66th Precinct Detective Questioned In Corruption Probe Has Been Fired
A longtime community affairs detective at the 66th Precinct, who was named in a federal corruption investigation, has been fired, DNAInfo reported yesterday.
Detective Michael Milici of the 66th Precinct, who invoked the Fifth Amendment and would not answer questions at a federal grand jury hearing regarding “gifts” made by two businessmen to several NYPD officers, was fired last week after attempting to retire, DNAInfo reports.
Milici submitted paperwork requesting retirement last month, but was immediately suspended without pay after submitting his request. The 26-year veteran of the NYPD had been on “restricted detail” — stripped of his badge and gun — since his refusal to testify to the FBI in early April.
Milici will still collect his full pension, DNAInfo states, because he has not been arrested or convicted of a crime.
Captain Kenneth Quick, commanding officer of the 66th Precinct, stated at the April 24th meeting of Community Board 12 that “he would like to address some things that are being said in the media & newspaper regarding the…Precinct,” according to the meeting’s official minutes.
The minutes state that:
He [Quick] spoke briefly about the ongoing federal investigation of the two businessmen [Jona Rechnitz of Manhattan and Jeremy Reichberg of Borough Park], one which resides in our community which may have had a relationship with Detective Michael Milici of the 66th Precinct.
Det. Milici served this community for over 27 years and is very dear to a lot of us and helped a lot of people in this room tonight. He was brought in for investigation and with advice from his private attorney he invoked his 5th amendment right. He was placed on modified assignment and was transferred to another precinct which is a normal procedure when a detective is being investigated.
Mr. Quick said he was not aware of any misconduct or allegations of corruption by anyone that works in his Precinct. Detective Milici is a very trusted servant in this Community. Captain Quick said please hold your judgments until the end of this investigation….
Board member Sam Stober made a motion to support Detective Michael Milici & the 66th Precinct. Rabbi Gluck seconded it.
As we noted last month, one of the businessmen at the heart of the federal probe, Jeremy Reichberg, reportedly hosted “an appreciation” barbecue last summer for cops in the 66th Precinct and some assigned elsewhere. During this event, which was held at the 39th Street pier in Brooklyn, Reichberg allegedly “got the department’s vaunted harbor unit to give his friends brief boat rides.”
Last week, a former commanding officer at the 66th, Peter DeBlasio, was stripped of his badge and gun after being questioned by the FBI in the ongoing probe.
DeBlasio, who most recently served as operations coordinator for the Brooklyn South patrol borough, has been placed on modified duty, reports DNAInfo.