thomas spota daughter

Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and a former top aide, Christopher McPartland, surrendered at separate federal prisons Friday, prison officials told Newsday. Despite that,. The testimony exposed an alarming culture of corruption and retribution in a county with about 2,500 police officers, one of the largest police departments in the United States. I met with Joselo, the brother. 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 . https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/nyregion/tom-spota-trial-verdict.html. This story has been shared 137,412 times. 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. Thomas J. Spota, the Suffolk County district attorney, and his top anti-corruption prosecutor were charged on . In December 2012, then-chief of the SCPD, James Burke "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," a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The trouble started one morning in December 2012, when Chief Burke discovered somebody had broken into his police car. Age: 55 Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Leto retired in 2015, later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice and now is awaiting sentencing. 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 justice . You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. No other witness testified to receiving direct orders from Mr. Spota or Mr. McPartland to obstruct the investigation, defense lawyers argued. 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. 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. I met with the daughter. Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine today after attempting to obstruct a federal investigation into the brutality of a prisoner by former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke in 2012. Ex-Suffolk County DA Thomas Spota guilty of obstructing federal probe But Spota, who knew of Burkes police disciplinary history, responded to the allegation by saying Burkes off-duty firearm was taken in a pattern of burglaries in his neighborhood, prosecutors told jurors. Thomas Spota and Christopher McPartland were convicted of obstruction of justice and other crimes for their role in a scheme to protect James Burke. Apr 26, 2018 at 8:20 pm. An official website of the United States government. LONG ISLAND, NY Former Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota, 79, and his chief investigator, found guilty of obstruction by a jury in 2019 for covering up an incident during which a man was beaten after he stole a duffel bag from a former police chief filled with sex toys and pornography were each sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday, federal officials said. Burke, Spota and McPartland used the power and influence of their official positions, and the threat of retaliatory arrest and prosecution, to keep anyone from cooperating with that investigation. The defense teams for Spota and McPartland had lobbied extensively for sentences of home confinement and community service for their clients. Mount Sinai, New York, CHRISTOPHER McPARTLAND Powerful Former LI Prosecutor Guilty of Police Beating Cover-Up Burke pleaded guilty to a civil rights violation and conspiracy to obstruct justicein February, 2016 and was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment; Spota and McPartland bothresigned from the District Attorneys Office in light of the charges against them and have sincebeen disbarred, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. That decision would cost Mr. Spota his career and turn him into a convicted criminal. Mr. Spotas lawyer, Alan Vinegrad, declined to comment on the verdict. Thomas J. Spota, the former district attorney in Suffolk County, N.Y., was found guilty on Tuesday of four counts, including obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Now Ex-D.A. 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. Burke pleaded guilty in 2016 to the beating and cover-up, serving most of a 46-month prison sentence before his release to a halfway house. With todays sentences, justice has been served and the defendants have learned the consequences of their crimes, just like anyone else who has broken the law.". A four-count indictment was returned this morning by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York charging Thomas J. Spota, the Suffolk County District Attorney, and Christopher McPartland, the Chief of Investigations and Chief of the Government Corruption Bureau of the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office (SCDAO), with (1) Conspiracy to . Only then, and with today's sentences, the earned trust and confidence of the citizens of Suffolk County can be justly restored, stated FBI Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge Maguire. 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. 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. 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 . The judge said in a ruling last week that the imprisonment range both defendants were facing under federal guidelines was between 57 and 71 months in prison. He finished his prison sentence in April. Azrack said no one is above the law. Local law enforcement eyewitnesses had been frightened into silence, as they feared retaliation against themselves and their families from within the Suffolk County Police Department and the District Attorneys Office.". Suffolk Prosecutor Charged With Obstructing Police Assault Mr. Loeb was held on $500,000 bail, an unusually high amount for a car break-in. Proving obstruction of justice required the government to present evidence that the defendants acted with a corrupt purpose, a high legal bar. Ex-Suffolk County DA Tom Spota, Aide Sentenced To 5 Years: Feds The three men called themselves the administration, one former police officer testified. The thief took a duffel bag from the car that contained sex toys, a pornographic DVD and Viagra. The anonymous communication had issued a warning about Burkes internal affairs history, and made reference to a prostitute stealing Burkes service weapon. Mr. Hickey testified that he was ordered to instruct his men to deny, deny, deny. Mr. Spota and the others involved in the cover-up handpicked one of the three officers, Anthony Leto, to lie under oath about the assault during a court hearing, Mr. Hickey said. This story has been shared 377,217 times. This culture of corruption has had a real and profound impact. Bad Cop, Worse Cop: James Burke and the Overwhelming Stench of But the investigation escalated again in 2015 with more subpoenas. [15][16] Spota resigned from office on November 10, 2017. A jury found them guilty of witness tampering, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy after they pressured witnesses not to cooperate with an FBI investigation into the 2012 assault, abc7ny.com said. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Boeckmann said Spota and McPartland got what they deserved. The defense took aim at Hickey, who retired shortly before pleading guilty in 2016 to conspiracy to obstruct justice, and who told jurors he is hoping for leniency at his future sentencing because of his role as a cooperating prosecution witness. Mr. Burke later became a police officer. "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. 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. It was testimony from James Hickey, a retired Suffolk police lieutenant, that formed the heart of the governments case. 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 . HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The families of four victims killed in hit-and-run crashes in Suffolk County called on Albany on Tuesday to enact tougher sentences for drivers who flee the scene. ", 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. CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. He was one of the most powerful men on Long Island, serving as the top prosecutor in a suburban county with 1.5 million people. Three other police detectives had been in the room participating in the beating, and it was imperative that they all stuck to the same story. Loeb's three-year prison sentence was vacated after Burke pleaded guilty. Loeb spoke before Tuesdays sentencing, saying, Spota should spend the rest of his life behind bars for all the lives he has ruined.. Loeb, the abused prisoner, also spoke in court Tuesday, telling the judge that Spota "should spend the rest of his life behind bars." 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. The government also claimed McPartland was the "architect of the lies," helping Burke craft a story about Loeb being a "junkie thief" who fabricated his tale of an assault a script everyone who became part of the conspiracy had to follow. [10] 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 . 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. But he said he didn't realize that there was a corrupt conspiracy operating among those at the highest level of law enforcement. 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.". Former Suffolk DA Thomas Spota, ex-top aide now in prison, federal 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. He won election after election for 15 years with bipartisan support. ", 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. The remains of at least ten persons have been found on South Shore beaches, and are believed to be related. Burke had flown off the handle in 2012 while interrogating suspect Christopher Loeb who had stolen a bag from the chiefs SUV. 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.". She found that sentencing enhancements should apply because Spota and McPartland abused their positions of public trust, substantially interfered with the administration of justice, held leadership roles and committed crimes extensive in scope and planning. The case was assigned to the public corruption unit, led by Mr. McPartland, not the major crimes unit, where it would normally have been prosecuted. This story was reported by Nicole Fuller, Bridget Murphy and Michael O'Keeffe. In 2001, Spota won his first election as district attorney with the backing of police unions while campaigning on an anti-corruption platform. He told jurors he testified falsely during a hearing in Loebs case and feared Suffolk police or prosecutors would fabricate charges against him or his family if he didnt go along with the cover-up. 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, stated Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis. McPartland was also part of the pressure campaign to get cops to cover for the chief. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. The assault of the burglary suspect happened about a year into Mr. Burkes tenure as police chief. Acting Eastern District U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis said in a statement after Tuesday's sentencing hearing that justice had been served after "reprehensible violations of the public trust" by the defendants. Spota and McPartland were both convicted on all charges, John Marzulli, a spokesman for the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office, said. They were accused of helping cover up the 2012 police beating of a prisoner suspected of stealing sex toys and other items from a police chiefs vehicle. Mr. Spota, a lawyer for the police union at the time, defended Mr. Burke and negotiated a plea deal that saved his career. She ordered McPartland to surrender on Nov. 10. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. He told jurors he acted as a middleman in a yearslong conspiracy to cover-up Loebs beating after being tasked with ensuring the silence of the three detectives. From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to you. "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. Email: alek@riverheadlocal.com. He earned degrees at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, and St. John's University School of Law in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Thomas Spota - RiverheadLOCAL 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. 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. Loeb spoke to the judge before Spota and McPartland were sentenced. He had been watching the trial from the overflow room. He was convicted of obstruction, witness tampering, and conspiracy charges in December 2019 [17] and disbarred in June 2020. The legislation Senator Flanagan sponsors has passed the Senate in both of the past two years but has died in . Updated. Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and a former top aide, Christopher McPartland, surrendered at separate federal prisons Friday, prison officials told Newsday. I commend the tenacity and skill of this Office's prosecutors and the FBI special agents in toppling the defendants from their undeserved positions of prominence and in holding them to account for their reprehensible violations of the public trust.. 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. Eyewitness News has learned it appears Spota and McPartland will appeal their sentences. [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. Appeals court: Ex-DA can't be sued over charges that were thrown out "Burke, Spota and McPartland used the power and influence of their official positions, and the threat of retaliatory arrest and prosecution, to keep anyone from cooperating with that investigation," federal officials said in the release. This story has been shared 121,843 times. [1] Spota resigned November 10, 2017, after he was indicted on federal charges of obstruction of justice in the investigation of Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke. Alek Lewis is a lifelong Riverhead resident and a 2021 graduate of Stony Brook Universitys School of Communication and Journalism. The former official in Suffolk County was found guilty of conspiracy after a trial that exposed a culture of corruption. Former Suffolk DA James Spota Sentenced To 5 Years In James - CBS News Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota was sentenced to 5 years behind bars. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit last month denied the defendants requests to remain free on bail while they appeal their convictions. Both men denied the charges, multiple reports said. Both men denied the charges, multiple reports said. [1] "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. Boeckmann also called their punishments fitting. Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Jacqueline Maguire, Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentences. . August 10, 2021 / 7:09 PM / CBS New York CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota was sentenced Tuesday for a cover-up involving the county's. He'd been convicted of trying to cover up an assault by former police chief James Burke, Spota's top. Bellone said his actions were inspired by reports of political corruption in the district attorney's office. "Ive also left them with a shattered legacy and the stain of being a convicted felon," the former district attorney said. The survival of local journalism depends on your support. Northport, New York, John Marzulli 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. From December 2010, his office oversaw the investigation of numerous homicides in Suffolk County, believed to have been perpetrated by a single unidentified person, known as the Long Island serial killer, or LISK. Ex-prosecutor sentenced to 5 years in suspect abuse scandal - Yahoo News A locked padlock The governments case is being handled by the Offices Long Island Criminal Division. 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. 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. At trial, lawyers for Mr. McPartland and Mr. Spota tried to shred Mr. Hickeys credibility, calling him a practiced liar and highlighting that he admitted to four extramarital affairs. "Nobody should have this much power and be above the law.". Christopher McPartland, right, leaving his trial last month in Central Islip, N.Y. Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine today after attempting to obstruct a federal investigation into the brutality of a prisoner by former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke in 2012. My family will forever be marked by my disgrace, Spota saidmoments before being sentenced. They're guilty," Loeb wrote on Facebook in 2019. Spota and co-defendant Chris. McPartland, 55, will begin his sentence Nov. 10. Film Extras: Interview with Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas J The convictions of Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland make it clear that the days of Long Islands good old boy networks combining politics, power and policing to benefit a select few, at the expense of the taxpaying public, are dead and gone, said Richard Donoghue, the United States attorney in the Eastern District of New York. Spota has been active in the fight against the distribution of child pornography over the Internet. I hope not to die in prison alone. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, a jury found the ex-district attorney guilty, Off-duty NYPD cop dies after LI car crash: sources, LI bouncer covered security camera before brutal beating that led to bar patrons death, Long Island nurse arrested after slamming newborn into bassinet: Suffolk DA, Here are the wild animals that a NY lawmaker wants to ban from homes. Feds seek lengthy prison terms for corrupt former Suffolk County DA

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