After Mr. Burke was arrested, Judge Leonard Wexler took the unusual step of denying him bail, saying he posed a danger to the community. 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. Both men started serving their prisonsentences early this year. 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. There is no requirement for his cooperation in other cases or to testify against anyone else. 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. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. 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. 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. 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. Prosecutors said the woman grabbed her dog and dived on a neighbors lawn to avoid getting hit. 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. 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. Anyone can read what you share. Thats corruption.. 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. SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. (WABC) -- Suffolk County's police chief resigned Tuesday amid controversy. 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. 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. The police unions on Long Island are so wealthy they have formed a super PAC to flood local elections with campaign donations. "The charges [from the 2019 incident]were dropped because they were not based in true facts," Cassar said. Spokespeoplefor Suffolk police and the county declined to comment, saying they could not discuss pending litigation. Wexler noted more than 80 people wrote letters seeking leniency, calling Burke a good man who helped many people in a 31-year career. 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 . A Suffolk County police scandal involving a beating and coverup now spills into the local prosecutor's office. 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. 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. 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. 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. Burke resigned from the force in October after a 31-year career. Here is the full text of Burke's plea statement: "On December 14, 2012, I was the Chief of the Suffolk County Police Department. CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. -- 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. Welcome to the official website of Suffolk County Sheriff's Office. When Mr. Spota heard the inquiry was resuming, he went nuts, according to a court filing from the F.B.I. "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. Stacey Sager reports on the sentencing from Central Islip. 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. He was released last summer. Mr. Spota, 78, served for more than 15 years as the top prosecutor in Suffolk County, on the eastern end of Long Island. ), First published on November 2, 2016 / 5:48 PM. Hell be vindicated, he 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. 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 . After 37 years, Suffolk County's police commissioner is retiring On that day I went to the 4th precinct in Suffolk County. 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. During the corruption trial, which is expected to last four weeks, several current and former Suffolk County police officers will appear as witnesses. 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 . Robert L. Capers, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said the investigation was continuing and would seek out those who might have been involved in wrongdoing. 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. 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. 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. 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. At that time, I entered a room with others and encountered an individual who had been arrested earlier that morning on suspicion of burglarizing motor vehicles, including my own vehicle. Leto testified that the spying was under the guise of providing him security. November 2, 2016 / 5:48 PM "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 federal prosecutor involved in the case declined to comment Tuesday. At that time I, along with others willfully used unreasonable force and slapped and hit this individual causing bodily injury. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland have pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts, including witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Loeb later pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and was sentenced to three years in prison; he was released last summer. Federal prosecutors have indicated other charges may be looming for accomplices who helped cover up the crime. The heart and soul of the governments case rests on the credibility of one witness, Mr. Krantz said. FBI agents arrest the former Suffolk County Chief of Police James Burkeoutside his Smithtown home on Dec. 9, 2015. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. (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. He has asked for no prison time because he says his mother is dying of cancer. He had subordinates conduct surveillance on his girlfriends, prosecutors said. 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. Mr. Burke has not cooperated with prosecutors and is not expected to testify at the trial of his former colleagues. He was appointed by Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota as the chief investigator of the Suffolk County District Attorney's .
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