A lawsuit against the village of Schaumburg claims that two police officers recently accused of corruption improperly raided a man's home as part of a pattern of illegal conduct allowed by the department.

The man who filed the suit, Kelley Altom, contends that police trumped up evidence against him in order to secure a warrant for an illegal search of his home. Altom, 41, was charged with felony possession and production of marijuana as a result of the 2011 raid, but the charges were later dropped.

The suit stems from the criminal case announced Jan. 17 against Schaumburg officers Terrance O'Brien, Matthew Hudak and John Cichy, who have since resigned. They were charged with conspiracy to steal drugs and money from drug dealers numerous times while on duty.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court, broadens the potential implications of the criminal case. The suit alleges that poor oversight by the police department allowed the illegal conduct. If proved true, the suit's claims would also extend the timeline of the alleged criminal activity.

Prosecutors have said that O'Brien admitted that the officers had been stealing drugs and money for nine months. The suit claims that the wrongdoing occurred more than a year earlier.

Officers raided Altom's home on Feb. 24, 2011, and arrested him. They announced that they seized nearly five pounds of marijuana they found growing in the home and at another residence in Hoffman Estates.

Charges against Altom were dismissed five months later after Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Fecarotta Jr. ruled the search warrant was insufficient and inadmissible.

The lawsuit alleges that during the raid, Hudak and O'Brien pointed their guns at Altom's head and violently shoved him to the ground, using unreasonable force.

Though the search warrant was for the Schaumburg home, the suit states, Hudak falsely claimed that Altom said he lived in his grandmother's home in Hoffman Estates to justify the search there.

The officers removed about $5,000 from the Hoffman Estates home but inventoried only $2,820 and took the rest, the suit states.

Altom's attorney, Louis Meyer, said the department "should have had a better tracking system to say there's a red flag with these officers."

Schaumburg Village Manager Ken Fritz on Tuesday said he couldn't comment on the suit specifically but noted that the criminal case against the former officers does not allege any wrongdoing dating back to 2011.

"You have to look at the facts and see if they pan out," Fritz said.

Cichy is not named in Altom's civil case, and it's not clear whether he was involved in the raid. Altom's attorneys hope to determine through the suit what other officers were present.

rmccoppin@tribune.com