Crooked NYPD Detective Gets 15 Years Behind Bars

(June 11) -- A U.S. district judge in Brooklyn has sentenced a veteran New York Police Department detective to more than a decade behind bars for helping to protect a drug lord and his expansive coke ring from the law.

Luis M. Batista, 37, was sentenced to 15 years' in prison on Thursday for convictions involving conspiracy to distribute narcotics, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and obstruction of justice.

While cops who shake down thugs, fake evidence or lie in court are not unheard of, prosecutors said Batista took corruption to a whole new level. Not only was he involved in a large-scale drug enterprise, but he also forged legal documents and bribed an employee of the Internal Affairs Bureau, they said.

Indicted in February 2008, Batista had pleaded not guilty to the charges. But a federal jury convicted him when the case went to Brooklyn Federal Court last fall.

"What is appalling is how he compromised his integrity and was willing to sell his badge for so little," Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Capozzolo said during the trial.

Batista joined the NYPD in 1997, working in Manhattan as an undercover narcotics officer and later as a precinct detective in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

According to evidence presented at trial, Batista befriended Virgilio "Checo" Hiciano, the operator of a local large-scale cocaine and crack enterprise, not long after joining the NYPD. Batista assisted Hiciano's drug trafficking by, among other things, warning him of impending police actions and providing him with information from law enforcement databases.

In April 2006, the government indicted Hiciano on narcotics-related charges. After his arrest, Hiciano admitted that he was involved with narcotics trafficking and also indicated that Batista knew about it.

Prosecutors said that, after learning of Hiciano's indictment, Batista persuaded a member of the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau to access a secure database and provide him with details on a report about his relationship with Hiciano.

Batista allegedly used his knowledge of that report to falsely claim that Hiciano was a confidential source. Prosecutors said Batista attempted to persuade a supervisor to corroborate his claim, and also attempted to intimidate a member of the drug ring who he suspected was cooperating with the government.

Batista's crimes, however, went beyond the drug ring: Evidence presented at trial showed he had forged a termite inspection certificate to help his brother obtain a $382,500 home mortgage.

In addition to Batista, the government has obtained narcotics convictions against nine other members of the drug enterprise, including Hiciano. He pleaded guilty to narcotics, firearms and bail-jumping charges, and has not yet been sentenced.