A former high-ranking cop accused of trading police favors for lavish gifts—including cash, diamonds, and airplane sex with a prostitute—was found not guilty on Wednesday.
Following a trial that lasted nearly two months, a Manhattan federal jury cleared James Grant, the retired commanding officer of the Upper East Side's 19th Precinct, of all charges. But co-defendant Jeremy Reichberg, a powerful member of Borough Park’s Orthodox community and prominent backer of Mayor Bill de Blasio, was found guilty of several bribery and conspiracy charges.
Grant reportedly teared up as the verdict was delivered, then turned to console Reichberg, a long-time friend. "You'll be okay," he said.
According to federal prosecutors, Reichberg and his ex-partner Jona Rechnitz—a disgraced developer turned cooperating witness for the government—spent the last decade showering at least a dozen police officers with bribes to cultivate them as allies. In addition to cash and jewelry, the pair reportedly arranged for high-ranking cops, including Grant, to have sex with a prostitute dressed as a flight attendant during a free trip to Las Vegas. The duo also furnished trips for NYPD members to Israel, Los Angeles, and Miami, where there were "hookers everywhere," according to Rechnitz.
The other allegedly compromised NYPD officials, including former Chief of Department Philip Banks III and Deputy Inspector Stephen McAllister, were not charged. Banks, who once posed in uniform next to Reichberg and Rechnitz during a trip to Jerusalem, spoke out for the first time this week, proclaiming his innocence in a third-person blog post published by NYPD Confidential. Norman Seabrook, the former president of the New York City’s correction officers’ union, who also attended that trip to Israel, was found guilty on conspiracy and bribery charges in August.
Wednesday's split verdict is the latest public corruption case in which a briber is found guilty, while the recipient of the kickback is deemed innocent. Both Rechnitz and restaurateur Harendra Singh have previously pled guilty for buying access to the de Blasio administration, despite the fact that charges were never brought against the mayor. As the Times has noted, the primary reason for the head-scratching disparity rests with a 2016 Supreme Court ruling, which significantly raised the bar for proving that public officials are guilty of taking bribes.
In a statement, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said that his office had "respect" for the jury's determination that Grant was not guilty. He added, "Jeremy Reichberg orchestrated a years-long bribery scheme that led to tens of thousands of dollars in benefits being provided to a select group of NYPD officers to provide Reichberg with a private, paid police force. These illegal acts clearly undermine the mission of the NYPD and leave the citizens of New York City poorer, and Reichberg’s subsequent attempt to hide evidence of his scheme from law enforcement cannot be tolerated."
Reichberg's sentencing is scheduled for April 4th.
