Kerik Charges Appear Imminent
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
A grand jury was expected to decide today whether to indict a former police commissioner, Bernard Kerik, who nearly became the head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Federal prosecutors have been preparing the grand jury for several months to consider charges against Mr. Kerik that could include tax evasion.
The investigation sprang from allegations that Mr. Kerik, while still a city official, allowed mob-connected builders seeking city contracts to pay for much of a $240,000 renovation of his Bronx apartment.
If the jury votes to indict, Mr. Kerik would surrender tomorrow for an arraignment at a federal courthouse in White Plains, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the grand jury had not taken action.
Asked yesterday whether an indictment of Mr. Kerik was imminent, defense attorney Kenneth Breen said, “I haven’t been told one way or the other.”
An indictment could cause a major headache for Mayor Giuliani, who, as New York’s mayor, plucked Mr. Kerik from obscurity and made him a national law enforcement figure.
Under Mr. Giuliani’s patronage, Mr. Kerik rose from police detective to the city’s correction commissioner to the head of the police force.
Mr. Giuliani also endorsed his old friend in 2004 to head the Department of Homeland Security. But only days after President Bush introduced Mr. Kerik as his nominee, Mr. Kerik announced he was withdrawing his name because of tax issues involving his former nanny.
Last year, Mr. Kerik pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor state charge that he took $165,000 in gifts from the construction firm that renovated his home. The deal spared him jail time.
Mr. Giuliani argued this week that Mr. Kerik’s woes shouldn’t overshadow his administration’s crime-fighting record.
“There were mistakes made with Bernie Kerik,” Mr. Giuliani said. “But what’s the ultimate result for the people of New York City? The ultimate result for the people of New York City was a 74% reduction in shootings, a 60% reduction in crime. … Sure, there were issues, but if I have the same degree of success and failure as president of the United States, this country will be in great shape.”
