"When a sitting District Attorney and one of his top prosecutors are corrupt and use their power to intimidate witnesses and cover up a brutal assault by a high-ranking law enforcement official, they not only jeopardize the safety of citizens who are entitled to the protection of the law, they also undermine confidence in the integrity and fairness of our criminal justice system," she said. CENTRAL ISLIP, Long Island (WABC) -- Former Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday following his 2019 conviction for helping cover for a former protg who as police chief punched a handcuffed man suspected of stealing embarrassing items from his police department SUV, including sex toys and pornography. This story was reported by Nicole Fuller, Bridget Murphy and Michael O'Keeffe. Spota: Yes, I met with them. Burke became a Suffolk cop and was promoted to sergeant; a 1995 department probe found that he had a sexual relationship with a prostitute who sold drugs, according to Newsday. In December 2012, then-Chief of the SCPD, James Burke the highest-ranking uniformed police official in Suffolk County physically and verbally assaulted a shackled prisoner, Christopher Loeb, who was under arrest and being held in an interrogation room at the 4th Precinct in Hauppauge, New York. He then arranged for Burke to be transferred to serve as commanding officer of the squad of police officials who worked directly for him as district attorney, prosecutors said during the trial. [14], The federal inquiry subsequently expanded beyond Burke to investigate a broader pattern of corruption in both the police department and the office of the Suffolk County district attorney, Thomas J. He finished his prison sentence in April. Mr. McPartland helped concoct a cover story that Chief Burke had just popped his head in to the interrogation room. "Thomas Spota and Christopher McPartland are guilty of ruining the lives of so many . The U.S. attorney's office also argued that the defendants hadn't accepted responsibility for their actions and deserved more time in prison than sentencing guidelines recommended because of "the need for deterrence" and the "egregiousness" of their actions. Published September 22, 2021 at 5:02 PM EDT. Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and a former top aide, Christopher McPartland, surrendered at separate federal prisons Friday, prison officials told Newsday. The disbarred lawyer, who will turn 80 next month, also shared a simple wish: "I hope not to die in prison alone," Spota told the judge. Spota, 79, will begin his sentence Dec. 10. Thomas Spota allegedly conspired with Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke and a top deputy in the DA's office to pressure witnesses to not cooperate with an FBI investigation into the 2012. He earned degrees at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, and St. John's University School of Law in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Because of their obstructive efforts, the federal investigation was unsuccessful and was closed approximately eight months later. Spota. He described it as a coalition of five high-powered, corrupt insiders who were behind the cover-up and would take collective aim to discredit and punish their enemies. It was written by Murphy. But Thomas J. Spota, the district attorney in New Yorks Suffolk County, had an Achilles heel. 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Loeb was paid $1.5 million after he filed a federal lawsuit against Suffolk County for "being beaten while shackled to the floor of an interrogation room by former Police Chief James Burke in 2012 after stealing a duffel bag packed with a gun belt, ammunition, sex toys and pornography from Burke's vehicle," a report by 1010wins said. This story has been shared 377,217 times. He also said Spota recently was given an "uncertain" medical prognosis but didn't provide further details. ", Bellone said Suffolk District Attorney Tim Sini has "restored integrity to the office. The sentences stem from the defendants December 17, 2019 convictions following a six-week federal jury trial; they were convicted on all four counts of the indictment including conspiracy to tamper with witnesses and obstruct an official proceeding; witness tampering; obstruction of justice; and being accessories after-the-fact to former Suffolk County Police Department Chief of Department James Burkes "deprivation of a prisoners civil rights," the U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of New York said in a release. "Loeb had broken into Burkes official police vehicle and stolen his gun belt and ammunition, and a duffel bag containing cigars, sex toys, prescription Viagra and pornography.". Despite that,. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York, the pair will be sentenced on August 10 at 10:30 a.m. at the courthouse in Central Islip. Their behavior was outrageous, and their sentences today prove as much. 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. The legislation Senator Flanagan sponsors has passed the Senate in both of the past two years but has died in . Bellone, the Suffolk County Executive, said outside the federal courthouse Tuesday he knew he had inherited a government in crisis when he began serving in his role a decade ago. Additionally, Spota was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine. He was convicted along with Christopher McPartland, 53, who paradoxically had been Suffolk Countys top anticorruption prosecutor. Lock Advertisement. 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.". 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. Among the successful cases prosecuted by his office was the conviction in May 2017 of John Bittrolff, a Manorville carpenter charged with the homicides of prostitutes Rita Tangredi and Colleen McNamee, whose bodies were found on area South Shore beaches in 1993 and 1994, respectively. In the 1990s, an internal investigation found that he had violated several police protocols, including having sex in his patrol car while in uniform with a prostitute who used crack cocaine. A federal appeals court found Wednesday that nurses who abruptly resigned from a Smithtown facility in 2006 over working conditions, then faced child-endangerment charges that were thrown out,. Anthony Leto testified at the trial that Burke punched, kneed and shook Loeb during the beating he also took part in, with Burke also threatening to give Loeb a "hot shot" or deadly drug dose. [8] He was reelected in 2005,[9] and again in 2009 without any major-party opposition. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Fax Line: 718-254-7508. . The star prosecution witness said during the trial that he began drinking while under extreme pressure to keep his intelligence unit detectives quiet about the Loeb beating. [5], Spota was born in 1941 and grew up in New Hyde Park, New York, on Long Island. Northport, New York, John Marzulli Man jailed on bogus murder rap to sue disgraced Long Island DA They golfed together and drank together. Disgraced former Suffolk County DA Thomas Spota landed five years in prison Tuesday for obstructing a federal investigation into a cover-up involving sex toys, assault and a top local . Feds seek lengthy prison terms for corrupt former Suffolk County DA 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. The jury deliberated for nearly a full day before returning the guilty verdict. Spota's attorney, Alan Vinegrad, told the judge his client is "a shadow" of his former self and a "fundamentally good" person who is devoted to his wife of 51 years, his three children and his grandchildren. The defense teams for Spota and McPartland had lobbied extensively for sentences of home confinement and community service for their clients. Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas J. Spota and Government Previously, he served as news editor of Stony Brooks student newspaper, The Statesman, and was a member of the campuss chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Mr. Spota, a lawyer for the police union at the time, defended Mr. Burke and negotiated a plea deal that saved his career. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, http://www.courts.state.ny.us/courts/ad2/Handdowns/2020/Decisions/D62922.pdf, "Suffolk County DA Thomas Spota resigning Friday after allegedly covering up police chief beating", "Spota, under indictment, finishes DA career under cloud of cover-up charges", "A scandal sent a Long Island police chief to prison. [10] THOMAS J. SPOTA Thomas Spota and one his top aides in the Suffolk County district attorney's office, Christopher McPartland, were convicted in December 2019 on counts of conspiracy, obstruction of . "I hope it sends a clear message that no one is above the law and criminal conduct that betrays the public trust will be punished," the judge said of his sentence. 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. Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota was sentenced to 5 years behind bars. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Spota later hired Burke to work in his office as an investigator, promoted him to chief investigator, and vouched for him when he was appointed chief of the police department, one of the largest suburban forces in the country with 2,500 officers. Spota and McPartland both resigned from the District Attorneys Office in light of the charges against them and have since been disbarred. I realized that my career was over, he testified, and that if I even try to go to the feds at this point, I would be dead in Suffolk County.. The jury determined Spota conspired with Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke and former anti-corruption bureau chief Christopher McPartland to pressure witnesses to not cooperate with an FBI investigation into the 2012 assault. All Rights Reserved. You better find out fast, if its not too late," Hickey testified the district attorney also told him that day. All rights reserved. But the good news is that this culture of corruption has been swept out of the district attorney's office and has been replaced with a culture of integrity," he added. The verdict came after the jury sat for five weeks listening to evidence, including reports of secret meetings between Spota and McPartland, cell phone tower data, and phone records; Burke previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced, News 12 said. Former Chief of Investigations and Chief of the DA offices Government Corruption Bureau, Christopher McPartland, was sentenced to five years in prison alongside Spota for the same crimes. U.S. District Court Judge Joan Azrack told Spota and McPartland that they violated the public's trust and described their actions as "unconscionable" and as "shocking criminal conduct." There were sex toys and porn in the pouch, and Loeb taunted the chief while being grilled over the robbery, calling him a pervert.. Support RiverheadLOCAL today. This story has been shared 121,843 times. Mr. Spota viewed Mr. Burke almost as a son, standing with him whenever he was touched by scandal. The defense also claimed during the trial that there was no way Spota or McPartland tried to hide Burkes role in Loebs beating because Burke never confessed to them before admitting his guilt in federal court. Mr. McPartland and Mr. Burke used to greet one another on the phone with a vulgar imprecation. Former Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota sentenced to 5 years in Powerful Former LI Prosecutor Guilty of Police Beating Cover-Up Spota and McPartland were successful in thwarting the investigation at first, until the case was reopened and witnesses were able to testify when granted immunity. Thomas Spota, 79, and his top aide, 55-year-old Christopher McPartland, were handed their sentences on Tuesday by a federal judge following their December 2019 convictions on conspiracy, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and civil rights violation charges related to a vast cover-up of the beating of a suspected thief by Suffolk County . I met with Joselo, the brother. He was convicted of obstruction, witness tampering, and conspiracy charges in December 2019 [17] and disbarred in June 2020. Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas J. Spota and Government Corruption Bureau Chief Christopher McPartland Each Sentenced to Five Years in Prison Tuesday, August 10, 2021 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York The Defendants Were Convicted of Obstructing a Federal Civil Rights Investigation Spota, who served as DA for more than a decade before stepping down in 2017, worked to protect Burke by telling detectives who witnessed the assault to stay quiet as the feds probed the incident. 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Spota III (born 1941, New York) is a former American attorney and politician, who served as the District Attorney of Suffolk County, New York, serving from 2002 to late 2017, but was disbarred on June 10, 2020. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland sat without expression as the verdict was read. Mr. Loeb was held on $500,000 bail, an unusually high amount for a car break-in. According to federal prosecutors, Spota considered anyone cooperating with the investigation into Burke a "rat," demanded that a police officer find out who was cooperating, and threatened that informants "would never work in Suffolk County again.". Updated. McPartland also asked the judge to consider how a severe punishment would impact his family and the suffering he said they already have endured. He told jurors Spota grilled him on who he suspected had "flipped," or started cooperating with federal officials. "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. "Ive also left them with a shattered legacy and the stain of being a convicted felon," the former district attorney said. A year later prosecutors from U.S. Attorneys Long Island criminal division reopened the investigation. Loeb's three-year prison sentence was vacated after Burke pleaded guilty. Former Suffolk County DA Tom Spota, Aide Set For Sentencing Mr. Spotas family members, seated in the first row of the courtroom, appeared emotional, with teary eyes and their arms around one another. They ruined lives and destroyed careers. They were accompanied by other members of the Hispanic community. We are a small family-owned operation. Prosecutors had argued the men deserved 8 years behind bars for doing "the exact opposite" of their jobs in the face of a scandal that eventually engulfed the county's law enforcement power structure. McPartland, 55, will begin his sentence Nov. 10. The survival of local journalism depends on your support. McPartland was also sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday. The resulting scandal eventually engulfed the countys law enforcement power structure. He'd been convicted of trying to cover up an assault by former police chief James Burke, Spota's top. In particular, Mr. Burke hated one of the police officials, Pat Cuff, who had conducted the internal investigation against him in the 1990s, witnesses said. Uli Seit for The New. Former Suffolk DA James Spota Sentenced To 5 Years In James - CBS News Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. Prosecutors alleged that Spota and McPartland illegally intervened after the Dec. 14, 2012 beating. Chief investigative reporter Jonathan Dienst on crime, corruption and terrorism. Expand. Police officers who received subpoenas from the FBI were interrogated afterward by Burke's allies about whether they had talked, prosecutors said. I met with them before the indictments. Approximately one year later, prosecutors from U.S. Attorneys Long Island Criminal Division reopened the investigation. On Tuesday, after the verdict was read, Mr. Loeb, the man who was assaulted by the police chief, poked his head into the emptying courtroom. McPartland was also part of the pressure campaign to get cops to cover for the chief. Mr. Burkes relationship with Mr. Spota began in 1979, when Mr. Spota was a young prosecutor trying a murder case, and Mr. Burke, then a teenager, was his star witness. The administration panicked, prosecutors said. Official websites use .gov Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, former New York City correction officer Katrina Patterson was sentenced by United States District Judge Carol B. Amon to a year and a As alleged, the defendant violated his duty as a correction officer and accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to smuggle contraband into the Metropolitan Detention Center, stated United Mackey has been found guilty by a jury of his peers of attempting to deprive individuals from exercising their sacred right to vote for the candidate of their choice in Eastern District of New York "Somebodys talking. Word of a reopened probe panicked Spota, according to Hickeys testimony. 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A lock ( A Long Island jury on Tuesday found former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota guilty of obstructing a federal probe into a police chief who bashed a handcuffed prisoner over stolen porn . Vinegrad described Spota in a court filing as a "shattered man" whose age, declining health and record of public service supported a no-prison sentence. The two remained close during Burke's rise, which culminated in 2012 when he was elevated to the top position in a department with more than 2,500 . They depicted Burke as Spotas "professional child of sorts" and a wise elder who told a golf buddy after Burkes conviction that he shouldnt sympathize with the wayward cop because he "did it to himself.". "The allegations of covert spying, threats made against perceived enemies, relentless intimidation tactics, and outright fear were spelled out clearly by federal prosecutors and I commend them for their outstanding work. McPartland, who worked directly under Spota, also had built a close friendship with Burke, and was the first person who Burke called the morning he discovered that his vehicle had been burglarized," the release from the U.S. Attorney's office said. My family will forever be marked by my disgrace, Spota saidmoments before being sentenced. Vinegrad also raised the possibility of the former district attorney, who was vaccinated against COVID-19 becoming infected in prison and then possibly dying. ", He added that at the time he called for the resignation: "Tom Spota's power was at its peak and their criminal enterprise was in full swing. Spota, 79, of Mount Sinai and McPartland, 55, of Northport, were sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack; Spota was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine, officials said. The criminal charges hastened Spota's exit from office after 16 years as the top prosecutor in Suffolk County. Spota has been active in the fight against the distribution of child pornography over the Internet. Ex-Suffolk County DA, Aide Denied Bail Pending Appeal: Feds After the assault, Burke ordered high-ranking lieutenants of the SCPD to ensure that the detectives and officers who had witnessed the assault would never reveal whatthey had observed, federal officials said. Age: 55 In 2019, a jury convicted Spota, of Mount Sinai, and McPartland, 55, of Northport, of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and acting as accessories to the deprivation of prisoner Christopher Loeb's civil rights. 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.". Oct. 25, 2017. A former Long Island prosecutor was sentenced to 5 years in prison on Tuesday for helping cover up the police beating of a prisoner suspected of stealing sex toys and other items from a police chief's vehicle.
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