2016 The Associated Press. 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. Inside new mortgage fee rules, Retaining wall collapses in the Bronx due to severe weather. 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. He will be assisted in finding a job and housing. A few months after the 2012 assault, the man caught with the duffel bag, Christopher Loeb, told investigators that Mr. Burke had beaten him, prompting a federal civil rights investigation. The new facility, also known as a "residential reentry center" is meant to "provide assistance to inmates who are nearing release," according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website. 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. A Bag of Sex Toys, an Alleged Cover-Up and an Ex-D.A. on Trial 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. Loeb was charged with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and other charges and pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in April 2019. A Bag of Sex Toys, an Alleged Cover-Up and an Ex-D.A. With time served, he'll spend 35 months behind bars. Prosecutors said that Burke has two brothers who can care for their mother, and that one of the brothers was already living in her home, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported. Burke became chief of the Suffolk County Police Department in 2012 after having served for nearly a decade as the chief investigator for Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota. "Your abuse of power and the public's trust is appalling. He had subordinates conduct surveillance on his girlfriends, prosecutors said. But, "If you did anything wrong in any way, he would persecute you, transfer you and ruin your career.". Also in the bag was a gun belt and ammo. We are honored to serve and protect the residents of Suffolk County. But defense attorneys insist that the plea deal is not a cooperation agreement. That's corruption.". As your Sheriff, I have made it my priority to protect public safety, speak up and against the grain to do what I know . 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. All Rights Reserved. Spokespeoplefor Suffolk police and the county declined to comment, saying they could not discuss pending litigation. Mr. Hickey had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice, and Mr. Krantz said that he was testifying only to spare himself a harsh prison sentence. James Burke (police officer) - Wikipedia We don't know.". Burke is expected to be sentenced to 51 months in prison, according to a plea deal with the US Attorney. They said he kept liquor in his office and regularly drove drunk. Inside new mortgage fee rules, Retaining wall collapses in the Bronx due to severe weather. Convicted Police Chief Released From Solitary: Sources "If you were with Burke, he treated you like gold, and you got tons of overtime," Trotta said. Burke pleaded guilty to the charges and served time in prison. Here is the full text of Burke's plea statement: "On December 14, 2012, I was the Chief of the Suffolk County Police Department. One lied in court and said the attack had not happened. Suffolk County Police Department - Wikipedia Both men started serving their prisonsentences early this year. Officers subpoenaed by FBI agents investigating the 2012 beating were interrogated afterward about whether they had talked, prosecutors said. Last month he was released from custody and transferred to a halfway house in New York City, Newsday reports. Suffolk County man sues police department for exposing corruption after Some were warned that if they admitted wrongdoing, their union would not pay their legal fees. on Trial, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/nyregion/thomas-spota-corruption-trial.html. "Our investigation is ongoing," the US attorney said. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. When Mr. Burke entered the interrogation room, Mr. Loeb was handcuffed and chained to an eyebolt fastened to the floor, according to prosecutors. N.J. Burkett has the latest details from Long Island. Federal prosecutors have indicated other charges may be looming for accomplices who helped cover up the crime. "You saw what we did to him, this is what we are going to do to you.". The opioid was taped under a shelf inside the personal locker of Burke, who was sentenced in November to 46 months in the slammer for the beatdown of a prisoner and a cover-up of the assault. 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 presentencing letter. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, names the county, the police department and officers Shawn Petersen, Erik Pedersen, Frank Santanello, Mathew Kenneally and Glen Ritchie as defendants. Burkes Manhattan lawyer, John Meringolo, denied that drugs were found in Burkes locker. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. To prove Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland were guilty of obstruction, according to the defense, the government must show the two men knew they were asking others to lie. Former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke Sentenced to Federal Prison Former Suffolk Police Chief Accused of Assault, Covering up Federal Investigation Last month he was released from. This story has been shared 234,419 times. 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. The police unions on Long Island are so wealthy they have formed a super PAC to flood local elections with campaign donations. Thats something out of the K.G.B., a prosecutor said at Mr. Burkes bail hearing in 2015. In what has been called an "unusual move," he was then criminally prosecuted by Spota and McPartland. He stole a duffel bag inside the vehicle that included a fake penis, a stash of porn and a box of cigars, according to court papers. In 2012, Christopher . 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. A federal prosecutor involved in the case declined to comment Tuesday. Loeb drove across lawns to evade police, and motorists told police that he drove atmore than 100 mphon Patchogue-Mount Sinai Road, sometimes on the wrong side of the road, until he stopped at a gas station in Islandia and ran into the woods. U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Wexler said Burke's crimes went beyond the beating and affected the entire 2,000-member police department. Former Suffolk County, New York, Police Chief James Burke was sentenced Wednesday to 46 months in federal prison after covering up the revenge beating of a man who stole a duffel bag. All Rights Reserved. A police helicopter located him crouching under a tree and a police dog retrieved him, according to prosecutors. 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. He was released last summer. Anyone can read what you share. The man whose 2012 beating by Suffolk police led to prison terms for ex-Chief of Department James Burke and former District Attorney Thomas Spota alleges in a federal lawsuit that he was physically beat, terrorized and threatened by officers during a 2019 arrest. Topics you care about, straight to your inbox. By the end of 2013, the investigation had stalled and no criminal charges had been filed because Mr. Spota, Mr. McPartland and others had pressured witnesses to lie under oath and to withhold information from investigators, prosecutors said. The case is a rare instance in which a district attorney is the one on trial. "RRCs help inmates gradually rebuild their ties to the community and facilitate supervising ex-offenders' activities during this readjustment phase. Copyright 2023 by The Associated Press. 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. My client denies all allegations. The former chief pleaded guilty to reduced charges in February 2016.[1]. Ex-Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke Sentenced To 46 Months In That accusation is a baseless and damnable lie, Mr. Spotas lawyer, Alan M. Vinegrad, said in his opening statement. County officials said Chief James Burke turned in his resignation, which is. And we are here today because no one is above the law.. Former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke apologized to his victim, the judge, his family and residents of his Long Island community before being sentenced to 46 months Wednesday by. Disgraced police chief busted with oxycodone in jail cell - New York Post Officers subpoenaed by FBI agents investigating the 2012 beating were brought in and interrogated about whether they had talked, prosecutors said. SCPD members who witnessed the assault came under direct and extreme pressure from the defendants and others to conceal it, prosecutors said. CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. The former police chief of Suffolk County pleaded guilty on Friday to federal charges stemming from accusations that he beat a suspect in custody, threatened . A federal prosecutor involved in the case declined to comment Tuesday. Detectives and sergeants have been known to earn more than $200,000 a year. He fought aggressively to expose sexual abuse by Catholic priests and was widely praised for prosecuting corrupt officials in both parties. 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. He had subordinates conduct surveillance on his girlfriends, prosecutors said. During the corruption trial, which is expected to last four weeks, several current and former Suffolk County police officers will appear as witnesses. This week, Mr. Spota goes on trial along with one of his top deputies, Christopher McPartland, in a case that could expose the inner workings of a law enforcement culture on Long Island plagued by longstanding accusations of corruption. 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. James Burke is former Police Chief in Suffolk County, New York. Larry H. Krantz, Mr. McPartlands lawyer, on Thursday called Mr. Hickey a delusional and paranoid alcoholic whose memories could not be trusted, saying he would show Mr. Hickeys hospital records during trial. Those efforts continued even after the F.B.I. At one meeting in 2015, Mr. Spota said that any police officers who flipped were dead and would never work in Suffolk County again, the filing said. Two Suffolk County criminal intelligence officers involved in the 2012 arrest of a Smithtown man convicted of taking a duffel bag out of former police chief James Burke's department-issued vehicle . Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Sources say Bellone didn't want a security detail, but Burke told him there was a threat against him so he had one for a few months in 2012. Burke.). You told me my word was no good against that of a decorated police chief, said Loeb, who is serving a sentence for a parole violation. Prosecutors called Burke's time as chief a "reign of terror.". 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. 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. prison terms for ex-Chief of Department James Burke. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. At that point, prosecutors said, Mr. Burke went out of control, screaming and cursing at Loeb and assaulting him until a detective finally said, Boss, thats enough, thats enough.. Suffolk Police Department | Suffolk, VA James Burke, Ex-Suffolk County Police Chief, Pleads Guilty "I think that it's the beginning of the end of corruption. Compared with those in other departments, officers in the Suffolk agency are well paid, making $125,000 in base pay. Former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke Sentenced to 46 Months He was promoted to sergeant in 1991, when he was 26, and reportedly had Spota's ear. Mr. Burke, the former police chief, once asked to install a surveillance device on another police officials car because, according to the government, he disliked her and wanted to see whether he could dig up dirt that could be used to end her career. who is james burke suffolk county police chief corruption long island Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland are also accused of requiring police witnesses to hire people from a list of lawyers who were expected to share information with Mr. Burkes legal team, prosecutors said. In a statement Tuesday, the agency said that for privacy reasons the department does not discuss whether a particular inmate is or has been the subject of allegations, investigations, or sanctions for misconduct in prison.. 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. Internal Affairs reports also found Burke had engaged in sexual acts in police vehicles and had a sexual relationship with a convicted felon. After 37 years, Suffolk County's police commissioner is retiring - WSHU Hell be vindicated, he said. 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. 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. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. 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. We've received your submission. A Suffolk County Police Officer begins the job at a salary of $42,000 per annum. Bellone responded in a statement: I am not surprised to learn of these additional corrupt activities as this is why I fired Jim Burke and called on Tom Spota to resign for running a criminal enterprise. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland have pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts, including witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. "We will seek to hold accountable anyone who violates another's civil rights or attempts to obstruct justice.". I think we still have a long way to go," said Trotta, who spoke at the sentencing. By: News 12 Staff / A former high-ranking member of the Suffolk Police Department testifying in the trial of former Suffolk District Attorney Tom Spota and his chief investigator said Wednesday he was demoted by James Burke when Burke became police chief. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. James Burke, left, former chief of the Suffolk County Police Department, is taken into custody by FBI agents outside his home in Smithtown on Dec. 9, 2015. Credit: James Carbone By Robert E . Christopher Loeb speaks to the media after former Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota and top aide Christopher McPartland were found guilty on all felony charges at federal court in Central Islip in December2019. she said. Former Suffolk Chief of Department James Burke pleaded guilty in 2016 to violating Loebs civil rights after admitting that he assaulted Loeb in a police precinct in 2012 and orchestrated a departmental cover-up of the beating. All Rights Reserved. (TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. One lied in court and said the attack had not happened. CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) --A former Long Islandpolice chief charged withbeating a handcuffed manfor stealing embarrassing items from his department vehicle and then covering it up was sentenced to 46 months in prison Wednesday. The man whose 2012 beating by Suffolk police led to prison terms for ex-Chief of Department James Burke and former District Attorney Thomas Spota alleges in a federal lawsuit that he was . Burke was furious after Loeb, then a self-admitted drug addict, broke into his vehicle and stole items, including his gun belt, Viagra, pornography and sex toys, federal prosecutors charged in a trial of Spota and his then-former aide, Christopher McPartland. "He's doing much better these days," Cassar said. Mr. Burkes lawyer said at the time that the surveillance was part of a legitimate investigation into whether the officer had been filing false time sheets. "And somebody has to say, 'obviously we're not doing that,' right?" 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. 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. Chief of the Suffolk County Police Department James Burke addresses Suffolk County legislators in Hauppauge on Feb. 2, 2012. Credit: Ed Betz November 18, 2015 Didn't find what you. "James Burke, Ex-Suffolk County Police Chief, Pleads Guilty", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Burke_(police_officer)&oldid=1116850381, This page was last edited on 18 October 2022, at 17:26.
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