Two Queens cops were accused of taking thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for accident reports, Commissioner Ray Kelly and the district attorney said yesterday.
Prosecutors in Queens said Danny Cano, a 36-year-old officer in the Jackson Heights 115th Precinct, and Roberto Espinal, 44, assigned to the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst, were involved in a scheme to sell accident reports to people who would then use the information to track down the victims for cases involving insurance companies.
"What they allegedly did have in common was that they both tarnished their NYPD badges by exploiting the misfortune of others to unjustly enrich themselves," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.
The alleged scheme was investigated by the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau with help from insurance providers.
The criminal complaints said Cano passed reports with the names and addresses of 13 victims in exchange for $6,200, while Espinal got $1,500 in cash for providing information on seven victims. Cano was hit with nine counts of taking bribes and a count of official misconduct. Espinal was charged with two counts of bribery, a count of official misconduct and five counts of receiving reward for the alleged selling of reports.
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