Posted on 03/07/2009 11:17:31 AM PST by reaganaut1
Nearly three years ago, the two men, Stephen Caracappa and Louis J. Eppolito, were convicted of serving as assassins and spies for the Mafia while they were employed as detectives for the Police Department.
“These two defendants have committed what amounts to treason against the people of the City of New York and their fellow police officers,” said Judge Jack B. Weinstein of United States District Court.
He sentenced Mr. Eppolito to life plus 100 years, and fined him $4.75 million; Mr. Caracappa got life plus 80 years, and a fine of $4.25 million. The judge said both men were likely to have “hidden assets” from their crimes.
Yet one asset — in plain sight — might not be seized to pay their debts.
Both men have been drawing tax-free disability pensions from the city since they left the Police Department, according to city records. Mr. Caracappa, who retired in 1992 as a first-grade detective, receives $5,313 a month. Mr. Eppolito, who retired in 1990 as a second-grade detective, is paid $3,896 a month. Because they retired before they were accused of crimes, their pensions will continue.
Moreover, the pensions are not subject to seizure for payment of the fines, said Joseph A. Bondy, the lawyer for Mr. Caracappa. “I fought the government for Peter Gotti when they tried to garnish a disability pension, and we won,” said Mr. Bondy, who defended Mr. Gotti on murder and racketeering charges in 2004.
Under state law, public pensions are treated as property held in trust for the employees, and periodic efforts to make their forfeiture a penalty for corrupt public employees have failed. The Daily News reported last year that 450 corrupt former officials, judges and police officers were receiving pensions.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
No wonder New York is so screwed up.
The “Son of Sam” killer is still getting his pension from the post office.
Behold, the power of Unions.
Actually many private pensions are judgment proof as well, with OJ being the perfect example.
Many cities have the problem of Gangster Cops.
John Kass, in the Chicago Tribune, has written about Mafia Cops many times.
In the City of East Cleveland, Ohio (which is about 95% black), the Gangster Cops actually belong to various competing gangs. Often they are more open about their affiliations, and wear certain colored adornments on their police uniforms. This has been written about in the Cleveland newspapers on occasion.
There is another side of the “bad guys receiving their pensions” coin.
Now that the Left runs the country, and laws are being passed to make virtually every aspect of normal life illegal (a la the Soviet Union); even us honest folks can be charged and convicted of some nebulous crime, that we maybe didn’t even know about.
And then they take your pension.
The guy (whose name escapes me at the moment) who defended himself against attackers on the NYC subway, a few years ago, is a good example. He was sued by one of the attackers, whom he wounded. The good guy lost the lawsuit and was ordered to pay. But he got to keep his pension.
You can’t take the bad guys’ pensions without taking the good guys pensions too. And the good guys sometimes lose.
Just, damn!
thanks, bfl
Bernie Goetz/
I suspect when Obama creates his Civilian National Security Force, it will be made up of mostly gang members.
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