Two veteran Chicago police officers were indicted on separate charges that each extorted payoffs from a tow truck driver in return for steering business to him.



The two -- Deavalin Page, 46, and Francis Zoller, 43, who were both assigned to the South Chicago police district – were snared in an undercover FBI probe code-named Operation Tow Scam in which seven other additional officers already have been convicted.



The tow truck driver who made cash payoffs to Page and Zoller was working undercover with federal authorities. The extortions allegedly took place between November 2007 and January 2008.



Page, a 19-year police veteran, and Zoller, who has been with the department for about 17 years, both pleaded not guilty in federal court to attempted extortion charges and were freed on bond. Booking photos were not available.



Zoller was also charged with mail fraud after he allegedly created a false police report about a car accident that never happened. He later accepted a $2,000 payoff for participating in the insurance scheme, the charges alleged. He also has pleaded not guilty to that charge.



Both officers were relieved of their police duties sometime ago, but were still employees of the Police Department as of Friday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office. The department declined comment on their status.



Under Operation Tow Scam, two tow truck drivers and a third individual have been convicted in addition to the seven Chicago police officers.



jmdelgado@tribune.com