Former 68th Precinct Cops Named In FBI Curruption Probe
Several high-ranking NYPD officers who once worked at Dyker Height/Bay Ridge’s 68th Precinct are facing serious consequences as the latest corruption probe to hit the police department continues its course.
Among them? Deputy Inspector James Grant, former executive officer of the 68th Precinct, has been stripped of his badge and gun, placed on modified duty, and transferred out of his current command in the Upper East Side’s 19th Precinct after evidence surfaced of him “accepting cash and diamonds from a shady businessman,” according to a New York Post expose.
Meanwhile, former commanding officer of 68th Precinct, Brooklyn South Deputy Chief Eric Rodriguez — also named in the probe — has also been transferred out of his command, for undisclosed reasons.
Detective Michael Milici of the 66th Precinct was also questioned on allegations of accepting “gifts” from two businessmen. He invoked the Fifth Amendment and would not answer questions at a federal grand jury this past Wednesday.
Others caught up in the probe include Deputy Housing Chief Michael Harrington and Deputy Chief David Colon. Both have been transferred to less visible posts pending further investigation.
According to the Post,
Grant was caught by the feds getting hundreds of dollars from Jeremy Reichberg, a prominent figure in Borough Park, around Christmas, sources have said.
Grant also allegedly accepted diamonds from the jeweler while driving him home from overseas trips to pick up the gems — and was told they were for his wife.
. . . The NYPD probe began after a separate investigation into a business deal gone awry involving Reichberg and Rechnitz revealed that they’d spent an unusual amount of time on the phone talking to cops.
Both men often bragged about their relationships with cops and Mayor Bill de Blasio, for whom Rechnitz has been a major donor, sources said.
Reichberg has been suspended from his role as a volunteer chaplain with the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, according to the Journal News.
Grant is also accused of accepting money and office decor from the two men while in his post at Sunset Park’s 72nd Precinct, in exchange for regular use of his private parking spot and access to precinct roll call and other functions.
