Latest news with #Ex-NY
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rudy Giuliani Chokes Up Remembering Former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik
Rudy Giuliani became visibly emotional while paying tribute to former New York police commissioner Bernie Kerik, who died Thursday at age 69. The disgraced former New York City mayor audibly sniffled and appeared to be holding back tears at several points during Thursday's episode of his 'America's Mayor Live' podcast, a segment of which was recorded just moments after Kerik's death was publicly confirmed. Describing Kerik as 'my closest friend and my brother, who saved my life,' Giuliani said, 'Actually, there was no one in my life who was braver than he was.' 'I was a better man for having known Bernie. I certainly was a braver man and a stronger man, and I wish my father had known Bernie because my father was the bravest man I ever knew,' he explained. 'I don't know what I'm going to do without him. Never expected this. I love him.' A New Jersey native and Army veteran, Kerik was appointed by Giuliani to serve as New York's police commissioner in 2000. He was hailed as a national hero after overseeing the city's response, rescue and recovery efforts in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In 2004, he was tapped by then-President George W. Bush to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Five years later, however, he pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud and false statement charges, and was given a four-year prison sentence, of which he served three years. President Donald Trump pardoned Kerik during a 2020 clemency blitz, after which Kerik reteamed with Giuliani to investigate Trump's baseless claims of election fraud following his loss to Joe Biden later that year. Deeming Kerik 'one of the first victims of lawfare,' Giuliani added: 'He was pardoned by a great president with a big heart and a lot of decency, and he loved that president. 'Bernie dedicated, I would say, the last years of his life, from about 2015 on, to making sure Donald Trump would become president, and would succeed as president,' he continued. 'He loved him. He absolutely loved him.' Toward the end of the broadcast, Giuliani said he'd been planning to visit Kerik over the weekend. 'I feel like I should've been with him,' he said. Watch Thursday's episode of 'America's Mayor Live' below. Giuliani's comments on Bernie Kerik begin around the 1:08:52 mark: Donald Trump Taps Rudy Giuliani's Son For Top Sports Gig Ex-NY Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, Who Pleaded Guilty To Federal Tax Fraud, Has Died Rudy Giuliani Says He's Too Sick For Court Hearing — But Fine For Trump's Inauguration
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Yahoo
Ex-NY state trooper shot himself, falsely claimed he was wounded by unknown gunman: prosecutors
A former New York state trooper was arrested and charged after he allegedly shot himself in the leg and falsely reported that he was wounded by an unknown gunman. Thomas Mascia, 27, shot himself last year at Hempstead Lake State Park before driving to a highway on Long Island and calling for help, prosecutors said Monday. He is also accused of planting shell casings at the scene where he allegedly shot himself. Mascia was charged with official misconduct, tampering with evidence and falsifying documents. Homelessness Nearly Doubles In Blue State In Just 2 Years: Report Mascia had been a trooper since 2019 before he resigned from the force on Friday. He was suspended without pay in November after state police launched a criminal investigation into the shooting. Read On The Fox News App His parents, Dorothy and Thomas, were also each charged with criminal possession of a firearm after the .22- caliber gun used in the shooting was found in their West Hempstead bedroom, according to prosecutors. The three pleaded not guilty and were released until their next court date, scheduled for Feb. 5. Prosecutors said in court filings that Mascia shot himself in an apparent attempt to receive attention and sympathy. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said after the hearing that Mascia's actions were an "unconscionable" deception. "He knew the fear that it would create, and he did it anyway," she said. A lawyer for the family, Jeffrey Lichtman, said Mascia has been suffering from untreated mental health issues for years. "There are many less severe and less dangerous ways to garner sympathy that don't include shooting oneself," he said. "And now an entire family is suffering for it as they usually do in such situations." Mascia claimed he was shot in the leg on Oct. 30 by the driver of a black sedan who had been parked on the left-hand shoulder of the Southern State Parkway. New York City Mayor Eric Adams Limits Public Schedule For 'Routine Medical Tests' He purported that the driver fled in the direction of New York City in a car with a temporary New Jersey registration, leading authorities to launch a manhunt that lasted several days. Police said there was no video footage of the incident because Mascia's body camera was not activated at the time. Mascia's father was dismissed from the New York Police Department in 1993 after pleading guilty to cocaine distribution charges. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: Ex-NY state trooper shot himself, falsely claimed he was wounded by unknown gunman: prosecutors
