Anyone can read what you share. The federal inquiry has since expanded beyond Mr. Burke to look into a broader pattern of possible corruption in both the police department and the office of the Suffolk County district attorney, Thomas J. Spota. Burke was officially hired by the Suffolk County Police Department in 1986 as a 21-year-old. Mr. Spota, 78, served for more than 15 years as the top prosecutor in Suffolk County, on the eastern end of Long Island. He has sued Burke and the Police Department, seeking damages. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. Before the sentencing, ex-Suffolk County police Chief James Burke apologized to police, the judge, the victim and the people of the community. 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This story has been shared 234,419 times. "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 Ronald Capers said in the letter. Mr. Burke has not cooperated with prosecutors and is not expected to testify at the trial of his former colleagues. 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Geraci, an assistant United States attorney in the Eastern District of New York. 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. Spokespeoplefor Suffolk police and the county declined to comment, saying they could not discuss pending litigation. The next day, he resigned as the Suffolk County district attorney. 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. A police helicopter located him crouching under a tree and a police dog retrieved him, according to prosecutors. . In a pre-sentencing letter, 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. County officials said Chief James Burke turned in his resignation, which is. Mr. Spota had been a longtime mentor and friend of Mr. Burkes. Inside the courtroom, his victim, Christopher Loeb,locked eyes with Burke and said, "You abused your power, and I will never again feel safe living in Suffolk County," 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported. The theft suspect, Christopher Loeb, was arrested after someone broke into the chief's department-issued SUV in 2012 and made off with a gun belt, handcuffs, magazines of ammunition, a box of cigars, humidor and a canvas bag that contained, among other items, sex toys and video pornography, authorities said. SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. (WABC) -- Suffolk County's police chief resigned Tuesday amid controversy. 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. 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. 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. The ex-police chief pleaded guilty last winter in the beating and cover-up. The lawsuit filed by Christopher Loeb on Oct. 21 in the Eastern District of New York in Central Islipalso claims Suffolk officers encouraged, directed and/or permitted a police dog named Brick to attack him, resulting in serious injury. FBI agents arrest the former Suffolk County Chief of Police James Burkeoutside his Smithtown home on Dec. 9, 2015. 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. The victim was a 13-year-old boy who died when other teenagers shoved rocks down his throat. 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. Prosecutors called Burke's time as chief a "reign of terror.". Thats corruption.. At least 11 current or former police officers and detectives who had previously remained silent about the beating testified before the grand jury that indicted Burke. 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. "The charges [from the 2019 incident]were dropped because they were not based in true facts," Cassar said. . Burke . The charges against Mr. Burke stemmed from an episode in December 2012 when Christopher Loeb, a heroin addict who financed his $100-a-day habit by breaking into cars, was arrested on suspicion of stealing a duffel bag stuffed with cigars, pornographic DVDs and sex toys from Mr. Burkes police car. He said that one of those assignments was keeping tabs on newly elected Steve Bellone. 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. 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. When Mr. Spota heard the inquiry was resuming, he went nuts, according to a court filing from the F.B.I. "And somebody has to say, 'obviously we're not doing that,' right?" Prison officials found oxycodone a controlled substance prescribed for pain management in former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burkes cell at the low-security federal lockup in Allenwood, Pa., sources told Newsday. That's corruption.". 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 . U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Wexler said Burke's crimes went beyond the beating and affected the entire 2,000-member police department. "You saw what we did to him, this is what we are going to do to you.". 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. He also forfeited the Jeep. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. Mr. Burke was hoping to to dig up blackmail dirt on her, Mr. Miskiewicz testified, calling the episode something out of the K.G.B.. 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. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. But, Wexler said, "He also did bad if you were not on his side. We are honored to serve and protect the residents of Suffolk County. Witnesses said the chief "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. "I think that it's the beginning of the end of corruption. Topics you care about, straight to your inbox. Last month he was released from custody and transferred to a halfway house in New York City, Newsday reports. All Rights Reserved. "You're talking about a man who is a two-time convicted felon, admitted heroin dealer, who did not make allegations that day that he was beaten up by anybody," he said. 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. 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. 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. He was brought to a precinct house and shackled to the floor. The prostitute, who identified herself as Lee Ann, claimed she had rough sex with Burke. At a court hearing after Mr. Burkes arrest, a federal prosecutor, James Miskiewicz, described a pattern of abuse, including the use of a contractor for the district attorneys office to install a GPS device on a deputy police commissioners car. Prosecutors called Burkes time as chief a reign of terror.. 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 to kill him and then coerced his fellow officers into covering up the misconduct. 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. ", Burke will be able to leave the facility only through a sign-out procedure for "approved activities.". 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. In what has been called an "unusual move," he was then criminally prosecuted by Spota and McPartland. Two years. Welcome to the official website of Suffolk County Sheriff's Office. The Suffolk Police Department is proud to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). 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. The new Suffolk police commissioner, Tim Sini, is a former assistant United States attorney from the Southern District of New York, and he has hired a former federal corruption investigator, John Barry, to review the departments internal affairs files. 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: . I plead guilty, Your Honor, said Mr. Burke, wearing a drab khaki prison uniform. The case was notorious on Long Island. They said he kept liquor in his office and regularly drove drunk. 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 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. Prosecutors will say only that the investigation has widened and that it's not over. During the assault, Loeb was handcuffed and chained to an eyebolt fastened to the floor at the Fourth Precinct. His full sentences was scheduled to be completed in April 2019. 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 . 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. "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. As a result, officers who were present for the beating or heard Burke brag about it at a Christmas party stayed quiet for years, prosecutors said. 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. / CBS New York. 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. Some were warned that if they admitted wrongdoing, their union would not pay their legal fees. Some were warned that if they admitted wrongdoing, their union would not pay their legal fees. 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. Officers subpoenaed by FBI agents investigating the 2012 beating were brought in and interrogated about whether they had talked, prosecutors said. He's remorseful.". 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.. Federal prosecutors said in a pre-sentencing memorandum that the fallen top cops cover-up scheme included the recruiting of high-ranking officials from other county agencies to assist him in the obstruction and to give teeth to his threats.. Copyright 2023 Newsday. Inside new mortgage fee rules, Retaining wall collapses in the Bronx due to severe weather. 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. 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. CENTRAL ISLIP, Long Island -- 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. This page is not available in other languages. Burkes Manhattan lawyer, John Meringolo, denied that drugs were found in Burkes locker. A federal prosecutor involved in the case declined to comment Tuesday. A Suffolk County police scandal involving a beating and coverup now spills into the local prosecutor's office. 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. Compared with those in other departments, officers in the Suffolk agency are well paid, making $125,000 in base pay. Internal Affairs reports also found Burke had engaged in sexual acts in police vehicles and had a sexual relationship with a convicted felon. Both men started serving their prisonsentences early this year. 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. But they were wrong. The FBI in Pennsylvania is investigating the source of the oxycodone, sources said. Burke.). Prosecutors, however, have said in court papers that Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland operated in a manner more akin to criminal enterprise than a district attorneys office.. I have been fighting this corruption in Suffolk County long before Spota was prosecuted and the media began reporting on it. 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. Capers was seated at the prosecution table during the sentencing but did not immediately comment afterward. she said. Federal prosecutors have signaledthat charges may be looming for accomplices who helped Burke cover up the crime. November 3, 2016 / 6:33 PM 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. "There was a level of justice here and that even somebody as high ranking as the chief of police can't engage in that kind of misconduct and that kind of corruption and that kind of coverup and get away with it," said Loeb's lawyer, Bruce Barket. One lied in court and said the attack had not happened. SCPD members who witnessed the assault came under direct and extreme pressure from the defendants and others to conceal it, prosecutors said. Mr. McPartland, 53, was the chief of the offices public corruption unit. As chief of the SCPD, Burke had been involved in the Gilgo Beach investigations, and in fact, had fired Suffolk County Chief of Detectives Dominic Varrone in late 2011 just two days after Gilbert's body was found. Mr. Loeb responded to the thrashing by calling Mr. Burke a pervert and mocking him for the pornography he found in his car, according to federal prosecutors. We've received your submission. Prosecutors painted a miserable picture of a man who thought he had the power to beat up Loeb in front of at least three officers, then allegedly suggest that they give Loeb, a heroin addict, a so-called "hot shot," which is a deadly mix of heroin. From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to you. 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. Robert Trotta, a retired Suffolk County Police detective and now a local legislator, has proposed changes meant to professionalize the department and take out some of the politics. N.J. Burkett has the latest details from Long Island. Anyone can read what you share. Loeb later pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and was sentenced to three years in prison; he was released last summer. NEW YORK, NY - Former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke who was sentenced for assaulting a man and trying to cover it up was released from the federal prison in Pennsylvania earlier this week, according multiple reports. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland have pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts, including witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Witnesses said the chief "went out of control'' after the handcuffed suspect called him a "pervert'' during an interrogation -- punching, screaming, cursing and threatening to kill him with a heroin overdose. 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. Burke also has been tied to the unsolved Gilgo Beach murders on Long Island by a lawyer to one of the victims and a prostitute who claimed the former chief took part in sex parties.. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. One officer told a federal agent that if that were true, "I'm a dead man," the letter said. 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. 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. Thats something out of the K.G.B., a prosecutor said at Mr. Burkes bail hearing in 2015. The assault prompted a federal criminal investigation that lasted more than four years and eventually led to the resignation not only of the police chief but also of the longtime Suffolk County district attorney, Thomas J. Spota, who was accused of trying to cover it up. Officers subpoenaed by FBI agents investigating the 2012 beating were interrogated afterward about whether they had talked, prosecutors said. [21] Burke violently assaulted a man in custody who had stolen a duffel bag from Burke's police vehicle. Their relationship began four decades ago in an unusual way: As a teenager, Mr. Burke testified as a witness in a homicide trial in which Mr. Spota was the prosecutor. 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. Chief Burke grabbed me by my cheeks and hit me on the top of my head, Mr. Loeb testified during his 2013 trial, during which he was found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison. Burke became chief of the Suffolk County Police Department, one of the countrys largest suburban police forces, in 2012 after serving for nearly a decade as chief investigator for Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota. ), First published on November 2, 2016 / 5:48 PM. Before that, Cameron served as chief after James Burke resigned the position over his role in the assault of a handcuffed prisoner. A federal prosecutor involved in the case declined to comment Tuesday. Prosecutors called Burke's time as chief a "reign of terror.''. Most of Thursday's 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. Burke and others within the department maneuvered in a backroom plot to sabotage . Its all part of a corruption case involving a former Long Island district attorney. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland, 55, had each requested sentences that included. Federal prosecutors have described a climate of fear and retribution cultivated by top law enforcement officials in Suffolk County, where subordinates worried their careers would be destroyed if they did not obey corrupt orders. The maximum possible sentence for the civil rights charge is 10 years in prison; for the obstruction charge, it is 20 years. 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. With some 2,700 sworn officers and over 600 civilian members, the department is one of the largest in the region. 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 a federal judge. Burke pleaded guilty to the charges and served time in prison. My client denies all allegations. When the police later arrested a heroin user with the bag, Mr.. The bodies of eight women, a man and a toddler have been found on or near Gilgo Beach since 1996. The police unions on Long Island are so wealthy they have formed a super PAC to flood local elections with campaign donations. Those efforts continued even after the F.B.I. Stacey Sager reports on the sentencing from Central Islip. At that time I, along with others willfully used unreasonable force and slapped and hit this individual causing bodily injury. James Burke is former Police Chief in Suffolk County, New York. Conway argued that Loeb's account was less than credible. 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 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.. 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. But, Wexler said, He also did bad if you were not on his side. 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. Central Islip federal Judge Leonard Wexler trashed Burke as a dictator during sentencing, when the ex-lawman apologized to Loeb.
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