A New York police leader tasked with protecting the city’s schoolchildren allegedly accepted bribes to help a businessman sell his “mobile panic alert system” to schools in 2023, Manhattan federal prosecutors have alleged.
Kevin Taylor, former commanding officer of the New York police department’s school safety division, “repeatedly abused his authority and considerable influence … by soliciting or demanding bribes in two bribery schemes” – allowing him to enjoy lavish travel and luxe eateries, an indictment against him alleged.
Geno Roefaro, who is accused of peddling the safety tech, was also charged in the indictment.
Taylor vacationed in Las Vegas – taking in a “medieval-themed dinner theater” and “helicopter tour” there – as well as the Bahamas and dining at “high-end restaurants” in Nevada, Manhattan and the Caribbean vacation hotspot, as part of this alleged bribery scheme, prosecutors said. He issued a memorandum recommending that the NYPD award the tech company a contract worth millions, they claimed, and even pushed the city council to buy these services.
Taylor pleaded not guilty to the charges. “Kevin Taylor was an inspector for the NYPD for 28 years, in charge of school security, and he’s never had any blemishes on his record before this incident,” Richard Langone, Taylor’s attorney, said. “The allegations, we believe, are unfounded and he will be exonerated.”
In a statement, Roefaro’s defense team said: “It is puzzling and deeply concerning that the United States attorney’s office has chosen to pursue charges against Geno, while at the very same time alleging – and seeking to prove – that he was the victim of an extortionate shakedown.
“Our client has dedicated his career to working alongside law enforcement to protect the public,” his counsel said, adding that the “actions by the US attorney’s office leave all of us with more questions than answers”.
When Taylor failed to secure “anything more than a second pilot program for this company”, Roefaro allegedly complained to Taylor via text, according to the indictment. “I’ve got nothing from you brother and I’m already in for hundreds [of thousands of dollars],” he purportedly wrote.
“You’ve got nothing from me??” Taylor allegedly responded, then criticizing Roefaro. “You can’t play with the big boys and piss like a puppy.”
“It’s been fun, but it’s not fun or funny anymore. Our company (ME) needs to report something real and significant that is in place prior to end of year. And we need full announcement and launch first 2 weeks of the year,” Roefaro said in a December 2023 text message, prosecutors said. “If not, I’m fucked. And you don’t want me to be fucked. I’m both your whore and your sugar daddy all in one. I need you to take this seriously.”
Taylor organized a press conference in early 2024 to announce the procurement of Roefaro’s app, but it didn’t happen. Taylor was transferred away from his leadership position in February of that year.
In September, Taylor saw in a news article that Roefaro’s company was “implicated in a federal public corruption investigation” and texted it to an associate. He voiced worry that Roefaro might incriminate him, prosecutors said.
Taylor also allegedly tried strong-arming a ballistic vest company into paying for a more than $100,000 holiday party in late 2023. This fete, which would not be hosted by the NYPD but by Taylor himself, was for school safety division officers, prosecutors said.
Asked for comment, the New York police department said: “The NYPD holds our officers to the highest standards, and it is unacceptable when those standards are violated by any member of this department. There is zero tolerance for misconduct, and that’s why we played a significant role in this investigation.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
