A former city cop was sentenced Thursday to 33 months in federal prison for masterminding a scheme that involved bribing NYPD officers to direct car crash victims to his tow truck company.
Michael Perri, 34, opened up a tow truck and auto repair shop in Queens after he left the NYPD in June 2020, and used his connections with officers in the 107th Precinct, where he had worked, to pull in more than $150,000 in business, according to prosecutors.
Perri recruited brothers in blue from his Fresh Meadows precinct — Detective James Davneiro, 44, and Officer Giancarlo Osma, 40. The two cops sent 73 crash victims to Perri’s business in exchange for at least $25,000 in bribes, according to prosecutors.
All three pleaded guilty last year. Davneiro was sentenced to a year behind bars in March, while Osma got 14 months in April. Both are no longer police officers.
Normally, drivers must use a licensed towing firm approved by the city’s Directed Accident Response Program if they break down or get into a crash on the highway.
Perri knew of the legal risk involved in his plot. When three other cops were charged in a similar scheme that also took place in Queens, Perri told his accomplices they’d need to start using encrypted apps like Telegram to avoid getting caught.
“The response was not, ‘We should stop what we’re doing,’” said Brooklyn Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Harris. “The response was, ‘We need to be more careful.’”
When Davneiro expressed concern about the bust of the other Queens cops, Perri told him he was “f—ing being a b—-,” according to court filings.
At his sentencing before Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Rachel Kovner, Perry said he let down his parents, his family, his friends and himself, and described the tears of his girlfriend and his mother as he was arrested in front of them.
“It turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life. I should have known better,” he said. “I’m embarrassed and ashamed. I have emotionally and…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply