Alleged Subway Sodomy Victim Loses Cool During Questioning

Today, for the first time, defense attorneys for three NYPD officers accused of participating in the sodomy of a Brooklyn man in the Prospect Park subway station got to cross-examine the alleged victim. During his second day of testimony, Michael Mineo reportedly became irate and emotional on the witness stand, and tempers flared from the very first question posed by defense lawyer Stuart London: "Good morning. You didn’t get stoned today before you came to court, did you?"

Two officers are accused of helping to cover up the brutality of another officer, Richard Kern, who is charged with aggravated sexual abuse and assault (with a retractable baton). Mineo acknowledged he ran from police on that day in October 2008 because the officers caught him smoking pot on the sidewalk and he thought he would be arrested because he didn't have ID. During today's questioning, lawyers asked him to scream, to show what he looked like when he was handcuffed, and to hold up his own underwear. "Come on, this is ridiculous," Mineo yelled, according to the Daily News. "You want me to demonstrate the scream. That's impossible...Is this your defense, is this your best defense?"

"Have you ever been to acting school?" replied Kern's lawyer, John Patten, seemingly intent on provoking Mineo, who shot back, "No, I never went to acting school. Have you?" Patten began his questioning by showing surveillance footage of Mineo walking down the street alone shortly after the confrontation, apparently uninjured. At one point, according to the News, Mineo became so "incensed" he asked for a recess, and Justice Alan Marrus warned him, "You need to have a little patience. We have three defendants on trial who have a right to ask you questions."

But Mineo was outraged by the line of questioning, at one point shouting at the defendants, "One of you did something to me and it's going to come out, it's going to come out. I'm a victim and I'm the one getting treated like I did this to myself. I just wanted my voice to be heard. I didn't want it to be sweeped [sic] under the carpet like everything else the police do. I'm not asking for money for free. I was violated." In a separate civil lawsuit, MIneo is seeking $220 million in damages from the city. On the reliably grotesque NYPD Rant message board, one person fumes, "By the way, if he DOES win and get paid we should find him and REALLY stick a baton up his ass. If the city is gonna pay for it we might as well take the action we were 'guilty' of and get our money's worth."

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By John Del Signore in News on January 26, 2010 4:11 PM

Comments [rss]

Guest

this dude has multiple faces. this pic looks nothing like the other one.

potsmoker

im more interested in why the dailynews has an article called Mother of slain cop Russel Timoshenko watches sodomy trial with disgust for Michael Mineo.

as the mother of a son slain in the line of duty, she comes out to defend the police claiming that they were just doing their job. thather son didnt keep a gun in his house? where did he keep it, and the big enchilada that was revealed???

that she is now a computer programmer for the NYPD?

what are her credentials and how did she get a IT consultant job passing up real qualified applicants???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Petey

I guess next time when he's looking for his meal ticket, he'll choose something that ISN'T a major crime to accuse the cops of.

Thinky Think

"showing surveillance footage of Mineo walking down the street alone shortly after the confrontation, apparently uninjured"

Of course the only way to survive jail is to be an expert baton taker.

books

you people talking about his lawsuit/benifit card are falling for the well thought out PROPAGANDA to discredit this guy.

Imagine everything he is saying is true...shouldnt you be outraged by that.

its funny to see people outraged at a guy suing the nypd. just last week we learned that the BORO President made a small fortune suing over a fall he took.

If our corrupt leaders make a living suing people shouldnt the little people do the same when thy've been molested by the police who are supposed to be protecting them?

longacre

He's a convicted criminal, a gang member and lifelong dirtbag. The cop should be fired, but beyond that I have no sympathy.

whitecastlerock

felix? felix is that you?

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

get your fat bitter ass off your seat and breathe some fresh air bytch.

whitecastlerock

oh you are such a bore go cyberbully someone else you little turdburglar

books

is that a jack kirby?

whitecastlerock

no Ron Frenz swiping Jack Kirby. Good eye though

Thinky Think

Want a 2million bucks?! Its easy but not painless you just need to be able to take an alleged baton up the anus.

NannyState

He should have known he was in for a grilling when he saw the stirrups mounted on the witness stand.

whitecastlerock

If he wins any money will he get to keep the benefits card?

fuboy

Maybe I need some coffee, maybe it's the story in general, but I thought that first sentence of the second paragraph ended with (with a rectal baton).

In seriousness, sure, he's not asking for money for free. But, if he was violated and just wanted justice, why sue for the 220 mill - shouldn't the criminal proceedings be enough to expose this crime and punish the ones responsible?

The exorbitant monetary value you've placed on your ass makes you look like, well, an ass.

pally

If he sues and the city ends up paying even a fraction of the asking price, that's a powerful incentive for the city to more forcefully discourage cops from sticking stuff up people's bums. Yes, that tax money comes from you and me, and no, the victim doesn't 'deserve' it -- but I sure hope he wins it, even so.

fuboy

My point was this, if his rhetoric is "I'm a victim and I'm the one getting treated like I did this to myself. I just wanted my voice to be heard. I didn't want it to be sweeped [sic] under the carpet like everything else the police do." then his motives are to expose the criminals in the NYPD and bring them to justice. That means loss of jobs and jail time.

Turning around and then asking for the money makes him seem disingenuous. Justice is not about money, unless money is what was lost.

Also, the money he may receive will not come from the criminal's salary or personal holdings. They will not need to pay in the least. No cop convicted of a crime (in my memory) has had to pay the damages awarded in court.

True, it puts more incentive on the city to try and get the police to play nicer, but 'the city' isn't committing these crimes. Forcing the city pay for the twisted crimes of an individual (or three) does not dissuade other would-be criminals from their crimes.

If these allegations are true, I hope he does find justice - not a comfortable nest-egg.

pally

"Forcing the city pay for the twisted crimes of an individual (or three) does not dissuade other would-be criminals from their crimes."

I disagree. Pressure from the is often the only way to convince the police force to hold it's ranks accountable. No judgment on what you say about how this makes the victim look ... but big cash settlements change city policy.