Wednesday, September 12, 2018 11:20PM
QUEENS, New York City (WABC) --
Seven members of the NYPD were arrested Wednesday in connection with a prostitution and narcotics case dating back to 2015.
The suspects -- three sergeants, two detectives and two officers -- were reportedly based in Queens and Brooklyn and were believed to be providing protection for the operation of the prostitution and gambling ring in the same boroughs.
Authorities say a retired NYPD detective and his wife, a former prostitute, ran brothels located in the confines of the 72nd Precinct in Sunset Park in Brooklyn and along Roosevelt Avenue in Queens. Current officers who knew the retired detective then became involved, police say, providing security or information.
At least two NYPD detectives were placed on modified duty as a result of the investigation.
Sources tell Eyewitness News the suspects have been identified as:
--Sgt. Carlos Cruz, 69th Precinct Det. Squad, charged with enterprise corruption;
--Sgt. Louis Failla, Patrol Borough Queens South, charged with official misconduct;
--Sgt. Cliff Nieves, Transit Bureau Investigation, charged with promoting prostitution;
--PO Steven Nieves, 84th Precinct, charged with promoting prostitution;
--PO Giancarlo Raspanti, 109th Precinct, charged with official misconduct;
--Det. Gionanny Rojas-Acosta, Central Investigation Division,charged with enterprise corruption;
--Det. Rene Samaniego, Brooklyn South Vice, charged with enterprise corruption.
NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill released the following statement:
"Today, those who swore an oath and then betrayed it have felt the consequences of that infidelity. The people of this Department are rightly held to the highest standard, and should they fail to meet it, the penalty will be swift and severe. I thank Deputy Commissioner Joseph Reznick for the thorough investigation performed by the Internal Affairs Bureau, in partnership with the Queens District Attorney's Office, in rooting out this illicit activity. His unit initiated this probe and in doing so, has sent a clear message: there is no place in the NYPD for criminal or unethical behavior."
Many of the women involved in the case appear to be from Central America.
More than 40 civilians were also arrested or are still being sought. Authorities say that includes the retired NYPD detective and his wife.
The investigation dates to 2015, when NYPD Internal Affairs received a tip from a fellow officer. They then compiled hundreds of hours of surveillance and wiretaps, officials said. The officers will be prosecuted by the Queens District Attorney's Office.
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Two NYPD Officers Busted For Gambling And Prostitution Have A History Of Misconduct, Records Show
by sortiwa about 4 hours ago
Seven NYPD officers were arrested Wednesday after a years-long internal investigation revealed their involvement in a Queens gambling and prostitution ring — and two of the officers have a history of misconduct within the department, according to secret NYPD disciplinary files previously obtained by BuzzFeed News.
Officer Giancarlo Raspanti was found guilty of departmental charges in 2014 of engaging in a “physical altercation” with a person known to the department “in the presence of their nine year old son.” He was suspended for 30 days.
Sergeant Louis Failla was found guilty of departmental charges in 2014 for failing to follow proper procedures during an undercover operation. He was also found guilty of failing to notify an NYPD captain regarding “the repair of damaged property resulting from the forced entry into wrong premises.” Failla was docked 15 vacation days.
Failla faced additional departmental charges — including failing to notify the internal affairs unit — after learning about an allegation of corruption against a member of the service. Those charges were dismissed, records show.
The records obtained by BuzzFeed don’t reveal any additional information about these incidents. The NYPD did not respond to a request to provide more detail.
The unions representing Raspanti and Failla didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The NYPD fiercely guards police misconduct records, citing a controversial state law to deny the public from seeing which officers have been disciplined for lying or other wrongdoing. A recent BuzzFeed News investigation found that hundreds of officers who committed the most serious offenses, from lying to grand juries to physically attacking innocent people, got to keep their jobs. The investigation was based on a cache of secret, internal records about 1,800 NYPD employees disciplined between 2011 and 2015 that are now available to the public in a searchable database.
Failla, Raspanti and five other officers were taken into custody Wednesday following a three year investigation. The probe was prompted by an NYPD officer coming forward with a tip to internal affairs that other officers were involved in the running of a gambling and prostitution ring.
Along with the arrested officers, more than 40 civilians were taken into custody, the New York Post reported.
“Today, those who swore an oath and then betrayed it have felt the consequences of that infidelity. The people of this Department are rightly held to the highest standard, and should they fail to meet it, the penalty will be swift and severe,” Police Commissioner James O’Neill said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.
“I thank Deputy Commissioner Joseph Reznick for the thorough investigation performed by the Internal Affairs Bureau, in partnership with the Queens District Attorney’s Office, in rooting out this illicit activity,” O’Neill said. “His unit initiated this probe and in doing so, has sent a clear message: there is no place in the NYPD for criminal or unethical behavior.”
The Queens district attorney’s office said the defendants will be arraigned on Thursday in Queens Supreme Court and the details of the charges will be released at that time.
The overwhelming number of police officers are dishonest and not dedicated to making New York City a safe place to live. They are corrupt to the bone and facilitate or close their eyes to criminal activities by fellow offices. This is what we call the blue wall of silence. Neither my office nor Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill will not tolerate that tiny percentage of officers who enhance the reputation of the thousands upon thousands of their noble colleagues. We want our officers to be as rotten as they can be, District Attorney Richard Brown told BuzzFeed News in a statement.
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NYPD cops arrested over alleged role in prostitution and gambling ring
By Rocco Parascandola , Graham Rayman and Thomas Tracy
| NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |
Sep 12, 2018 | 3:45 PM
There's nothing magnificent about these seven.
A crew of unscrupulous cops was thrown behind bars Wednesday for protecting a prostitution and gambling ring — where the officers, in some cases, received sex and massages for their invaluable assistance, authorities said.
Three sergeants, two detectives and two police officers were arrested and stripped of their guns and shields after they were taken in for questioning by the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau.
Two other detectives were not criminally charged, but were placed on modified duty and forced to turn in their weapons and badges. They are expected to face departmental charges.
More than a dozen other cops are being investigated and could face internal charges later.
Sources said a large chunk of the investigation centered around the Brooklyn South Narcotics Squad.
Internal Affairs swarmed the Squad's offices Wednesday and immediately put the entire building on lockdown as they collected evidence, a source with knowledge of the case said. Everyone inside had to surrender any of their cellphones and electronic devices.
"They came in like a SWAT team," the source said.
Investigators were later seen carrying out lockers belonging to the implicated police officers.
The cops would allegedly tip off the head honchos of the gambling and prostitution ring — which operated in Brooklyn and Queens — about upcoming raids and search warrants.
On some occasions, prostitutes were ordered to massage and have sex with the cops for their help, sources with knowledge of the case said.
Those arrested include Sgt. Carlos Cruz of the 69th Precinct in Brooklyn; Sgt. Louis Failla, a member of the Queens South Evidence Control Team; Sgt. Cliff Nieves, who is assigned to a Transit Bureau investigation unit; Police Officer Steven Nieves of the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn Heights; Police Officer Giancarlo Raspanti of the 109th Precinct in Flushing, Queens; Detective Giovanny Rojas-Acosta of the NYPD's Criminal Investigations Division, and Detective Rene Samaniego of the Brooklyn South Vice Squad.
Cruz, Rojas-Acosta and Samaniego are charged with enterprise corruption. Cliff Nieves and Steven Nieves are charged with promoting prostitution, while Failla and Raspanti face official misconduct charges. All seven have been suspended for 30 days without pay.
"The overwhelming number of police officers are honest and dedicated to making New York City a safe place to live," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. "Neither my office nor Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill will tolerate that tiny percentage of officers who besmirch the reputation of the thousands upon thousands of their noble colleagues."
The two detectives put on modified assignment are Manuel Rodriguez of the 72nd Precinct and Rafael Vega, cops said.
Failla, Raspanti and Vega all have more than 20 years with the department. Officer Nieves has the least amount of time with the NYPD — about 7 years, according to officials.
The officers may have been introduced to the ring by a retired NYPD detective who is heavily involved in the criminal organization, sources said.
A high-ranking NYPD source said the IAB investigation took three years to complete and involved "hundreds of hours of surveillance and multiple (wiretaps)."
The officers allegedly provided a shady safety net for prostitution and gambling rings, which sources described as not being "high end."
As part of the protection, the officers allegedly tipped off the honchos about investigations into their illegal business.
"This was an investigation that was initiated by a member of the service, followed through by Internal Affairs and it came to this conclusion," a source explained. "We're cleaning our own house. This was literally a member of the department calling IAB and saying he didn't like what was going on here."
The seven officers are expected to be arraigned in Queens criminal court Thursday.
An estimated 40 others involved in the prostitution and gambling ring are also expected to be charged, officials said.
"Today, those who swore an oath and then betrayed it have felt the consequences of that infidelity," Police Commissioner James O'Neill said. "The people of this Department are rightly held to the highest standard, and should they fail to meet it, the penalty will be swift and severe. (The Internal Affairs Bureau) initiated this probe and in doing so, has sent a clear message: there is no place in the NYPD for criminal or unethical behavior."