Latest news with #Ex-NYPD
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bernie Kerik, former NYPD Commissioner known as ‘America's Cop' after 9/11, dead at 69
Ex-NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was known as 'America's Cop' and led the city's police department through the 9/11 terror attacks, died Thursday after he was hospitalized with cardiac disease. He was 69 and surrounded by family and friends at the time of his death at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Kerik, whose high-profile career was peppered with success and controversy, shot to prominence when he was named the Big Apple's top cop by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 2000 and presided over a 63% drop in violent crime. The 40th police commissioner was also dubbed the 'beat cop commissioner' for his hands-on leadership style, making five arrests during his 16-month tenure as commissioner, including one involving two ex-convicts in Harlem driving a stolen van. Kerik, whose law enforcement career spanned four decades and involved national security work, helmed the department during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, overseeing response, rescue, recovery and investigative efforts. His actions in the aftermath of the Twin Towers attack were praised, earning him the nickname 'America's Cop.' 'For nearly two decades, Kerik served and protected New Yorkers in the NYPD, including helping rebuild the city in the aftermath of 9/11,' the Finest said on X. 'We offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.' Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, mourned his friend of three decades. 'It was just this afternoon that I stopped by the hospital to see Bernie Kerik, my friend of nearly 30 years, before his passing,' Hizonner said. 'He was a great New Yorker and American. Rest in peace, my friend.' FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime friend, said Kerik was 'a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known.' 'With over 40 years of service in law enforcement and national security, he dedicated his life to protecting the American people. As the 40th Police Commissioner of New York City, Bernie led with strength and resolve in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, guiding the NYPD through one of the darkest chapters in our nation's history,' Patel said in a statement. 'His legacy is not just in the medals or the titles, but in the lives he saved, the city he helped rebuild and the country he served with honor.' Giuliani said in a statement that Kerik was a 'true patriot' and 'one of the bravest men I've ever known.' 'He became police commissioner when they thought crime couldn't be reduced any further, yet he reduced it further. His work helped New York become the safest big city in America and a shining example of urban renaissance,' the ex-mayor said. 'Then he faced the worst foreign attack since the war of 1812 on American soil — September 11th. He was at my side within 20 minutes of the attack and never left.' Born in Newark, New Jersey, on Sept. 4, 1955, Kerik served in the US Army before joining the NYPD in 1986. In 1994, he left the force and joined the Department of Corrections, being named its commissioner four years later by Giuliani, leading up to his stint as the NYPD's top cop. In 2003, following the US invasion of Iraq, then-President George W. Bush named Kerik to head up a provisional police force in the post-war Middle Eastern nation. The former Finest boss later founded Kerik Group, a private crisis and risk management consulting firm. Bush nominated Kerik to head the US Department of Homeland Security in 2004, but the ex-commissioner withdrew his nomination while admitting he had employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny — which led to his guilty plea to ethics violations in the Bronx in 2006. His legal troubles worsened in 2009, when he pleaded guilty to eight federal felonies, including charges that he evaded taxes on a $255,000 gift for home repairs and made false statements to federal officials while being considered for the Homeland Security post. Kerik served four years in federal prison before he was pardoned by Trump in 2020 during his first term in the White House. More recently, Kerik was grilled by Congress during hearings stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and was subpoenaed to disclose privileged Trump administration documents reportedly linked to the investigation. In 2024, he served as a surrogate for Trump on crime and national security issues. His honors over his career included the NYPD Medal for Valor, 29 NYPD medals for excellence and meritorious service, a Presidential Commendation from President Ronald Reagan and numerous other impressive accolades. Bruce Teitelbaum, who served as Giuliani's chief of staff, said Kerik was 'a tough guy, who made an impact and served our city well. His place in history is secure. 'Fearless, brave, larger than life.' In public, Kerik 'had a tough exterior,' Kathy Vigiano, retired cop and widow of 9/11 hero Detective Joseph Vigiano told The Post. 'Privately, he cherished his family, wife and kids, cops. He was always there for me and my family.' Guardian Angels founder and Republican Big Apple mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa called him 'a cop's cop.' Kerik is survived by his wife, Hala Matil Kerik, and three children, including a son with ex-wife Jacqueline Llerena. His son Joe, 41, followed in his father's footsteps into law enforcement and currently serves on the Newark SWAT team.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Former NYPD Commissione Bernie Kerik dead at 69
Ex-NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, whose career included White House stints under President Trump and former President George W. Bush, died Thursday after being hospitalized with cardiac illness. He was 69. Kerik's high-profile career was peppered with both success and controversy. Born in Newark, New Jersey, on Sept. 4, 1955, he served in the US Army before joining the NYPD in 1986. Former NYPD Commissioner and national security expert Bernie Kerik has died at age 69. FREELANCE In 1994, he left the force and joined the Department of Corrections, being named its commissioner four years later by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who also tapped him as the city's top cop in 2000. Kerik was at the helm of the NYPD and received wide praise for deploying cops during the department's response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that downed the Twin Towers, earning the nickname 'America's Cop.' In 2003, following the US invasion of Iraq, then-President George W. Bush named Kerik to head up a provisional police force in the post-war Middle Eastern nation. The former top cop later founded Kerik Group, a private crisis and risk management consulting firm. Kerik was hospitalized with an unnamed cardiac illness before his death on Thursday. FREELANCE Bush nominated Kerik to head the US Department of Homeland Security in 2004, but the ex-commissioner withdrew his nomination while admitting he had employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny — which led to his guilty plea to ethics violations in the Bronx in 2006. His legal troubles worsened in 2009, when he pleaded guilty to eight federal felonies, including charges that he evaded taxes on a $255,000 gift for home repairs and made false statements to federal officials while being considered for the Homeland Security post. Kerik served four years in federal prison before he was pardoned by Trump in 2020 during his first term in the White House. More recently, Kerik was grilled by Congress during hearings stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and was subpoenaed to disclose privileged Trump administration documents reportedly linked to the investigation. He is survived by his wife, Hala Matil Kerik, and three children, including a son with ex-wife Jacqueline Llerena.
USA Today
18-04-2025
- USA Today
Ex-NYPD sergeant gets 18 months for helping China stalk expat
Ex-NYPD sergeant gets 18 months for helping China stalk expat Show Caption Hide Caption What makes the US-China relationship complicated? Here's what we know. China is the world's largest manufacturer, while the U.S. is the largest consumer economy. Here's what we know about the complicated relationship. A federal judge sentenced an ex-New York police officer to 18 months in prison over his 2023 conviction for acting as an illegal agent for the People's Republic of China, the Justice Department announced. Federal prosecutors said Michael McMahon, 57, pressured a New Jersey resident to return to China to face bribery and embezzlement charges, an example of a global repatriation campaign by Chinese law enforcement known as "Operation Fox Hunt." A federal jury in Brooklyn found McMahon, of Mahwah, a retired New York City Police Department sergeant, guilty of interstate stalking and of acting as an agent of China without notifying the U.S. attorney general. As part of his sentence, McMahon was also ordered to pay a $11,000 fine. "McMahon, a former law enforcement officer who swore an oath to protect the public, went rogue and dishonorably engaged in a scheme at the direction of the People's Republic of China," John Durham, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said in a statement. McMahon and his co-defendants, Zhu Yong, 68, and Congying Zheng, 29, were convicted by a federal jury in June 2023 following a three-week trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York, said in a news release. McMahon said he thought he was working for a company seeking to recover embezzled funds, and would not have taken the job if he knew the Chinese government was behind it. "I was unwittingly used," he said in court. Justice Department: A whole floor of a NYC building was a secret, 'illegal police station' for China Prosecutors: Campaign to 'threaten, harass, surveil, and intimidate' According to federal prosecutors, McMahon, Yong, Zheng, and their co-conspirators participated in an international campaign between 2016 and 2019 "to threaten, harass, surveil, and intimidate" a man and his family to return to China to face purported corruption charges. Prosecutors added that Zhu hired McMahon, who was working as a private investigator, to locate the man. McMahon, according to prosecutors, "obtained sensitive information" about the individual and reported back to Zhu and others, including a PRC police officer." McMahon also conducted surveillance outside the New Jersey home of the man's relative and provided detailed reports, prosecutors said in a statement, adding that the operation was supervised and directed by several Chinese officials, including a People's Republic of China police officer and prosecutor. Prosecutors said McMahon understood that the Chinese government wanted the people of his investigation, a fact he volunteered to share with an investigator he had contracted for help. The Justice Department said McMahon took additional steps to harass the man, like researching his daughter's university residence and college major. McMahon was paid more than $19,000 for his role in the illegal repatriation scheme, and even deposited payments into his son's bank account, prosecutors added. In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen said changes in prosecutorial priorities had no impact on her decision. "The law is the law," the judge added. Zhu was sentenced to 24 months in prison, while Congying was handed a 16-month prison sentence. Lawmakers urged judge to spare McMahon from prison time McMahon was convicted amid a broader push by the Biden administration to crack down on what it termed transnational repression, or the intimidation and harassment by authoritarian U.S. adversaries such as China or Iran of dissidents on U.S. soil. But the Trump administration has signaled it will scale down criminal enforcement of U.S. foreign influence laws. During her first day on the job in February, Attorney General Pam Bondi said prosecutors would bring criminal cases only when conduct resembles "more traditional espionage," focusing on civil enforcement instead in other scenarios. McMahon had also secured the support of two Republican U.S. Representatives, Michael Lawler of New York and Pete Sessions of Texas. Last year, the two congressmen wrote Chen a letter urging her to spare McMahon prison time, citing his service as a police officer and dedication to his family. Contributing: Reuters Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at knurse@ Follow her on X @KrystalRNurse, and on BlueSky @
