Unnamed co-conspirators had warned some that if they admitted wrongdoing, their union would not pay their legal fees, prosecutors said. I and others did knowingly and intentionally conspire and took affirmative steps to obstruct, including conspiring with other participants not to cooperate with the investigation, so that the grand jury and the United States Attorney's Office would not find out the true events of December 14, 2012.". November 2, 2016 / 5:48 PM Loeb pleaded guilty to reckless driving in April, according to a spokeswoman for Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney. 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. "You saw what we did to him, this is what we are going to do to you.". "'We'll cover up the beating for you but, hot shot? 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. He is an award-winning journalist and the co-author of two books, "The Card" and "American Icon. Here is the full text of Burke's plea statement: "On December 14, 2012, I was the Chief of the Suffolk County Police Department. Capers was seated at the prosecution table during the sentencing but did not immediately comment afterward. As your Sheriff, I have made it my priority to protect public safety, speak up and against the grain to do what I know . Officers subpoenaed by FBI agents investigating the 2012 beating were interrogated afterward about whether they had talked, prosecutors said. Outside the courthouse, Robert Trotta, a legislator and former police detective, said he was happy with the sentence. 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. Before that, Cameron served as chief after James Burke resigned the position over his role in the assault of a handcuffed prisoner. Ex-Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke Sentenced To 46 Months In 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. When Mr. Spota heard the inquiry was resuming, he went nuts, according to a court filing from the F.B.I. When the police later arrested a heroin user with the bag, Mr.. prison terms for ex-Chief of Department James Burke. Spokespeoplefor Suffolk police and the county declined to comment, saying they could not discuss pending litigation. Disgraced police chief busted with oxycodone in jail cell - New York Post He fought aggressively to expose sexual abuse by Catholic priests and was widely praised for prosecuting corrupt officials in both parties. A Suffolk County Police Officer begins the job at a salary of $42,000 per annum. FBI agents arrest the former Suffolk County Chief of Police James Burkeoutside his Smithtown home on Dec. 9, 2015. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. "RRCs provide a safe, structured, supervised environment, as well as employment counseling, job placement, financial management assistance, and other programs and services," the website reads. Two years. The coconspirators were not identified in the letter, but prosecutors said their investigation is ongoing. Internal Affairs reports also found Burke had engaged in sexual acts in police vehicles and had a sexual relationship with "a convicted felon, known to be actively engaged in criminal conduct including the possession and sale of illegal drugs, prostitution and larceny.''. SCPD members who witnessed the assault came under direct and extreme pressure from the defendants and others to conceal it, prosecutors said. He had subordinates conduct surveillance on his girlfriends, prosecutors said. Drugs were found in the prison cell of a disgraced former Long Island police chief serving time for beating up a man who stole a stash of porn and a sex toy from his official police vehicle and covering it up, according to a report. The case was notorious on Long Island. Ex-Suffolk County police chief James Burke gets 46 months in revenge 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. "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. "That's basically how they put fear in [officers]. They thought they were above the law, said Justina L. Geraci, an assistant United States attorney in the Eastern District of New York. 2016 The Associated Press. County officials said Chief James Burke turned in his resignation, which is. U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Wexler said Burkes crimes went beyond the beating and affected the entire 2,000-member police department. That's corruption.". Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. "If you were with Burke, he treated you like gold, and you got tons of overtime," Trotta said. Thomas Spota Sentenced For Cover-Up Of James Burke's Jailhouse Attack It started with a duffel bag containing sex toys, cigars and a pornographic film. Stacey Sager reports on the sentencing from Central Islip. Feb. 26, 2016. / CBS New York. The bag belonged to James Burke, the police chief in Suffolk County, and was stolen from his parked car in December 2012. Officers subpoenaed by FBI agents investigating the 2012 beating were brought in and interrogated about whether they had talked, prosecutors said. During the assault, Loeb was handcuffed and chained to an eyebolt fastened to the floor at the Fourth Precinct. We've received your submission. 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. "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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. James Burke Now: Long Island Serial Killer Update | Where is Ex-Police (Mr. Loeb later received a $1.5 million settlement from the county and a separate confidential settlement from Mr. The 30-year-old was released from prison in January after a Suffolk judge set aside his guilty plea in the Burke theft because of perjured testimony given by cops at Burkes direction, Newsday reported. One lied in court and said the attack had not happened. 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. 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. 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 . 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. 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. 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. He was promoted to sergeant in 1991, when he was 26, and reportedly had Spota's ear. The co-conspirators were not identified in the letter, but prosecutors said their investigation is ongoing. This page is not available in other languages. James Burke, Ex-Suffolk County Police Chief, Pleads Guilty From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to you. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Loeb pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and was sentenced to three years in prison. 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. All Rights Reserved. Former Suffolk County police chief James Burke pleads guilty, takes One officer told a federal agent he was a dead man, if that were true, the letter said. Leto testified that the spying was under the guise of providing him security. 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. "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. He was convicted of assaulting a man in 2012 during an interrogation and obstructing a federal investigation. Burke.). 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. Inside the mind of a murderer: New clues in the hunt for the Long "My client is going to do his time like a man, and he's going to come out and be a productive member of society," Burke's attorney, John Meringolo, told reporters, including CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff. a training of 6 months at the academy, candidates have to go through 18 months as their probationary periods. James Burke (police officer) - Wikipedia When the police later arrested a heroin user with the bag, Mr. Burke walked into the station house to confront the man, who was handcuffed to the floor of an interrogation room. 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. 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. 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. Thats something out of the K.G.B., a prosecutor said at Mr. Burkes bail hearing in 2015. Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke resigns amid controversy 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. 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. 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland have pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts, including witness tampering and obstruction of justice. 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 will seek to hold accountable anyone who violates another's civil rights or attempts to obstruct justice.". 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. In 2013, he had a contractor illegally put a GPS device on a high-ranking civilian police official he disliked, hoping to gather blackmail information, prosecutors said. Some were warned that if they admitted wrongdoing, their union would not pay their legal fees. Federal prosecutors indicated other charges may be looming for accomplices who aided the cover-up. 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.. He was brought to a precinct house and shackled to the floor. 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. 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. They said he kept liquor in his office and regularly drove drunk. 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. The ex-police chief pleaded guilty last winter in the beating and cover-up. Loeb said at the time he required the walker due to dog bites sustained during his arrest.
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