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Corrupt Government Title: Bernard Kerik was arrested and booked yesterday and admitted to having illegally accepted $165,000 in free renovations from a contractor with alleged links to the mob while he was the city correction commissioner Kerik now a criminal But holds head high The city's former top cop is now a perp. Defiant and unapologetic to the end, Bernard Kerik was arrested and booked yesterday, processed through the same criminal justice system in which he worked for most of his adult life. He stood before a judge in state Supreme Court in the Bronx and admitted to having illegally accepted $165,000 in free renovations from a contractor with alleged links to the mob while he was the city correction commissioner. Kerik's camp spun the matter as a harmless paperwork snafu. But investigators, prosecutors and the judge characterized the case in far more serious terms, pointing out that Kerik now has a criminal record. "Mr. Kerik stands convicted of two crimes," said Rose Gill Hearn, commissioner of the city Department of Investigation, outside court. "He was fingerprinted and photographed, just like every other perp," she said. "It is now a matter of public record that he abused his public position to benefit himself financially." Instead of facing a possible felony indictment, Kerik pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges. He agreed to pay fines and penalties totaling $221,000. He must pay the fines by Sept. 5 or serve 105 days in jail. Wearing a black suit with an American flag lapel pin, Kerik also admitted making calls on behalf of the city contractor, Interstate Industrial, even as the company was under investigation by city, state and federal authorities. "I admit that I took a gift from Interstate Companies or a subsidiary, and thinking they were clean, I spoke to city officials about Interstate on two occasions," Kerik said before Judge John Collins during the 10-minute proceeding. The second charge involved Kerik failing to report a $28,000 loan from Nathan Berman, a prominent real estate developer - money that authorities said Kerik used to help buy the apartment. Prosecutor Stephen Bookin, chief of the investigations bureau, carefully pointed out in court that while it may appear that Interstate paid Kerik in exchange for his help with regulators "there is no direct evidence of an agreement." Collins made note of Kerik's contribution to the city, "particularly on Sept. 11, 2001, and in the days thereafter. "Still, the defendant has violated the law for personal gain," Collins added. Robert Johnson, the Bronx district attorney, said Kerik's plea sends a message to unethical public officials that "they must tow the line because the investigators and prosecutors in this city will make them pay.... It is payment that he is now convicted of crimes." Johnson and Gill Hearn both described the 18-month investigation as difficult, involving more than 150 witnesses, scores of documents and the challenge of overcoming jurisdictional and statute of limitation difficulties. While they characterized the conviction as a tough blow to Kerik, it struck many as a sweet deal. Not only did Kerik avoid jail, the $290,000 profit he made on the sale of the illicitly remodeled apartment easily covers the fines. During a brief news conference outside the courthouse, Kerik's attorney Joseph Tacopina said his client had accounted for the gifts on tax forms, but declined to say when or how. Tacopina repeatedly stressed that the misdemeanors Kerik confessed to are not violations of state penal law, continuing a media push to downplay the severity of the charges. Tacopina also invoked Kerik's status as a fixture next to then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the days after the 9/11 attacks. "He was a hero when we needed him to be a hero," Tacopina said. "That can never be taken away from him." Kerik bore no signs of his head-spinning fall since he stood 18 months ago next to President Bush as the nominee to head the nation's Homeland Security Department. After the proceedings, the shaved-headed and stout former cop stood defiantly outside the courthouse and described the investigation as a nuisance. "The last year and a half have been a tremendous burden on me and my family," Kerik said. "It's funny, over the last year and a half I've watched and listened as people picked apart my 30-year career fighting crime and fighting injustice and tried to destroy everything I've ever done." Kerik spoke for less than two minutes and made few references to the charges, except to say that he "should have focused more" and "been more sophisticated" in filing financial disclosure forms. "But I think today is a way in which I've been held accountable for what I've done, or did not do," he said. As Kerik finished speaking, a reporter asked the former head of the nation's largest municipal police force if he was sorry. The defendant turned to Tacopina and said, "Let's go."
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#1. To: TLBSHOW (#0)
Very interesting.
Bastard was almost homeland security chief.. and Dubya, mister spy guy. Mister nose in everyones ass, mister track your phone conversations, bank transactions and mister "no-fly" list, allegedly missed this.
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