Former NYPD Commissioner and Giuliani crony Bernard Kerik could not hold back the tears during his court appearance yesterday to plead guilty to eight felonies. According to the Daily News, "As the judge spoke, Kerik seemed to take measure of the magnitude of his fall. He bowed his head and repeatedly wiped his eyes with his fingers... Kerik kept daubing his eyes, his face going red as if with the strain of all he was trying to hold in. He did not seem to be weeping so much as seeping." Wow, we felt zero sympathy for Kerik yesterday, and now we feel twice as much!
Yesterday Kerik confessed to lying on his application to be the director of Homeland Security, lying to the feds, tax fraud, and accepting $250,000 in renovations to his Bronx apartment, provided by a company accused of having mob ties. As part of the plea deal, he will most likely receive a far lesser sentence than the 60 years he faced if convicted on all charges, and federal prosecutors will drop the corruption charges against Kerik. Judge Robinson remarked, "I think this is a very sad day."
The Times also notes that he will not be prosecuted "by the United States" for certain unspecified "business activities abroad" between 2005 and 2007. It's unclear exactly what activities investigators were looking into. By 2005, Kerik had already left Giuliani Partners, and the Bronx DA had launched an investigation into the apartment renovations. But Kerik is still named as head of The Kerik Group, LLC, "an internationally respected global provider of Homeland Security and industrial security services." Probably time to update that website, Bernie.
In 2003, Kerik served as the interim minister of interior in Iraq, and was in charge of training Iraqi police for duty. Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez blasted Kerik's work in his memoir, writing that when Kerik left Iraq he was "shocked" to find that the only items Kerik purchased for Iraqi police were 50,000 Glock pistols: "When I was informed of the exorbitant prices that were being paid for these pistols, my first reaction was that there had to be some impropriety, but I had no evidence to substantiate it."
