Brooklyn, NY – Four months after he was first found guilty on multiple counts of bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud involving police officials, Jeremy Reichberg has been sentenced to four years in prison plus two year of supervised release. Reichberg had been facing a maximum sentence of 65 years.
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Word of Reichberg’s sentence, initially scheduled to be handed down last month, was first announced on Twitter by Daily News reporter Steven Brown. He is expected to begin serving his prison term in Otisville on August 12th according to a tweet by Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press.
Just moments before his sentencing, an emotional Reichberg asked District Judge Gregory Woods for leniency, reported the New York Post (https://nyp.st/30g9njv). Reichberg had difficulty reading his prepared statement, stopping often to wipe away tears.
“I acted as an adolescent, wanting special attention, feeling that I was entitled to get special attention for my friends who were police officers,” said the 44 year old Reichberg.
Reichberg’s lawyer had argued that her client had been acting solely to bolster his public image and that his actions created no public danger. That notion was disputed by Assistant District Attorney Martin Bell, who said that Reichberg and former friend Jona Rechnitz had curried favors regarding arrests and gun licenses. Rechnitz took a plea bargain deal with authorities that had him testifying for nine days against Reichberg.
“This was not a crime that created an appearance of favoritism,” said Bell. “This was impropriety of the most basic sort. This was favoritism, bought and paid for.”
Reichberg’s sentencing comes on the same day that four high ranking NYPD officers sued the City of New York, saying that they were forced to retire in order to protect both Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton from the bribery investigation that rattled The Big Apple.
The Daily News (http://bit.ly/30ggDf4) reported that former Inspector Peter DeBlasio and former Deputy Chief Andrew Capul, David Colon and Eric Rodriguez were forced out in 2016. All four had been mentioned in court documents related to the bribery investigation but none faced any charges.
“At the end of the day you always need sacrificial lambs,” said Capul. “But we don’t know why. Why us?”
The four officers had a combined 120 years of NYPD experience between them. Capul said that they were never told what they had done wrong.
Rechnitz and Reichberg damaged our good name and standing before the Goyim. Rechnitz is a Moser as well…..Yemach Shemom.
He’ll be out by next pesach
What happened to all those that kept FLASHING the picture of Reb Shayala during the court trial. It antagonized prospectors who complained to the judge. Did it help??? – I guess it helps as much as the picture chases away mice!
What it really did – was show what kind of “silly foolish” people we are. If you saw some group, say, Italians flashing pictures of some gallach in Italy believing it will jinx the jury or prosecutors – what would WE think of them?
Anyway, who started this in our religion – to use flash cards at trials as good luck charms. Did chazal use these ideas or they said to say Tihillem
Why only Reb Shayala, what about the Yismach Moshe, the Rogathover, the Baal Shem, the Imrei Chaim – they won’t work??
Also, why only Rebbes , why can’t Gedolim pictures also work, The Chofetz Chaim, the Chazon Ish, Rav Kotler, Reb Shmuel Birnbaum?? I guess the Litvisha have a bit more brains then the chassidim.
We do need rachamim shmayim!
Old adage: Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. He deserves what he got and more.
Let’s hope he wins on appeal. With all the dirt in the media and the cards stacked against the defendants in this case, the Cop gets cleared of every single charge, the yid is acquitted of the top charge but guilty on the rest. This wasn’t exactly a slam dunk case altogether.
What those two did was flattering to their ego’s but illegal, immoral and an embarrassment to Jews who live within the law. The sentence was very light and I hope their time away from home is enough for them to reflect on their misdeeds.
Part of this mess is the shame that the morally bankrupt Mayor of NYC wasn’t brought down because of his alleged involvement.