Four NYPD Police officers and Bill de Blasio’s buddy Jeremy Reichberg have been caught and busted due to the federal corruption investigation digging into the corruption and crimes of NY’s corrupt Mayor Bill de Blasio and the criminals in the NYPD.
Multiple Corrupt NYPD Officer Criminals Busted In Sweeping FBI Criminal Investigation Into Mayor de Blasio Corruption
“An officer who betrays his badge betrays every honorable officer.”
NY Mayor Bill De Blasio is a criminal who probably deserves some jail time, but that most likely won’t happen because he is a Democrat, with Democrats at the highest level protecting their criminal actions. Same as we always see when Democrats are not prosecuted for their crimes, thanks to protection from Obama and the Democrats.
The FBI is currently investigation Bill de Blasio corruption; specifically how the mayor solicits campaign cash from members of the real-estate industry — and the fund-raising activities of his former campaign treasurer, Ross Offinger.
We think that the FBI has found, and will find plenty of corruption and crime pointing back to NY Mayor Bill de Blasio, but their hands will be tied for possible prosecution because the Obama administration will not allow any Democrats to be indicted.
Four NYPD officials — including three high-ranking cops — have been busted as part of the sweeping federal corruption probe rocking the police department and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office, federal prosecutors announced Monday.
“It is a heartbreaking thing,” Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara said. “An officer who betrays his badge betrays every honorable officer.”
Deputy Chief Michael Harrington, Deputy Inspector James Grant and Sgt. David Villanueva were arrested at their homes at 6 a.m. Monday by FBI agents and hauled into 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan, sources said. Officer Richard Ochetal has already pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for expediting gun permit applications, prosecutors revealed.
The arrests mark the first time NYPD officers have been charged in the 2½-year probe, which has focused on lavish gifts and vacations that cops allegedly accepted in exchange for official services, such as security details and police escorts.
De Blasio’s buddy Jeremy Reichberg — a Brooklyn businessman known for his NYPD connections — was also arrested Monday by federal agents and NYPD Internal Affairs officers, who have assisted in the sprawling investigation.
“The alleged conduct violates the basic principle that public servants are to serve the public, not help themselves to cash and benefits just for doing their jobs,” Bharara said.
Under the federal indictment unsealed by Bharara, Grant, Harrington and Reichberg were all charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Each faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted.
Ochetal has already pleaded guilty to one count of bribery and faces up to 10 years in prison. Villanueva faces up to 15 years in prison on bribery and conspiracy charges. Both formerly worked in the NYPD’s gun licensing unit and were accused of selling firearm licenses in exchange for bribes.
From 2011 to 2015, Reichberg and his business associate, Jona Rechnitz, referred to as “CW-1” in the indictment, “cultivated close relationships with numerous members of the NYPD,” including Grant and Harrington, the documents state.
Reichberg and Rechnitz shelled out large sums of cash to pay for “personal and financial benefits for Grant, Harrington and others, including paying for flights, hotel rooms, prostitutes, expensive meals, home improvements and prime seats at sporting events, among other things,” the indictment says.
In January 2013, Reichberg coughed up more than $59,000 for an all-expenses-paid trip for Grant, his detective friend and two other people to fly on a private jet to the Super Bowl — complete with their own personal prostitute, the documents say.
The hooker stayed in Grant’s room at a trendy Vegas hotel, but others also “took advantage of her services during the trip,” the papers say.
Several months later, in August, Reichberg paid for a two-night stay for Grant and his family at a posh hotel in Rome, Italy, that was personally recommended by the shady businessman, the indictment says.
Reichberg also allegedly paid to refurbish Grant’s Staten Island house by replacing the outside railings at an estimated cost of $6,000 — and he even found the contractors to do the job, the indictment says.
On Christmas Day 2013, Reichberg and Rechnitz put on little elf hats and drove to Grant’s home to deliver gifts, including a video game system for his kids and a $1,000 piece of jewelry for his wife, the papers state. The two businessmen then made a similar delivery of gifts at Harrington’s house.
Grant later complained that “his two elves” did not return the following Christmas, according to the documents.
In exchange for the gifts, Grant allegedly provided Reichberg and Rechnitz with police escorts to and from the airport, utilizing the lights and sirens of police cars, the paper say.
On several occasions, Grant allegedly dispatched cops to two of Rechnitz’s buildings to investigate a trespasser and a theft.
He also personally escorted Rechnitz and his buddies beyond police barricades to prime locations at parades, the New York City Marathon and the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, the documents say.
“They got in effect a private police force for themselves and their friends,” Bharara said.
Harrington, the executive officer for former Chief of Department Phil Banks, received similar gifts in exchange for favors.
From May 2013 to November 2014, Rechnitz took Harrington and Banks out to expensive Manhattan restaurants at least once or twice a week and they ran up bills in excess of $400, the papers say.
Rechnitz and Reichberg also allegedly supplied Harrington with numerous tickets to numerous sporting events, including a pair of Brooklyn Nets tickets valued at $400 a pop. They also gave him two New York Rangers tickets totaling $1,400, the indictment says.
Harrington, in return for the gifts, provided Reichberg with tens of thousands of dollars of business for a private security firm partly run by Harrington’s family.
Reichberg obtained work for the security firm at a Manhattan school affiliated with Rechnitz, the papers say — the company was paid about $5,000 a month for a period of 15 months until the spring of 2016.
At Reichberg’s request, Harrington also allegedly had an off-duty NYPD officer disciplined because the cop was working security for a jewelry business competing with Reichberg’s jewelry store.
Harrington, through his family’s security firm, also agreed to facilitate an arrest for Reichberg of a suspected criminal, the papers state.
Bharara said the investigation is still ongoing.
“I don’t know whether you should expect more [arrests] or not,” he added.
Several more current and former police officials are still being investigated, including Banks, who, along with his best friend and former correction union boss Norman Seabrook, allegedly took a freebie vacation with Rechnitz and other NYPD cops.
Seabrook was recently arrested on corruption charges and pleaded not guilty.
Many NYPD officers have retired or have been placed on modified duty since the start of the criminal probe.
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