thomas spota daughter

According to News 12, Spota and Christoper McPartland, 54, were convicted of four felonies; one stemmed from the cover up of the assault of suspect Christopher Loeb by former Police Commissioner James Burke. "Ive also left them with a shattered legacy and the stain of being a convicted felon," the former district attorney said. He earned degrees at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, and St. John's University School of Law in Jamaica, Queens, New York. United States Attorneys Office To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to [email protected]. Spota recommended a new federal task force and said that legislation was needed to "attack the owners and the distributors of these programs, who are reaping enormous profits. 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. Mr. Spotas lawyer, Alan Vinegrad, declined to comment on the verdict. All Rights Reserved. That decision would cost Mr. Spota his career and turn him into a convicted criminal. 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. [10] But Thomas J. Spota, the district attorney in New Yorks Suffolk County, had an Achilles heel. Updated. 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 police chief. Spota and McPartland both resigned from the District Attorneys Office in light of the charges against them and have since been disbarred. Published September 22, 2021 at 5:02 PM EDT. They pointed to a state judges determination in 1990 that Mr. Hickey had lied under oath as a police officer in a different burglary case. Thomas J. Spota, the Suffolk County district attorney, and his top anti-corruption prosecutor were charged on . Spota's career ended with his disbarment in 2020 and his sentencing to five years in federal prison in 2021. 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. Ultimately, the 12 jurors chose to believe Mr. Hickey. 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 are set for sentencing. "The verdict today confirms what I said on May 12, 2016 when I stood on the steps of the district attorney's office calling on him to resign that Tom Spota, along with Christopher McPartland, was running a criminal enterprise out of the district attorney's office," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said in 2019. [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. Burke also enlisted the help of his long-time mentor, then-District Attorney Spota, and McPartland, his personal friend and then-Chief of both Investigations and the Government Corruption Bureau, to ensure that the witnesses kept quiet. I met with the daughter. Mr. Burkes relationship with Mr. Spota began in 1979, when Mr. Spota was a young prosecutor trying a murder case, and Mr. Burke, then a teenager, was his star witness. Spota, who spent 15 years at the top of Suffolk's law and order structure before his 2017 federal indictment, said in the Central Islip courtroom that his conviction marked "the lowest point" in his life one he fears will become his legacy. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland sat without expression as the verdict was read. Former Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota was sentenced to five years is prison Tuesday following his 2019 conviction for helping cover for ex-police Chief James Burke. In 2001, Spota won his first election as district attorney with the backing of police unions while campaigning on an anti-corruption platform. "Nobody should have this much power and be above the law.". ", Bellone said Suffolk District Attorney Tim Sini has "restored integrity to the office. Having served as the Suffolk County DA for over a decade, Spota had successfully helped Burke avoid legal trouble regularly during their decades-long friendship. McPartland was also part of the pressure campaign to get cops to cover for the chief. [5], Spota was born in 1941 and grew up in New Hyde Park, New York, on Long Island. Mr. Spota set out to protect and defend Chief Burke, as he had before over a 40-year friendship, prosecutors said. The governments case is being handled by the Offices Long Island Criminal Division. Bellone, the Suffolk County Executive, said outside the federal courthouse Tuesday he knew he had inherited a government in crisis when he began serving in his role a decade ago. The judge told Spota to surrender to prison officials on Dec. 10 and also sentenced him to pay a $100,000 fine. They also presented evidence that Spota, as part of his history of covering up for Burke, wrote a 2011 letter to County Executive-elect Steve Bellones transition team. During closing arguments, Krantz presented jurors with a list of "10 reasons why James Hickey cannot be believed" that included "raw self-interest" and a "psychotic break from reality.". With great power comes great responsibility and, as weve proven throughout the course of this investigation, Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland abused their power to skirt their responsibility to comply with a federal civil rights investigation. The three men called themselves the administration, one former police officer testified. Former Suffolk County DA Tom Spota was sentenced Tuesday following his 2019 conviction for helping cover for ex-police Chief James Burke. Some were warned that if they admitted wrongdoing, their union would not pay their legal fees, prosecutors said. During a meeting that year, Mr. McPartland speculated about who the rat was. Their behavior was outrageous, and their sentences today prove as much. Chief Assistant US Attorney Nicole Boeckmann had argued for prison for Spota, saying he had failed to take responsibility for his actions to this day. The jurors reached the guilty verdict after deliberating for about seven hours over two days. He and Mr. Spota each face up to 20 years in prison. Lawyers for Spoto and McPartland, 55, had argued home confinement was a more appropriate sentence. Because of their obstructive efforts, the federal investigation was unsuccessful and was closed approximately eight months later. 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. In contrast, the U.S. attorneys office had sought 8-year sentences for both defendants. After the assault, Burke ordered high-ranking lieutenants of the SCPD to ensure that the detectives and officers who had witnessed the assault would never reveal whatthey had observed, federal officials said. ", "The actions of these defendants represent the worst of law enforcement," said Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini Tuesday. Boeckmann also called their punishments fitting. Spota hugged his wife and his weeping daughter before leaving the courtroom in silence. 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. When Mr. Cuffs son was caught with a gun, the district attorneys office threatened to upgrade the charges from a misdemeanor to a felony. [11] Spota was called to testify before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on September 9, 2003, at a hearing concerning "Pornography, Technology, and Process: Problems and Solutions on Peer-to-Peer Networks." 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. The remains of at least ten persons have been found on South Shore beaches, and are believed to be related. He entered private law practice in Suffolk, representing clients including the Suffolk Detectives Association and other law enforcement unions.[7]. Burke pleaded guilty to civil rights violations and conspiracy to obstruct justice in February of 2016 and was sentenced to 46 months in prison. 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. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS "Somebodys talking. Mr. Spota viewed Mr. Burke almost as a son, standing with him whenever he was touched by scandal. Prosecutors want a federal judge to deny bail for ex-Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and his former aide while . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. As certain key witnesses were then compelled to testify before the grand jury under a grant of immunity, the truth about Burke assaulting Loeb finally emerged. (Provided) A 46 . ALSO READ | Street racing hit-and run crash leaves woman dead, man hurt in Brooklyn, police say. "For well over a decade, I've personally endured horrendous crimes committed by and under this man," Loeb said referring to Spota. 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. U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack meted out the penalties after a jury previously found Spota and Christopher McPartland, his former anti-corruption chief, tried to conceal that brutality and impede a federal probe to protect then-Police Chief James Burke. "These sentences send the right message to the public, that they can have faith in their criminal justice system, that the system is not broken and that corrupt police officers cannot and will not be protected by power-hungry prosecutors," she said. 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A federal appeals court found Wednesday that nurses who abruptly resigned from a Smithtown facility in 2006 over working conditions, then faced child-endangerment charges that were thrown out,. 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. The anonymous communication had issued a warning about Burkes internal affairs history, and made reference to a prostitute stealing Burkes service weapon. Krantz cited what he said was McPartlands history of public service and good deeds, calling him a loving husband and father and someone who worked his way through college and law school before earning accolades throughout his career. A Long Island jury on Tuesday found former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota guilty of obstructing a federal probe into a police chief who bashed a handcuffed prisoner over stolen porn . Together, Mr. Spota, Mr. McPartland and Chief Burke controlled what amounted to a law-enforcement fiefdom in the eastern half of Long Island, prosecutors said. Later that morning, a man was arrested with the stolen goods. 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. In it, Spota raved about Burkes "outstanding leadership" in response to an anonymous letter that had surfaced as selection was underway for a new police chief. U.S. District Court Judge Joan Azrack told Spota and McPartland that they violated the public's trust and described their actions as "unconscionable" and as "shocking criminal conduct." Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas J. Spota and Government Corruption Bureau Chief Christopher McPartland Each Sentenced to Five Years in Prison Tuesday, August 10, 2021 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York The Defendants Were Convicted of Obstructing a Federal Civil Rights Investigation Have a question about Government Services? In 2001 Republican-turned-Democrat Spota ran for District Attorney, and defeated three-time incumbent James M. Catterson Jr in November 2001, taking 58% of the vote. He also said Spota recently was given an "uncertain" medical prognosis but didn't provide further details. 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. "My family will forever be marked by my disgrace.". Prosecutors produced calendar entries and call records that they said showed Mr. Hickey was telling the truth. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream, Earth warming likely to pass limit set by international leaders, Street racing hit-and run crash leaves woman dead, man hurt in Brooklyn, police say, Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts. He'd been convicted of trying to cover up an assault by former police chief James Burke, Spota's top. Loeb, the abused prisoner, also spoke in court Tuesday, telling the judge that Spota "should spend the rest of his life behind bars." 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. Spota was convicted of witness tampering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy, and he must report to prison by December 10. It was testimony from James Hickey, a retired Suffolk police lieutenant, that formed the heart of the governments case. To maintain the lie, Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland relied heavily on Mr. Hickey, the police commander who supervised those three detectives. After the assault, Burke ordered high-ranking lieutenants of the SCPD to ensure that the detectives and officers who had witnessed the assault would never reveal what they had observed. 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 . A federal grand jury investigation into the Loeb assault as a civil rights deprivation was opened by the U.S. Attorneys Brooklyn Office, with the assistance of the FBI, in the spring of 2013. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York, the pair will be sentenced on August 10 at 10:30 a.m. at the courthouse in Central Islip. [14] In October 2017, Spota and an aide were indicted on charges of obstructing the investigation of James Burke for police brutality. Both men denied the charges, multiple reports said. Burke became a Suffolk cop and was promoted to sergeant; a 1995 department probe found that he had a sexual relationship with a prostitute who sold drugs, according to Newsday. Spota represented Burke years later as a private attorney when Burke faced internal police discipline after 1995 allegations which were substantiated that Burke engaged in sex acts with a known prostitute in police vehicles and failed to safeguard his service weapon. "These men were the highest ranking prosecutors in Suffolk County and they flagrantly disregarded the law and the sanctity of their public office to protect an equally high-ranking, lawless police officer," she added. 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 . "To see any old man live the rest of his life in a prison cell, possibly dying in jail, that kinda sucks but you have to be accountable for what you did," Loeb added after court. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to [email protected]. This culture of corruption has had a real and profound impact. The judge also sentenced the former DAs top aide and ex-chief of his anti-corruption unit, Christopher McPartland, to five years in prison for the cover-up, as well. Prosecutors alleged that Spota and McPartland illegally intervened after the Dec. 14, 2012 beating. 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.". Mr. Spotas family members, seated in the first row of the courtroom, appeared emotional, with teary eyes and their arms around one another. Spota added that he felt deep anguish for the shame his conviction brought to his family. Uli Seit for The New. He had been watching the trial from the overflow room. Having served as the Suffolk County D.A. Main Office James Burke, center, the former Suffolk County police chief, pleaded guilty in 2016 to the assault of a man who had broken into his police car and the subsequent cover-up. He lived in Mount Sinai, New York, with his wife. An official website of the United States government. The resulting scandal eventually engulfed the countys law enforcement power structure. Senator John Flanagan (2 nd Senate District) and Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota joined the families of four men and women killed by hit-and-run drivers to renew the call to increase the maximum punishment for those convicted of that crime from 7 to 15 years imprisonment.

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