"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 coverup 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. 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. He will be assisted in finding a job and housing. 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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Prosecutors will say only that the investigation has widened and that it's not over. 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. "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. Prosecutors called Burke's time as chief a "reign of terror.''. He had subordinates conduct surveillance on his girlfriends, prosecutors said. 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 . Mr. Spota was a longtime Republican who ran as a Democrat to win election in 2001. Mr. Spota had been a longtime mentor and friend of Mr. Burkes. 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. A federal prosecutor involved in the case declined to comment Tuesday. He is expected to testify that the defendants instructed him to pressure other police detectives into hiding the truth about Mr. Burkes assault from investigators. With some 2,700 sworn officers and over 600 civilian members, the department is one of the largest in the region. "He's been through a lot in Suffolk County.". 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. But they were wrong. During the assault, Loeb was handcuffed and chained to an eyebolt fastened to the floor at the Fourth Precinct. 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.". Burke . He was released from prison this year after receiving a 46-month sentence. 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 . The co-conspirators were not identified in the letter, but prosecutors said their investigation is ongoing. One lied in court and said the attack had not happened. The Associated Press contributed to this report. But, Wexler said, He also did bad if you were not on his side. They said, 'If you guys don't toe the line and keep lying, we are going to 'Oliva' you," said Oliva. Burke resigned from the force in October after a 31-year career. At that time I, along with others willfully used unreasonable force and slapped and hit this individual causing bodily injury. Burke became chief of the Suffolk County Police Department, one of the country's largest suburban police forces, in 2012 after having served for nearly a decade as the chief investigator for Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota. When Mr. Spota heard the inquiry was resuming, he went nuts, according to a court filing from the F.B.I. 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. He was released last summer. Then-Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke speaks with Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone after a news conference in Hauppauge on March 19, 2014. Credit: Ed Betz By Tania Lopez tania.lopez . 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 . Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. 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. The victim was a 13-year-old boy who died when other teenagers shoved rocks down his throat. 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. That is about $50,000 more than their counterparts in New York City, and it does not include overtime pay, which can be substantial, or the extra money officers receive for each year on the job. The Suffolk Police Department is proud to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Anyone can read what you share. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. A commanding officer was assigned to warn witnesses that they could face retribution if they cooperated. The maximum possible sentence for the civil rights charge is 10 years in prison; for the obstruction charge, it is 20 years. One officer told a federal agent that if that were true, "I'm a dead man," the letter said. That's corruption.". Copyright 2023 by The Associated Press. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland have pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts, including witness tampering and obstruction of justice. "He's doing much better these days," Cassar said. The bodies of eight women, a man and a toddler have been found on or near Gilgo Beach since 1996. Paying more despite good credit? (TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. Federal prosecutors indicated other charges may be looming for accomplices who aided the cover-up. [21] Burke violently assaulted a man in custody who had stolen a duffel bag from Burke's police vehicle. Officers subpoenaed by FBI agents investigating the 2012 beating were interrogated afterward about whether they had talked, prosecutors said. 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.. Burke, 56, who pleaded guilty to civil rights and conspiracy charges, was sentenced to 46 months in prison in 2016. A Suffolk County police scandal involving a beating and coverup now spills into the local prosecutor's office. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. Federal prosecutors have signaledthat charges may be looming for accomplices who helped Burke cover up the crime. 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. 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. 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 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.. Burke pleaded guilty to the charges and served time in prison. One officer told a federal agent he was a dead man, if that were true, the letter said. 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. After the interrogation, Mr. Burke pressured the detectives who witnessed the assault to conceal it. He realized what he did here, and he wants to own up to it, Mr. Conway said. They said the former police chief had concocted a cover story and never admitted to the defendants he had assaulted the man who took his bag. ), First published on November 2, 2016 / 5:48 PM. 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. All Rights Reserved. The former chief, James Burke, 51, who was known for his swaggering confidence as the leader of one of the regions largest police departments, was subdued in Federal District Court here as the charges against him were read aloud. / CBS New York. 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. 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.. He was promoted to sergeant in 1991, when he was 26, and reportedly had Spota's ear. Before the sentencing, ex-Suffolk County police Chief James Burke apologized to police, the judge, the victim and the people of the community. I am proud of the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the Sheriff's Office. 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. 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. 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. Wexler noted more than 80 people wrote letters seeking leniency, calling Burke a good man who helped many people in a 31-year career. "The charges [from the 2019 incident]were dropped because they were not based in true facts," Cassar 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. Their lawyers on Thursday placed the blame squarely on Mr. Burke. The heart and soul of the governments case rests on the credibility of one witness, Mr. Krantz 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. He said that one of those assignments was keeping tabs on newly elected Steve Bellone. A Suffolk County Police Officer begins the job at a salary of $42,000 per annum. 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. 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. Federal prosecutors have indicated other charges may be looming for accomplices who helped cover up the crime. 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 series centers on the scandal-ridden former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke, who infamously kicked the FBI off the case soon after he stepped into the position in 2012.. Capers was seated at the prosecution table during the sentencing but did not immediately comment afterward. 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. 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. 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. All rights reserved. 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. 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. Thomas J. Spota, center, leaving court after being charged with obstruction of justice in 2017. 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. After 37 years, Suffolk County's police commissioner is retiring she said. 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. 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. "If you were with Burke, he treated you like gold, and you got tons of overtime," Trotta said. "We will seek to hold accountable anyone who violates another's civil rights or attempts to obstruct justice.". Questions of Burkes fitness to lead surfaced as far back as 1995, when he twice was found to have failed to safeguard his weapon. 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. During the corruption trial, which is expected to last four weeks, several current and former Suffolk County police officers will appear as witnesses. "'We'll cover up the beating for you but, hot shot? Detectives and sergeants have been known to earn more than $200,000 a year. In what has been called an "unusual move," he was then criminally prosecuted by Spota and McPartland. One officer told a federal agent that if that were true, "I'm a dead man,'' the letter said. 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. Officers subpoenaed by FBI agents investigating the 2012 beating were brought in and interrogated about whether they had talked, prosecutors said.