Former Queens NYPD Officer from East Islip Gets 33 Months in Prison for Tow Company Bribery Scheme
A former New York City police officer from East Islip was sentenced to 33 months in prison on Thursday for hatching a plan to commit bribery using interstate facilities, according to Breon Peace, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Michael Perri, 34, was also slapped with a $25,000 fine for his crimes, adding to the $158,000 he has already paid the government in forfeitures. His two co-defendants, also former cops, were both sentenced earlier this year. They were all previously assigned to the 107th precinct in Queens, and Perri had already retired.
“After retiring from the NYPD, [Perri] conspired with two police officers to betray their oaths and the public with promises of easy money, and as a result, they have all been sentenced to prison for their corruption,” Peace said in a statement. “This office will vigorously investigate and prosecute public servants and their associates who exploit their positions of power for private gain.”
Perri has pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit bribery in November 2022, according to the government. His co-conspirators were James Davneiro, 44, of
Bayside, Queens, and Giancarlo Osma, 40, of Deer Park, who were sentenced to one year in March and 14 months in April, respectively, after both pleading guilty to the same charge.
The federal government’s Office’s Public Integrity Section in the Eastern New York district, led by Assistant United States Attorney Ryan C. Harris, was in charge of the prosecution.
“Dedicated to uncovering and eradicating corruption in all its forms, investigators with our Internal Affairs Bureau worked tirelessly since the outset of this case,” said NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. “There must always be zero tolerance for such betrayals of public trust.”
Court filings state that Perri schemed to pay thousands of dollars in bribes to Davneiro and Osma in exchange for assisting an auto repair and tow trucking business that Perri was running after retiring from the NYPD. Starting in May 2020, Davneiro and Osma then began responding to auto accidents and directing damaged cars to Perri’s business.
The NYPD’s Directed Accident Response Program (DARP) requires officers to use licensed tow trucking businesses to respond to scenes of auto accidents. The computer system randomly selects tow trucking businesses to ensure no business is treated favorably. In exchange for bypassing the system and sending vehicles straight to Perri’s business instead, the two officers received bribes from Perri. They continued the scheme until May 2021, when they were arrested.
The profits to Perri’s business totaled more than $150,000 from at least 73 vehicles, and Perri paid more than $50,000 in bribes to the two former officers.
