A former cop whose dealings with a Queens brothel were discovered last year pleaded guilty to federal charges yesterday. Dennis Kim, who resigned from the 109th Precinct this week, told a judge that he used information on a brothel's rivals to make "make many arrests...for drug offenses, possession of weapons, robbery, and prostitution-related crimes."
Kim and partner Jerry Svoronos had worked vice out of the 109th, but ended up working with a brothel's operators, Gina Kim (no relation) and Geeho Chae. Kim and Svoronos' bad cop tendencies were discovered when an actual sting operation was taking place at the cathouse. According to the NY Times, Kim told the court he allowed Chae "to pay bar bills and took money that he used to buy gifts for his family" and that Svronos was supplied "sexual services from the prostitutes."
Kim took the guilty plea in a deal with prosecutors. He faces 12 to 18 months in jail; his lawyer claimed Kim's interaction with informants (the brothel operators) spiraled out of control, "This is not a case of a police officer who used his badge to enrich himself. He wanted to do the right thing but ended up crossing the line." When Kim was arrested last year, he had explained taking bribes, "I wanted to be the number one cop, you know. Because I wasn't making sergeant. You know I wasn't smart enough."
