Good morning.
My name is Joon Kim. I'm the Acting United States Attorney
for the Southern District of New York. We're here today to announce
more charges and convictions in our ongoing investigation
into corruption at the NYPD's Gun License Division.
We continue today what we started
a year ago. Last June, we announced charges against 2 members
of the NYPD's Gun License Division for accepting bribes
in exchange for licences. We were not done.
Our investigation continued, as did our determination
to aggressively pursue public corruption wherever we find it,
and to follow the facts wherever they may lead us.
And this is where they have led: alleged corruption
that pervaded the License Division up to its senior levels,
alleged corruption that spawned a cottage industry of
bribers masquerading as so-called expediters.
The industry of parasitic profiteers
allegedly included a number of former police officers, as well as
a former Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney. First, let me identify
the people we have charged. We charged and arrested today,
3 former Police Officers: Lieutenant Paul Dean,
who until recently was the 2nd in command at the License Division,
former Police Officer Robert Espinel who worked
in the License Division until his retirement last year,
and Gaetano Valastro, a former NYPD Detective,
and now, a gun license expediter, and owner of a gun store.
In a separate complaint, we charged John Chambers;
a lawyer and a former Brooklyn prosecutor who advertized himself
as the top firearms licensing attorney in New York.
In addition to these 4 individuals charged and arrested today,
we unseal the guilty pleas of former NYPD Sergeant
David Villanueva, and Frank Soohoo, a gun license
expediter, and former auxiliary member of the NYPD.
Villanueva and Soohoo have now pled guilty, and are cooperating
with our Office. This is significant.
These 2, along with former Police Officer Richard Ochetal who
previously pled guilty, have admitted their guilt in Court.
They've accepted responsibility for their corruption, and agreed to tell
the truth at trial about what they did, and what their fellow
officers did. And the information they have provided, along
with the other evidence we have gathered, paint a devastating picture
of pervasive corruption at the Licensing Division.
Lieutenant Dean, Sergeant Villanueva, Officers Espinel, and
Ochetal, 4 officers in the License Division whose job it was
to ensure that gun licenses were issued properly, and
issued only to those who should safely get them, were allegedly
on the take. They were taking bribes from expediters in
just about every form; good old-fashioned cash stuffed in envelopes,
sometimes hidden in magazines, expensive
liquor, luxury watches, free vacations, and even free guns,
and gun paraphernalia. And what did these officers do in exchange
for these bribes? They allegedly sold their oath
to serve and protect. They sold their duty to do their jobs.
They just issued gun licenses to whoever the bribing expediters
brought them without conducting the necessary background checks,
without questioning their need for a gun license, and without following up
on major red flags. Over a hundred gun licences
were issued in this problematic way, including 1 person
who had 10 moving violations, and had been the subject of at least 4
domestic violence complaints, including 1 in which he allegedly threatened to kill
someone. Another person who got a license had prior convictions
for criminal possession of a weapon, and assault with intent to cause injury.
Yet another license holder who had been arrested
for brandishing a gun during an assault, did not have his
gun license revoked. And instead, the gun was returned
to him by Officer Espinel, allegedly in exchange for bribes.
That person then went on to get arrested again for another assault
using a hammer. But none of this troubled or deterred
Lieutenant Dean and Officer Espinel; far from it. They allegedly
got more audacious as time went on. They were not satisfied by
simply taking bribes for licenses. They saw that the
expediters were making more money than they were, sometimes over $10,000 dollars
for each license. As Lieutenant Dean put it in a recorded conversation,
and I quote, "I am done watching people make money
off my back. I'm the one who's signing off on everything,
and watching everybody get cash hand over fist."
Driven by this greed, in late
2015, Lieutenant Dean and Officer Espinel decided to retire from
the NYPD to become, uh, corrupt expediters themselves.
But before they left, they allegedly took steps to guarantee the success
of their scheme. They offered to give a piece of the action
to their colleagues who would still be at the License Division, telling 1 colleague that
his wife should buy a shovel to scoop up all the money
they were going to make. While still with the PD, Dean and Espinel
even did test runs for clients who were willing to pay - pay for gun licenses,
driving them into the underground parking lot at 1 Police Plaza,
bypassing security so that they could get their licenses with no hassle,
or wait. They also recruited into their plot,
former NYPD Detective, and owner of a gun store, Gaetano
Valastro. Valastro allegedly planned to send potential
clients their way, in exchange for those customers being sent to
Valastro's gun store to buy guns, and take firearms training.
(SIC) [As] I mentioned earlier, former police officers were not the only ones
tempted by this scheme to earn riches at the expense of public safety.
So was John Chambers; an Attorney, and former prosecutor
at the Brooklyn DA's Office. Since at least 2010,
Chambers allegedly paid bribes to Officer Villanueva
when Villanueva was in the License Division. The bribes to the form of
cash, of course, but also tickets to Broadway shows, sporting events,
expensive meals, and even an, an $8,000 dollar watch.
In exchange, Chambers' clients who already had gun licenses,
when they got in trouble with the law, Villanueva allegedly agreed to look the other way.
Instead of revoking their licenses, as at times he should have,
Villanueva let them keep their licenses. Or if the licenses were suspended,
he would have the term of the suspension shortened.
Chambers also used his position in the NYPD to help expedite
gun licenses in Nassau County for cash bribes.
Villanueva sent applications from Chambers' clients, to
the Nassau County Police Department under the cover of the N - of NYPD
letterhead, knowing that that would substantially expedite
the review of those applications in Nassau.
Now this diagram here, uh, shows the, the flow of money
uh, from, uh, bribes from the expediters
(down here), uh, to the police officers. It took the form of
cash, liquor, luxury watches, vacations.
And then here, uh, are the lists of the police officers, uh, in,
in their, um - in the hierarchy, and the official actions that they took
in terms of approving, expediting, uh, and upgrading
gun licenses. You'll see the folks in green are people
who've pled guilty, and are cooperating, and the orange is people who have pled
guilty. Public corruption
cases are difficult to make, and police corruption cases
are particularly so. They take not only doggedness, and determination,
but because they involve investigating fellow law enforcement officers,
they take a deep commitment to doing the right thing no matter what,
without fear, or favor. And that is what we had
in our law enforcement partners in this investigation. First, I wanna
thank the FBI, represented here today by William Sweeny,
Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office. Our partnership with the FBI
is as strong as it has ever been, and we continue to work together
every day to investigate all types of cases, but in particular,
public corruption cases. Specifically, I want to recognize Special Agent
in Charge, Michael McGarriity, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, George
Kasami, Supervisory Special Agent Jared Whitmire, and, and
Special Agents Joseph Downes, Bard Hubbard, and Michael Buschemi.
Second, I wanna thank our partners at the NYPD, represented
here today by its great Commissioner, James O'Neil,
and the Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters, Larry Byrne. I specifically wanna
recognize Internal Affairs Bureau for their fearless commitment to this investigation.
That includes Deputy Commissioner Joe Resnick, Lieutenant Brian Sparber,
and Sergeants Marc Klausner, and Ted Jeremenko.
Let me pause here to say a few words about the NYPD. The NYPD
in our view is the finest police force in the country,
if not the world. They keep us safe every day.
NYPD officers risk their lives so that the rest of us New Yorkers
can go about ours without fear or worry.
We all owe them an incredible debt of gratitude.
When we announce charges against police officers as we do today, it is
never a good day. But today's charges also show in my
view, the strength and greatness of the NYPD. These
charges were made possible only because of the commitment of the IAB.
The investigation was convict - conducted with the unwavering, uh, support of the Department's
leadership, and the NYPD has taken steps to reform and fix
the License division. All of that shows that the NYPD is
prepared to police its own, and committed to living up to the principle
that no one is above the law; and that is a great thing
for the NYPD, and for the city. Finally, I
wanna thank the investigators and career prosecutors in my Office who have worked on
this important case: Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell Capone, Kan Nawaday,
and Lauren Schorr, supervised by Andrew Goldstein, and Tatiana Martins,
the Chiefs of our Public Corruption Unit. Our Public Corruption
Unit, as most of you know, has been incredibly active, and
successful, over the last few years, and they continue to be
as committed as ever to their mission of fighting corruption.
For the police officers and expediters charged in this cases, the critically
important police function of issuing and controlling gun licenses
was one they alleged were willing to pervert for personal profit.
When police officers violate their oath in this alleged way,
they not only betray the public they were sworn to protect, but their fellow officers
who do their jobs the right way day in, and day out,
remaining faithful to the duties they owe to the public, and to each other.
Thank you. Now let me bring to the podium, um, William Sweeny,
from the FBI. (William) Thank you Joon.
Good morning.
Law enforcement officials are granted authority to uphold the fundamental rule
of law. But any abuse of its power, no matter
how great, or how small, is nothing short of a crime.
Today's detail by the Acting U.S. Attorney, a series of gun
expediters, and former NYPD officers of various ranks,
face charges of bribery and conspiracy, among other things,
for their alleged role in unjustly approving gun permits, and receiving
bribes, or offering bribes, in exchange for special favors.
In many cases, as alleged, renewal
applications were expedited, incident investigations were resolved more quickly
than usual, and beneficial resolutions were reached regarding these incident
investigations, that might not otherwise have been.
As alleged today, the processing of gun permits, at the behest of gun expediters,
did not come without a significant risk to public safety.
As alleged, in one particular incident, the NYPD's License Division hit
a road block while processing a request for an applicant with a significant
criminal history. Instead of denying this individual a license,
the approval was pushed through by some involved in this scheme.
To make matters worse, the applicant's brother was also approved for a license
so that he could purchase a gun on behalf of the applicant without scrutiny from
a gun seller who would be required to conduct an FBI background check.
This detour, and judgement, among other similar decisions by those charged,
is what leads us here today. Not only does the
behavior of the alleged today threaten safety of our community, it also runs the risk
of eroding the public's perception of the law enforcement community, overall.
It's a narrative we'd like to confront head on, and it's actions that we will not tolerate.
The NYPD is an exceptional organization.
The overwhelming majority of NYPD officers who willingly protect
our city every day no matter what the risk, should not
be associated with a select few, who as charged, placed a
higher priority on satisfying their desires, than upholding the law.
The FBI received significant assistance - essential assistance from
the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau during the course of the investigation, which
should serve as a reminder to everybody of the Department's dedication to bringing
justice to those who refuse to abide by proper standards of conduct.
I'd like to thank our partners involved in this investigation, especially the U.S. Attorney's
Office, but in particular, the NYPD. Uh, your leadership,
uh, your partnership, have been exceptional, and we'd like to thank you (unintelligible).
Thank you Commissioner.
(Joon) Now I'll bring to the podium, uh, Commissioner O'Neil.
(James) Hey, good morning everyone.
This case was developed as part of a long-term joint investigation by the NYPD's
Internal Affairs Bureau, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
I'd like to thank the men and women of the FBI's New York Field Office, especially
Assistant Director in Charge, uh, Bill Sweeny, and the staff
of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Joon Kim, for their integrity, and
professionalism, throughout this investigation. The NYPD
has tremendous working relationships with our law enforcement partners at the
local, State, and Federal levels. So for that, I thank you.
To be sure, today's announcement is not a happy occasion for any of us in the New York City
Police Department. As I speak about all the time, just about every
police officer in the NYPD took this job for the right reason; to fight crime
and kep people safe. We took these jobs to make a positive difference in
the lives of New Yorkers. We took these jobs to do good. But when
we as an agency, or as individuals, fall short of that ambition,
when members of our Department betray the public's trust through intentional illegal acts,
it erodes the confidence, the faith, and the good will, every other member
of the Department has worked so hard to earn from the millions and millions of people
we (unintelligible) serve every day as an agency, and as a society,
we have an obligation to investigate those betrayals of trust.
Under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner Joe Resnick, NYPD
has the most professional Internal Affairs Unit of any police department I know.
He, and his investigators, perform a necessary function, and we always
follow a case wherever that has taken us. At the culmination of such investigations,
we have an obligation to you to be transparent. We have a duty
to explain where your public servants went wrong, what our investigation
uncovered, and how we can prevent similar acts from happening again.
As I said, the vast majority of the NYPD is comprised of the
hardest working men and women of the highest integrity I've ever had the privilege to work
alongside. And their good work, their good deeds, their efforts to fight crime, and keep
people safe, are forging lasting bonds with the people we serve -
continue as we speak - in every neighborhood in New York City. Thank you very much.
(Joon) I will take a few questions. (Aside) Alright. Joon, in the
uh, in the Chambers complaint, there's an email (unintelligible)
saying that they have a friend (unintelligible) Dean. Um,
but nobody (unintellgible) as charged. Um, 2 questions.
In terms of coordinating with, uh, the Nassau Police Commissioner,
and formerly conclude that you found no criminal
culpability in this briber's scheme of anyone in the Nassau PD.
(Joon) Um, I'm not gonna comment more on, um, the
Nassau PD beyond what's, uh, in the complaint. Um,
uh, the, the complaint generally talks about, uh, uh,
sending, uh, applications for Chambers' Nassau clients.
under, um, the letterhead of an NYPD License Division with an understanding
that that would, uh, result in expedited, um,
uh, approvals. Um, that's, uh, for the time being, the
- uh, largely the extent of the allegations in the complaint. Um,
and we'll leave it at that. Obviously, uh, this investigation, like, uh, most,
if not all of ours, is ongoing. (Aside) And have you coordinated with the Nassau Police Department?
(Joon) I'm not gonna, uh, discuss that either. (Aside) Along with the (unintelligible) -
uh, cash transactions made; in what way, and where? (Joon) Uh, the cash
transactions, uh, as described in the allegations were, uh -
in the complaint - were handed off (as I said) sometimes in envelopes, sometimes
it's stuck inside magazines. I think they were handed to them at various
locations. I don't know, uh, if there was a, you know, a particular
pattern, or a particular location, that it occurred all the time. But, uh, uh, whatever's in
the complaint is what we're prepared to, uh, share with you right now. (Aside) Speaking of
ongoing investigations, just a quick question relating to (unintelligible)
(unintelligible) sealed. It's discussed in the Court papers that he had
a (unintelligible) donor, uh, regarding
official acts. Uh, what can we receive (unintelligible) regarding on when the
investigation, in terms of an information plea, or charging
(unintelligible)? (Joon) Uh, I don't think, uh, I can - I won't say anything more
than what you recited, and what's already part of the public record as, as you saw.
We, we did issue a statement, uh, about our investigation to City Hall.
I'm not gonna say anything beyond that. (Aside 1) Do you know if that - (Aside 2) Is there
(unintelligible) um, uh, gun sales led to an incline
or gaps, or anything else? (Joon) Um,
we do recite - and as I, I gave a few examples, as did
uh, um, uh, Bill Sweeny - of, um, licenses that were issued
to people who should not have had them. Uh, beyond
what's in the complaint - I don't know if the, uh, Police Department's prepared to share more,
but, um, you know, they're not aware - we're not prepared to discuss
anything more, and some specific crimes that may have been committed by any of the guns.
Patty. (Patty) (unintelligible)?
(Joon) Sorry, I couldn't hear. (Patty) Just to follow up on, on, on your question. Do those
people who should not have obtained their licences do now not have them? (Joon) I believe the
PD has taken, uh, significant remedial measures on - I'll let Commissioner O'Neil talk about that.
(James) i'll talk, uh, about the licenses, and I'll also speak about, uh, some
of the changes that we've made to the License Division. So after extensive
review of licenses implicated in this investigation, it's about
448 licenses [that] were identified by IAB during the course of the investigation,
and suspicious, and warranting further review. 100
license - licenses (most full, and limited carry) were suspended during this investigation.
79 were suspended as a result of the IAB investigation.
The other 12 were previously suspended by the License Division for
unrelated incident - incidents prior to the investigation, and 9
are pending evaluation. 215 licenses are currently under review
by the License Division, and 125 Licenses were reviewed,
and found to be issued properly. And [I'll] talk a little bit about the changes we've made to
the, uh - significant changes we've made to the License Division. So we've replaced
all the supervisory staff, and, uh, we increased its supervision.
All personnel at the command level of the Division were replaced, including the Commanding
Officer, the Exec., and Civilian Director. And, uh, we approved
additional staff, including 2 lieutenants, and 4 sergeants; uh, centralization
of authority to approve applications, in contrast to the past practice.
Now only the C.O. and the Exec. O. have the authority to approve new pistol applications.
Special patrolmen application, upgrades of existing licences to a different classification,
or renewal of an existing license. We've also instituted
many preventive measures - preventative measures - specific measures were taken
to prevent a re-occurrence (of course) of what transpired; is their prohibition
of License Division access to any 3rd parties acting as agents,
facilitators, or expediters, elimination of accepting
early tours within the License Division, and prohibition of access to
the License Division by any member of the public, unless a supervisor is present. A number
of other steps that we've taken, but those are the major ones. So, significant changes. Graham?
(Graham) (unintelligible)
the applicants (unintelligible). (James) Yes. Correct. (Graham) The question is how many
(unintelligible)? (James) Larry, do you have that number?
(Larry) For that 4-year (unintelligible) permits, it's, um, less than 3,000.
There are different categories of permits. There's (unintelligible) - (Aside) (unintelligible)?
(James) Yeah, sure. That would be helpful, right? (Larry) Sorry.
There's several different categories of licenses. For a full-carry license,
I believe there are fewer than 3,000 issued. There's a residence license,
a business premises license, licenses for shotguns,
and rifles, who are primarily hunters, and target shooters. Altogether,
I think there are approximately 65 licenses in the different categories,
and they all - every license gets reviewed every 3 years.
The license lasts for 3 years, and then we redo our background check, and update
our investigation. (Aside) When were these changes made, and (unintelligible)
on expediters? (James) I'm gonna have to get you the chronology
of exact - of exactly when the changes were made, but as soon as we found out of the
proprieties within the License Division, we took immediate, immediate steps - (Aside) Over
the last year? (James) right - immediate steps to make sure it didn't happen again. Marcia?
(Aside) (unintelligible) uh, - (James) Hold on. Marcia. I'll get to you in a second, alright?
(Marcia) The partial new, uh, (unintelligible)
Officer Espinel, and what (unintelligible)
(unintelligible) of what they would do (unintelligible)
make money (unintelligible)? (James) I, I didn't know the Lieutenant, or the
Sergeant. I did know the C.O., and, uh, you know, (unintelligible).
I talk about it all the time. I've been a cop for 34 1/2 years, and
by and large, every cop that I've ever had the opportunity to work with is, uh - takes
the job for the right reason. So for something like this to happen, to, to besmirch the names
of, and reputations of the other 36,000, uh,
hard working and courageous men and, and women, you know, it's absolutely appaulsing.
(Aside) Last question. Mr. You, uh, mentioned - you were talking earlier about transparency.
Will, uh, the Department be releasing a written report of,
uh, the investigation, and the measures that you've taken? (James) Yeah, we haven't made
that determination yet. Thank you. (Joon) Thank you everyone.
For more infomation >> 50 Cent 2017 Autobiographie - Duration: 1:01. 
For more infomation >> Ford Fiesta 1.0 Titanium - Duration: 1:00. 
For more infomation >> Comment réussir un régime sain ? - Duration: 7:31. 
No comments:
Post a Comment