5 NYPD officers arrested in gun sting

[bufordtjustice]

Authorities say five New York City police officers are among 12 people arrested in a gun smuggling sting operation.
Two law enforcement officials described the case to The Associated Press on Tuesday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the charges have not officially been made public.
They say those arrested also include three former NYPD officers, a corrections officer from New Jersey and three civilians. They’re accused of involvement in a ring that was trying to traffic automatic rifles, handguns, stolen cigarettes and slot machines.
Authorities were expected to discuss the case further at a news conference at the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan.

[coots]

NYPD cops among 12 arrested in gun smuggling sting

Call them the bootleggers in blue.

Eight current and former city cops were part of a ring that smuggled guns, cigarettes and slot machines into New York from out of state, the feds charged today.

The 12 defendants - including five active-duty officers NYPD officers based in Brooklyn were busted this morning on charges including conspiracy to transport firearms and conspiracy to transport and receive stolen merchandise.

The weapons included M-16 assault rifles and handguns, some of which had "obliterated" serial numbers, according to a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court.

Five active duty and three retired NYPD officers were rounded up Tuesday with five others as part of a gun-running ring.

www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2011/10/25/news/web_photos/032107GUNS09AJC082838--300x150.jpg [/img]

The early-morning arrests capped an undercover sting operation that began in late 2009 after an FBI informant was introduced to one cop - William Masso of the 68th Precinct - "as a person who could 'fix' the informant's traffic tickets," the court papers say.

But a law-enforcement official told The Post that the probe was "totally unrelated" to the massive NYPD ticket-fixing scandal currently under investigation by the Bronx District Attorney's Office.

Sources have said that a grand jury has voted indictments against at least 17 cops in that case.

In addition to Masso, the other active-duty cops named in today's federal complaint are Eddie Goris and John Mahoney, also of the 68th Precinct; Ali Oklu of the Brooklyn South Task Force; and Gary Ortiz of the 71st Precinct.

Three retirees from the 68th - Joseph Trischitta, Marco Venezia and Richard Melnik - and former Sanitation Police officer Anthony Santiago were also arrested, along with New Jersey Corrections Officer David Kanwisher and two friends of Santiago's, Michael Gee and Eric Gomer.

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and FBI Special Agent Diego Rodriguez, who heads the Criminal Division of the Bureau's New York Field Office, are scheduled to discuss the case at a news conference later today.



It's sad to hear this just after the Staten Island cop who made racist remarks on his telephone that was being tapped by the Feds. Another black eye for a great police department.

[ncpdretired]

You have to wonder, what makes a Cop do something like this. Putting guns out on the street when another Cop could loose his life. Its like "Fast and Furious"!

[harrydunn]

Too bad Newsday wont print even a small fraction of the heroic and great deeds the guys on that job do everyday!

[coots]

Too bad Newsday wont print even a small fraction of the heroic and great deeds the guys on that job do everyday!

How true