), First published on November 2, 2016 / 5:48 PM. A union official falsely told several officers Burke and other high-ranking Suffolk County law enforcement authorities had obtained copies of FBI memos containing the names of people speaking with investigators. There were some bombshells dropped Thursday in the obstruction of justice trial of former Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota and his top aide Christopher McPartland, including an allegation that former chief James Burke ordered officers to spy on Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. Loeb, 36, was arrested in March 2019 after police and prosecutors said he tried to run over officers, deliberately crashed into a police car and drove across lawns to get away. Loebs attorney, Christopher Cassar of Huntington, said the alleged 2019 attack was linked to Loeb's efforts to bring Burke and other officials to justice after the 2012 assault. Mr. Burke not only survived that incident but also thrived. It's basically going to show how close Tom Spota and McPartland were to Jimmy Burke, said Oliva. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland have pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts, including witness tampering and obstruction of justice. One lied in court and said the attack had not happened. The man beaten by former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke has filed a second lawsuit stemming from a second incident where he alleges police again used excessive force. Burke . "I think that it's the beginning of the end of corruption. They thought they were above the law, said Justina L. Geraci, an assistant United States attorney in the Eastern District of New York. Leto testified that the spying was under the guise of providing him security. Burkes Manhattan lawyer, John Meringolo, denied that drugs were found in Burkes locker. Loeb later pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and was sentenced to three years in prison; he was released last summer. I cant comment on the false allegations made in the lawsuit, Suffolk Police Benevolent Association President Noel DiGerolamo said, addingLoebs "conduct and behavior" speak for themselves. Former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke to be Transferred to Pennsylvania Prison: Report, Former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke Sentenced to Federal Prison, Former Suffolk Police Chief Accused of Assault, Covering up Federal Investigation. And we are here today because no one is above the law.. Federal prosecutors have signaledthat charges may be looming for accomplices who helped Burke cover up the crime. Before the sentencing, ex-Suffolk County police Chief James Burke apologized to police, the judge, the victim and the people of the community. Late in the afternoon, the jury also heard from Anthony Leto, another former Suffolk police officer who admitted to assaulting suspect Christopher Loeb and covering it up with then-police chief James Burke. Well fortunately today, for the first time in my life, my belief in the justice system has surfaced, because today, defendant Burke, there is law and this is order., First published on November 3, 2016 / 6:33 PM. Burkepleaded guilty to the chargesand had asked to be sentenced to probation so he could take care of his mother, who is battling cancerand is in a wheelchair. The victim, Christopher Loeb, addressed Burke in court. But, Wexler said, "He also did bad if you were not on his side. James Burke is former Police Chief in Suffolk County, New York. Burke and others within the department maneuvered in a backroom plot to sabotage . He was convicted of assaulting a man in 2012 during an interrogation and obstructing a federal investigation. I feel Mr. Burke acted as a dictator, the judge said as the former chief sat stoically with his hands folded in front of his chin. He also forfeited the Jeep. That accusation is a baseless and damnable lie, Mr. Spotas lawyer, Alan M. Vinegrad, said in his opening statement. This accreditation signifies a compliance with higher standards of practice and enforcement of policies that are focused on community-based policing, a commitment to excellence and resource management, and sound training practices. On Wednesday, former officer Kenneth Bombace, who admitted to assaulting suspect Christopher Loeb with Burke, testified he covered it up because Suffolk police officers feared a fate similar to Oliva's if they ever crossed Burke. With some 2,700 sworn officers and over 600 civilian members, the department is one of the largest in the region. SCPD members who witnessed the assault came under direct and extreme pressure from the defendants and others to conceal it, prosecutors said. prison terms for ex-Chief of Department James Burke. He was promoted to sergeant in 1991, when he was 26, and reportedly had Spota's ear. Burke's mentor, Spotawas sentenced to serve five years in prison in August 2021 after a jury found him and McPartlandguilty in December 2019 of witness tampering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy for their role in the cover-up. The case was notorious on Long Island. My client denies all allegations. Suffolk County has a custom, policy, pattern and/or practice of permitting, ratifying and acquiescing to the use of excessive force against the plaintiff because the plaintiff was a target of the defendants as a result of the plaintiff exposing corruption and the use of excessive force within the Suffolk County Police Department in a prior civil rights action against the county of Suffolk, the complaint said. Prosecutors said the woman grabbed her dog and dived on a neighbors lawn to avoid getting hit. Since the federal inquiry into Mr. Burkes actions began some three years ago, investigators have expanded their inquiries and are now examining the workings of the Police Department and the district attorneys office. He noted that more than 80 people had written letters seeking leniency and calling Burke a good man who helped many people in a 31-year career. In 2013, he had a contractor illegally put a GPS device on a high-ranking civilian police official he disliked, hoping to gather information that he could use for blackmail, according to the pre-sentencing letter. Their lawyers on Thursday placed the blame squarely on Mr. Burke. The Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) is a local civilian agency established in 1960, and covers 5 out of the 10 towns in the county, them being: . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. But new allegations against Burke kept coming, including one that he brazenly sent a group text to 10 other cops asking them to cover up the case, and that he somehow Burke had access to secret grand jury deliberations in the case. The once popular and swaggering chief of the Suffolk County Police Department, James Burke, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on Wednesday for a series of misdeeds that. In the 2012 incident that led to his downfall, witnesses testified he went out of control after the handcuffed suspect called him a pervert during an interrogation - punching, screaming and cursing and threatening to kill him with a heroin overdose. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. Former Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer was stunned to have found the remains of four young women on an isolated stretch of Long Island's Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach.. A Suffolk County police scandal involving a beating and coverup now spills into the local prosecutor's office. Its all part of a corruption case involving a former Long Island district attorney. During the same meeting, Mr. Spota, Mr. McPartland and Mr. Burke discussed who was a rat and directed a police officer to remind other officers what happened to people who go against the administration.. CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. -- A suburban New York police chief who orchestrated a department cover-up after beating a handcuffed man for stealing embarrassing items from his SUV has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison. Most of Thursdays testimony centered on John Oliva a Suffolk police officer under Burke who was transferred out of an elite gang unit and wiretapped when he was suspected of leaking information to the media. James Burke, Ex-Suffolk County Police Chief, Pleads Guilty, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/27/nyregion/james-burke-ex-suffolk-county-police-chief-guilty-plea.html, saying he posed a danger to the community, leaving his handgun with the woman, Newsday reported. on Trial, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/nyregion/thomas-spota-corruption-trial.html. The defense accused the government of turning Mr. Burkes longtime friendship with Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland into a crime, saying the conversations that the three men had during the federal investigation did not rise to the level of obstruction of justice. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Thats corruption.. Mr. Spota and Mr. Burke have been close for decades, and the district attorney helped Mr. Burke secure his job as the top officer for much of Long Island, despite a sometimes checkered history. 2016 The Associated Press. Questions of Burke's fitness to lead surfaced as far back as 1995, when he was found guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer for twice failing to safeguard his weapon. Compared with those in other departments, officers in the Suffolk agency are well paid, making $125,000 in base pay. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Burke pleaded guilty in February 2016 to obstruction of justice and violating the civil rights of prisoner Christopher Loeb, a self-admitted heroin addict who had broken into his department-issued SUV in December 2012. Prior to Spota's trial, the feds were probing then Suffolk police chief James Burke for beating a handcuffed suspect who was charged with stealing the angry chief's duffel bag, full of the chief's nifty playthings. A police helicopter located him crouching under a tree and a police dog retrieved him, according to prosecutors. He has asked for no prison time because he says his mother is dying of cancer. He was named chief in 2012, the highest-ranking uniformed position in the department, which, like New York Citys, is led by a civilian commissioner. "RRCs help inmates gradually rebuild their ties to the community and facilitate supervising ex-offenders' activities during this readjustment phase. The heart and soul of the governments case rests on the credibility of one witness, Mr. Krantz said. But, Wexler said, "He also did bad if you were not on his side. The bodies of eight women, a man and a toddler have been found on or near Gilgo Beach since 1996. In May 2013 the FBI and the US Attorney's Office opened an investigation into alleged actions by Burke when employed as Chief of the Suffolk County Police Department: the alleged assault of a suspect in police custody, a subsequent cover-up, and coercion of witnesses. All Rights Reserved. The bag belonged to James Burke, the police chief in Suffolk County, and was stolen from his parked car in December 2012. Feb. 26, 2016. RIVERHEAD, Long Island (WABC) -- The former chief of the Suffolk County Police Department pleaded guilty to charges of deprivation of civil rights and obstruction of justice Friday morning. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland, 55, had each requested sentences that included. During the assault, Loeb was handcuffed and chained to an eyebolt fastened to the floor at the Fourth Precinct. SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. (WABC) -- Suffolk County's police chief resigned Tuesday amid controversy. Im gratified that the truth is finally coming out., Retired Suffolk detective says he feared being targeted by Burke, DAs office, Former Suffolk officer admits he took part in Loeb beating during testimony in Spota trial, Town of Babylon supervisor testifies at Spota, McPartland trial, Prosecutors: Spota, McPartland abused public trust to protect crooked cop friend, Jury selected in former Suffolk DA Spota cover-up trial, Christopher Loeb shows up at ex-DA Spota jury selection in cover-up trial, DA Spota says he never spoke with Bellone about Burke, 2011 letter from Spota denies James Burke misdeeds. In terms of obstructing justice, it is hard to imagine a more serious example of this conduct than the highest-ranking uniform member of the police department assaulting a suspect and then orchestrating a cover-up of his actions for three years during which he suborned perjury and prevented witnesses from telling the truth, U.S. Attorney Robert Capers said in the letter. Memorial Day Events In Smithtown + Complex To Be Build In Commack, Smithtown Police Blotter: 2 Catalytic Converters Swiped, Smithtown Students Learn Safety Tips Through Teddy Bears, Eggs, Take better care of your bones Join HSS for a new webinar on 5/3, JOB Needed as live-in companion/caregiver as of 5/1/23 (Suffolk County), Minimum Wage Would Increase On Long Island Under $229B Budget Deal, Smithtown Area Pets Who Need A Home: Cats, Dogs & More, Chikn-Fixn Opens In Smithtown, Bringing Unorthodox Breading, 6 New Businesses Opening In Smith Haven Mall, Pandemic Pivot: Former Firemen Turn LI Gas Station Into Fishing Shop, Elementary Students, Smithtown School Aide Save Life Of Choking Girl, LI Hockey Player: 'Really Special' To Represent USA In World Juniors. One officer told a federal agent he was a dead man, if that were true, the letter said. After the interrogation, Mr. Burke pressured the detectives who witnessed the assault to conceal it. Charles. Some were warned that if they admitted wrongdoing, their union would not pay their legal fees. Loeb was charged with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and other charges and pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in April 2019. I think we still have a long way to go," said Trotta, who spoke at the sentencing. James Burke is a former Suffolk County Police Chief who got shrouded in accusations of being involved in Long Island serial killings after rumors of his prior involvements with local sex workers came to light, placing him at a possible crime scene. Burke pleaded not guilty in December after being accused of beating a man who broke into his police cruiser in 2012 and then trying to hide the alleged assault. The ex-police chief pleaded guilty last winter in the beating and cover-up. In 2018, Suffolk County agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a federal lawsuit brought by Loeb after the assault by Burke and other officers. But in 2015, the prosecutors started investigating again, issuing grand jury subpoenas to police officers. The governments key cooperating witness is James Hickey, a former top police official in Suffolk County. After Mr. Burke was arrested, Judge Leonard Wexler took the unusual step of denying him bail, saying he posed a danger to the community. In November 2016, former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke was sentenced to 46 months in federal custody. "I feel Mr. Burke acted as a dictator," the judge said as the former chief sat stoically with his hands folded in front of his chin. Capers was seated at the prosecution table during the sentencing but did not immediately comment afterward. Capers was seated at the prosecution table during the sentencing but did not immediately comment afterward. For a few minutes, prosecutors said, Mr. Burke assaulted the suspect, screaming and threatening to kill him until a detective in the room finally said, Boss, thats enough.. In a pre-sentencing letter to Wexler, prosecutors said "high-ranking officials" from other county agencies helped Burke silence potential whistleblowers after he pummeled a heroin addict who had taken his gun belt, ammunition, a box of cigars and a bag containing sex toys and pornography. He was released about 6 months early for good behavior, according to the New York Post. A union official falsely told several officers that Burke and "other high-ranking Suffolk County law enforcement authorities'' had secretly obtained copies of FBI memos containing the names of people speaking with investigators. At that time I, along with others willfully used unreasonable force and slapped and hit this individual causing bodily injury. A commanding officer was assigned to warn witnesses that they could face retribution if they cooperated. In a letter to a judge this week, prosecutors said "high-ranking officials'' from other county agencies helped Burke silence potential whistleblowers after he pummeled a heroin addict who had broken into his SUV and taken his gun belt, ammunition, a box of cigars and a bag containing sex toys and pornography. Thereafter, from approximately December 14, 2012 to December 2015 I was aware that there was a Grand Jury Investigation regarding the violation of Civil Rights being conducted by the United States Attorney's Office. Former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke apologized to his victim, the judge, his family and his Long Island community before being sentenced to 46 months Wednesday. [21] Burke violently assaulted a man in custody who had stolen a duffel bag from Burke's police vehicle. The incident began in Ridge, Suffolk prosecutors said in 2019, after Loeb nearly ran over a woman walking her dog while driving in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. He will be assisted in finding a job and housing. Thomas J. Spota, center, leaving court after being charged with obstruction of justice in 2017. Loeb pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and was sentenced to three years in prison. (Mr. Loeb later received a $1.5 million settlement from the county and a separate confidential settlement from Mr. At that time, I entered a room with others and encountered an individual who had been arrested earlier that morning on suspicion of burglarizing motor vehicles, including my own vehicle. That's corruption.". The police chief pleaded guilty in a separate case, avoiding a trial, and served a jail sentence. On Thursday morning, during opening statements, prosecutors laid out their case that Mr. Spota and his deputy directed a cover-up to protect Mr. Burke, pressuring potential witnesses not to cooperate with the federal investigation into the assault. After 37 years, Suffolk County's police commissioner is retiring Thats something out of the K.G.B., a prosecutor said at Mr. Burkes bail hearing in 2015. Joseph Conway, Mr. Burkes lawyer, later told reporters that he planned to argue for a sentence of less than five years in prison for violating the suspects civil rights and conspiring to obstruct justice. He's remorseful.". and the U.S. attorneys office opened an investigation of the assault in May 2013, according to a statement released by prosecutors announcing Mr. Burkes indictment in December. James Burke was formerly the police chief of the Suffolk County Police Department and previously served in the rank of Inspector as the commanding officer of the police department's Organized Crime Bureau. But, "If you did anything wrong in any way, he would persecute you, transfer you and ruin your career.".
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