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Brooklyn Detective Convicted of Planting Drugs

Brooklyn Detective Jason Arbeeny has been convicted by the Judge at his bench trial on charges he planted drugs on innocent people. Isolated instance? Hardly.

During the trial, prosecutors described the corruption within the Police Department drug units that Detective Arbeeny worked for; one former detective, who did not know the defendant, testified that officers in those units often planted drugs on innocent people.

Arbeeny was convicted of "falsifying business records, official misconduct and offering a false instrument for filing."

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  • Display: Sort:
    Is There a Specific Charge... (none / 0) (#1)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 12:16:55 PM EST
     ...for using a position of authority to imprison innocent people ?

    What about possession and perjury.  Just seems like these charges are more like administrative charges compared to the actual crime.

    Kidnapping? (none / 0) (#2)
    by kdog on Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 12:48:32 PM EST
    Thats what it is called in my book.

    Parent
    Agreed (none / 0) (#7)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 02:17:57 PM EST
    But my point which I didn't make clear is there are no cop/law enforcement specific laws.

    If I told someone I was found guilty of "falsifying business records, official misconduct and offering a false instrument for filing", they would think I pulled some white collar victimless BS.

    No one would ever guess I used my authority to plant evidence which resulted in the imprisonment of the innocent.

    For us schmucks at the bottom, laws involving drugs are crystal clear, you can't blow off a "Possession of a Dangerous Drug" conviction here in Texas for example.  A charge a friend of mine had to deal with for a couple Valium.

    Parent

    I hear ya... (none / 0) (#8)
    by kdog on Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 02:29:51 PM EST
    the phrase you're looking for is "different rules, different fools".  It is the #1 scourge plaguing our society...inequality under the law.

    Parent
    In federal court (which this wasn't) (none / 0) (#4)
    by Peter G on Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 01:12:06 PM EST
    it could be charged as a criminal violation of civil rights, particularly if a conspiracy is involved.  The feds try not to charge local law enforcement officers unless the locals refuse (or are unable) to police their own, however.

    Parent
    Has this Policy evolved over the years? (none / 0) (#9)
    by Rojas on Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 03:38:46 PM EST
    For example, were the feds more, less or equally inclined to wait for the locals to sort these things out back in the 70s and 80s?

    My perception is the DOJ was much more active in this regard than the past 3 decades.

    Parent

    Bench trial. Interesting. (none / 0) (#3)
    by oculus on Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 12:55:39 PM EST
    Also, surprised the wrongdoing by other members of the department was admissible evidence against this defendant.  

    Sounds like... (none / 0) (#5)
    by kdog on Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 01:29:48 PM EST
    we need to prosecute Ray Kelly & Mikey Bloomberg under the RICO statute...this sh*t is epidemic.

    Parent
    You are starting to convice (none / 0) (#6)
    by me only on Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 02:14:20 PM EST
    me, against my better judgement.

    This is just a train wreck.

    "What was your thought (none / 0) (#10)
    by Mr Natural on Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 09:25:57 PM EST
    ... in terms of saving his career at the cost of these four people who had seemingly no involvement in the transaction?" Justice Reichbach asked.

    IT was called "attaching bodies" to the drugs, Mr. Anderson answered, and he said nearly four years into his life undercover, he had become numb to the corruption. "It was something I was seeing a lot of, whether it was from supervisors or undercovers and even investigators," Mr. Anderson said. "Seeing it so much, it's almost like you have no emotion with it. The mentality was that they attach the bodies to it, they're going to be out of jail tomorrow anyway, nothing is going to happen to them anyway.