They placed fear of retaliation inside the minds of those who may otherwise have been willing to cooperate, and they interfered with efforts of federal investigators who were trying to get to the bottom of a heinous crime. He was smiling. 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. The cover-up of Chief Burkes assault, witnesses at trial said, was part of a broader pattern. Thomas Spota was the prosecutor. Proving obstruction of justice required the government to present evidence that the defendants acted with a corrupt purpose, a high legal bar. This story has been shared 137,412 times. Mr. McPartland helped concoct a cover story that Chief Burke had just popped his head in to the interrogation room. The essential facts of this crime are so outrageous, Azrack said. But Thomas J. Spota, the district attorney in New Yorks Suffolk County, had an Achilles heel. Spota told a judge at his sentencing in August that, I hope not to die in prison alone.. ", "The actions of these defendants represent the worst of law enforcement," said Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini Tuesday. There is absolutely no place for this type of behavior within our criminal justice system. During closing arguments, Krantz presented jurors with a list of "10 reasons why James Hickey cannot be believed" that included "raw self-interest" and a "psychotic break from reality.". Azrack said no one is above the law. Main Office Spota and Burke had a kinship that dated to the ex-chief's teenage years in the late 1970s, when he was a star witness in a murder case that Spota was prosecuting. Have a question about Government Services? "My family will forever be marked by my disgrace.". Uli Seit for The New. Greg Blass The three men called themselves the administration, one former police officer testified. I met with the daughter. Is Convicted on Long Island. Mr. Loeb was held on $500,000 bail, an unusually high amount for a car break-in. After the meeting, Chief Burke threatened that if the police detectives failed to stay in line, he would expose that Mr. Hickey was cheating on his wife, Mr. Hickey said. Spota represented Burke years later as a private attorney when Burke faced internal police discipline after 1995 allegations which were substantiated that Burke engaged in sex acts with a known prostitute in police vehicles and failed to safeguard his service weapon. The verdict was a hard-fought victory for the federal prosecutors and the F.B.I., whose investigation faced setbacks for years. Mr. Spota set out to protect and defend Chief Burke, as he had before over a 40-year friendship, prosecutors said. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. A federal grand jury investigation into the Loeb assault as "a civil rightsdeprivation" was opened by the U.S. Attorneys Brooklyn Office, with the assistance of the FBI,in the spring of 2013, the release said. New York Daily News. Spota and McPartland helped to ensure witnesses of Burkes crimes using threats against themselves and their families during a U.S. grand jury investigation into Burkes deprivation of Loebs civil rights. They have three grown children. Spota and McPartland helped to ensure witnesses of Burkes crimes using threats against themselves and their families during a U.S. grand jury investigation into Burkes deprivation of Loebs civil rights. Instead of serving the people of Suffolk County, these defendants brazenly abused their exceptional positions of power and public trust to protect their friends and hurt their enemies. Mr. Hickey decided to plead guilty to his role in the conspiracy and cooperated with prosecutors as their star witness, testifying on the stand for three days. "Their conduct has devastated many people individually, deprived Suffolk residents of what they deserve from public officials, and was a disservice to all the honest, hardworking men and women of law enforcement. McPartland, who also is serving a five-year sentence, is incarcerated at Beaumont Federal Correctional Complex in Texas, according to the newspaper. Lawyers for Spota and McPartland portrayed Hickey during the trial as a mentally unstable drunk and serial philanderer who lied repeatedly to his spouse and committed perjury when testifying years ago in a burglary case that a Suffolk judge threw out. In 2001, Spota won his first election as district attorney with the backing of police unions while campaigning on an anti-corruption platform. Man jailed on bogus murder rap to sue disgraced Long Island DA She said that Burke had pleaded guilty quickly after his separate arrest and that, as prosecutors, Spota and McPartland were supposed to be an "essential bulwark against police misconduct.". Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Spota was convicted in December 2019 on federal charges of conspiracy to tamper with witnesses and obstruct an official proceeding, witness tampering, obstruction of justice and being an accessory to Burke, U.S. Department of Justice officials said. The former official in Suffolk County was found guilty of conspiracy after a trial that exposed a culture of corruption. "Thomas Spota and Christopher McPartland are guilty of ruining the lives of so many other families. He won election after election for 15 years with bipartisan support. Thomas Spota, the longtime district attorney of Suffolk County, Long Island, was accused of conspiring with the county police chief and a top deputy in the DA's office to pressure witnesses to . This culture of corruption has had a real and profound impact. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
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