The bodies of eight women, a man and a toddler have been found on or near Gilgo Beach since 1996. A police helicopter located him crouching under a tree and a police dog retrieved him, according to prosecutors. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The case is a rare instance in which a district attorney is the one on trial. 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. The charges against Mr. Burke stemmed from an episode in December 2012 when Christopher Loeb, a heroin addict who financed his $100-a-day habit by breaking into cars, was arrested on suspicion of stealing a duffel bag stuffed with cigars, pornographic DVDs and sex toys from Mr. Burkes police car. He had subordinates conduct surveillance on his girlfriends, prosecutors said. 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. I think we still have a long way to go," said Trotta, who spoke at the sentencing. SCPD members who witnessed the assault came under direct and extreme pressure from the defendants and others to conceal it, prosecutors said. Federal prosecutors have described a climate of fear and retribution cultivated by top law enforcement officials in Suffolk County, where subordinates worried their careers would be destroyed if they did not obey corrupt orders. Feb. 26, 2016. The former chief pleaded guilty to reduced charges in February 2016.[1]. James Burke is former Police Chief in Suffolk County, New York. November 3, 2016 / 6:33 PM He realized what he did here, and he wants to own up to it, Mr. Conway said. 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. 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. / CBS New York. 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Some were warned that if they admitted wrongdoing, their union would not pay their legal fees. All Rights Reserved. The heart and soul of the governments case rests on the credibility of one witness, Mr. Krantz said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. For a few minutes, prosecutors said, Mr. Burke assaulted the suspect, screaming and threatening to kill him until a detective in the room finally said, Boss, thats enough.. On that day I went to the 4th precinct in Suffolk County. We are honored to serve and protect the residents of Suffolk County. As a result, officers working the night of the beating or heard Burke brag about it at a Christmas party stayed quiet for years, prosecutors said. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The defense accused the government of turning Mr. Burkes longtime friendship with Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland into a crime, saying the conversations that the three men had during the federal investigation did not rise to the level of obstruction of justice. 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. The maximum possible sentence for the civil rights charge is 10 years in prison; for the obstruction charge, it is 20 years. Wexler noted more than 80 people wrote letters seeking leniency, calling Burke a good man who helped many people in a 31-year career. Outside the courthouse, Robert Trotta, a legislator and former police detective, said he was happy with the sentence. Copyright 2023 by The Associated Press. Burke also has been tied to the unsolved Gilgo Beach murders on Long Island by a lawyer to one of the victims and a prostitute who claimed the former chief took part in sex parties.. Thats something out of the K.G.B., a prosecutor said at Mr. Burkes bail hearing in 2015. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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.". Anyone can read what you share. 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. Burke is expected to be sentenced to 51 months in prison, according to a plea deal with the US Attorney. Detectives and sergeants have been known to earn more than $200,000 a year. Burkes Manhattan lawyer, John Meringolo, denied that drugs were found in Burkes locker. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke to be Transferred to Pennsylvania Prison: Report, Former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke Sentenced to Federal Prison, Former Suffolk Police Chief Accused of Assault, Covering up Federal Investigation. 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 physically beat, terrorized and threatened by officers during a 2019 arrest. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. The police chief pleaded guilty in a separate case, avoiding a trial, and served a jail sentence. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland are also accused of requiring police witnesses to hire people from a list of lawyers who were expected to share information with Mr. Burkes legal team, prosecutors said. 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Burke, 56, who pleaded guilty to civil rights and conspiracy charges, was sentenced to 46 months in prison in 2016. Topics you care about, straight to your inbox. 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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. "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. 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. When Mr. Spota heard the inquiry was resuming, he went nuts, according to a court filing from the F.B.I. Former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke apologized to his victim, the judge, his family and residents of his Long Island community before being sentenced to 46 months Wednesday by a federal judge. 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 . Burke, 54, of St. James, was charged in 2015 with assaulting Smithtown resident Christopher Loeb who was arrested for stealing a duffel bags with items from Burke's SCPD-issued SUV as well as other police vehicles in 2012. Paying more despite good credit? 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. 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. In a statement Tuesday, the agency said that for privacy reasons the department does not discuss whether a particular inmate is or has been the subject of allegations, investigations, or sanctions for misconduct in prison.. His full sentences was scheduled to be completed in April 2019. Compared with those in other departments, officers in the Suffolk agency are well paid, making $125,000 in base pay. They said he kept liquor in his office and regularly drove drunk. 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. The ex-police chief pleaded guilty last winter in the beating and cover-up. The victim was a 13-year-old boy who died when other teenagers shoved rocks down his throat. U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Wexler said Burke's crimes went beyond the beating and affected the entire 2,000-member police department. He has sued Burke and the Police Department, seeking damages. 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. 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. One officer told a federal agent that if that were true, "I'm a dead man,'' the letter said. The bag belonged to James Burke, the police chief in Suffolk County, and was stolen from his parked car in December 2012. Hell be vindicated, he said. But, Wexler said, "He also did bad if you were not on his side. "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. Before that, Cameron served as chief after James Burke resigned the position over his role in the assault of a handcuffed prisoner. Welcome to the official website of Suffolk County Sheriff's Office. Credit: Barry Sloan. County officials said Chief James Burke turned in his resignation, which is. Loeb said at the time he required the walker due to dog bites sustained during his arrest. 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. 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. Despite the efforts of the defendant and his co-conspirators to obstruct the federal investigation, he has been brought to justice.. 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.. All Rights Reserved. "If you were with Burke, he treated you like gold, and you got tons of overtime," Trotta said. Burke.). In what has been called an "unusual move," he was then criminally prosecuted by Spota and McPartland. 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 Suffolk Police Department is proud to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). 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. Loeb pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and was sentenced to three years in prison. Its all part of a corruption case involving a former Long Island district attorney. It started with a duffel bag containing sex toys, cigars and a pornographic film. With some 2,700 sworn officers and over 600 civilian members, the department is one of the largest in the region. Federal prosecutors have signaledthat charges may be looming for accomplices who helped Burke cover up the crime. Anyone can read what you share. They said, 'If you guys don't toe the line and keep lying, we are going to 'Oliva' you," said Oliva. Questions of Burkes fitness to lead surfaced as far back as 1995, when he twice was found to have failed to safeguard his weapon. James Burke was formerly the police chief of the Suffolk County Police Department and previously served in the rank of Inspector as the commanding officer of the police department's Organized Crime Bureau. But in 2015, the prosecutors started investigating again, issuing grand jury subpoenas to police officers. He was released last summer. 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. . One lied in court and said the attack had not happened. "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. 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. They thought they were above the law, said Justina L. Geraci, an assistant United States attorney in the Eastern District of New York. During the assault, Loeb was handcuffed and chained to an eyebolt fastened to the floor at the Fourth Precinct. on Trial, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/nyregion/thomas-spota-corruption-trial.html. All Rights Reserved. Investigators are looking into the conduct of two of Mr. Spotas protgs Mr. Burke and the district attorneys top anticorruption prosecutor and any role they may have had in what federal prosecutors have described as a conspiracy to obstruct justice, three officials familiar with the investigation told The New York Times earlier this year. 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. 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. He was brought to a precinct house and shackled to the floor. 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. Credit: James Carbone, Michael O'Keeffe covers Suffolk County police and other Long Island law enforcement agencies. Burke, 52, who was Suffolk's highest-ranking uniformed cop for four years until he resigned in late 2015, was segregated from other prisoners after the drug was discovered recently, sources. Federal prosecutors have indicated other charges may be looming for accomplices who helped cover up the crime. "He's made mistakes. He was released from prison this year after receiving a 46-month sentence. 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. I cant comment on the false allegations made in the lawsuit, Suffolk Police Benevolent Association President Noel DiGerolamo said, addingLoebs "conduct and behavior" speak for themselves. Christopher Loeb speaks to the media after former Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota and top aide Christopher McPartland were found guilty on all felony charges at federal court in Central Islip in December2019. (Mr. Loeb later received a $1.5 million settlement from the county and a separate confidential settlement from Mr. 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. But, Wexler said, "He also did bad if you were not on his side. 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. The county has one of the largest police forces in America and includes both working-class villages and wealthy enclaves like the Hamptons. Prosecutors, however, have said in court papers that Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland operated in a manner more akin to criminal enterprise than a district attorneys office.. You told me no one would believe me," Loeb added. 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. Their lawyers on Thursday placed the blame squarely on Mr. Burke. One lied in court and said the attack had not happened. 2016 The Associated Press. 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.