Remember when we shocked the world by revealing that the NYPD might be a little racist? Well, according to the New York Times, it’s uglier than originally imagined.
Apparently, Officer Michael Daragjati was under investigation by the FBI for insurance fraud and extortion, and didn’t know that The Bureau had tapped his phones. Now, thanks to the wire and his own stupidity, he’s been indicted for violating the civil rights of a black man after falsely accusing him of resisting arrest on Staten Island.
The New York Postreports that the wire caught the genius bragging about the incident to a female friend. Daragjati told the woman that he had “fried another n*****, no big deal”, and she responded with laughter. Yep, believe or not, people are still amused by racism in 2011. In another call, prosecutors claim that Daragjati was expressing how difficult it is to load a motorcycle into the high bed of a pickup truck, and then suggested a friend “pile some n****** up and drive it over them.” New York’s finest, folks.
Let’s take a break from the fact that Daragjati is an obvious racist and highlight those extortion and insurance fraud charges. He runs a plowing business, and while off duty, lured a guy he suspected stole his plow to a Staten Island parking lot, beat him, threatened him with a bunch of goons and a gun, and demanded that he return the plow or pay $5,000. As for that insurance fraud charge, he’s been accused of instructing one of his snowplow drivers to hit a truck that he owned, and then told the insurance company that the damage was the result of an accident.
Daragjati has been a member of the force for eight years, but that couldn’t save him from being suspended for 30 days without pay. He’s been charged with a misdemeanor civil rights violation and could face up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine. Oh yeah, let’s not forget about the insurance fraud and extortion. For that, he’s looking at 20 years max and fines of up to $500,000.
Apparently, when this dumbass found out that the feds were investigating him for the beating, he was heard on the wire saying, “If something happens, these guys are dead.” While it’s unclear who he was talking about, federal magistrate judge Joan M. Azrack sided with prosecutor Paul Tuchmann and denied Daragjati bail.
There’s a damning amount of evidence that suggests Daragjati is a horrible person across the board, so let’s see if the system saves him or “fries” him, as he might joke. He’s sure made it easy for them.
[viaThe New York Times]
