s lawsuit claims he fell victim to the cops’ conspiracy in 2011. He says the Schaumburg officers searched his house without a warrant, stole $5,000 of his grandmother’s money, and “violently shoved” him to the ground. The Cook County Circuit Court charged Altom with marijuana possession, but the charges were dropped in July on grounds that the search was unconstitutional.