12 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 14, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
police beat COMPILED BY BILL PARRY AND ZACHARY GEWELB
105th Precinct
Queens Village, Cambria
Heights, Laurelton, Rosedale,
Springfi eld Gardens, Bellerose,
Glen Oaks, New Hyde Park and
Floral Park
Three former cops from 105th
Precinct plead guilty to tow
truck bribery scheme: Feds
Th e 105th Precinct in Queens Village
has been tarnished by scandal aft er
three of its former police offi cers pleaded
guilty in Brooklyn federal court to a
scheme to sell the personal information
of automobile collisions in exchange for
bribes.
Th e case is similar in nature to another
bribery scam that was run out of
the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows
in which federal prosecutors brought
charges against three offi cers, one of
whom retired last May.
On Th ursday, Oct. 7, former NYPD
Offi cer Robert Hassett pleaded guilty
to conspiring to participate in the
scheme to steer damaged vehicles to a
tow truck company in contravention of
the NYPD’s Direct Accident Response
Program (DARP) in exchange for
bribes, according to the U.S. Attorney of
the Eastern District of New York.
On Aug. 5, former NYPD Offi cer
Heather Busch pleaded guilty to accepting
bribes in connection with her participation
in the tow truck scheme, and
on Oct. 6, a third defendant, retired
NYPD Offi cer Robert Smith, pleaded
guilty to accepting bribes in the scheme,
while also pleading guilty to attempted
distribution of at least one kilogram of
heroin, according to prosecutors.
As part of his plea, Smith also admitted
that he participated with Hassett in
the victim database scheme.
According to court fi lings and facts
presented at the plea proceeding,
between 2016 and 2017, Hassett and
Smith received thousands of dollars of
bribe payments in exchange for referring
business to a towing company, contrary
to DARP. Smith resumed the corrupt
scheme without Hassett in late
2019 and when Smith retired from the
NYPD in March 2020, Smith enlisted
Busch to take his place in the scheme.
In early 2020, Smith and Hassett also
sold the names and contact information
of automobile accident victims whose
accidents occurred within the confi nes
of the 105th Precinct for thousands of
dollars in bribe payments, ostensibly so
that the purchaser could resell that personal
information to physical therapy
businesses and personal injury lawyers
who would contact the automobile accident
victims as prospective customers.
“Th e defendants’ guilty pleas to
accepting bribes are also acknowledgments
that they abused the public trust
and dishonored the NYPD by their
action,” Acting U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn
M. Kasulis said. “Th is offi ce will continue
working closely with our law enforcement
partners to identify and prosecute
corrupt police offi cers.”
Aft er Smith’s retirement in March
2020, he also agreed to transport what
he believed to be one kilogram of heroin
for a drug traffi cking organization.
Since their arrests in May 2021, Busch
and Hassett have resigned from the
NYPD.
When sentenced, Smith faces up to 25
years in prison, while Hassett and Busch
each face up to fi ve years in prison. As
part of their respective pleas, Smith has
agreed to forfeit $20,000, Hassett has
agreed to forfeit $10,000 and Busch has
agreed to forfeit $6,000.
114th Precinct
Astoria, Long Island City,
Woodside and Jackson Heights
Homeless man charged
with strangling 16-yearold
girl in Astoria
A homeless man has been charged for
allegedly strangling a 16-year-old girl who
was sitting outside an Astoria restaurant on
Monday, Oct. 4, according to authorities.
Police say that at approximately 5:30
p.m., Minvera Martinez approached the
16-year-old girl as she sat outside Watawa
Sushi, located at 33-10 Ditmars Blvd.
Martinez, 36, placed the girl in a chokehold
before fl eeing the scene, law enforcement
sources said.
Th e girl sustained pain, redness and
swelling, but was not hospitalized.
Police released surveillance video of the
incident on Oct. 8, and Martinez, who police
say is undomiciled, was arrested at 1:30 p.m.
on Saturday, Oct. 9, when he was charged with
strangulation.
113th Precinct
St. Albans, Hollis, Springfi eld
Gardens, South Ozone Park,
South Jamaica, Addisleigh Park
and Locust Manor
Long Island man charged
in 2018 St. Albans drive-by
shooting that killed a
Queens Village man
It took investigators more than three
years to crack this cold case, but a Long
Island man was indicted by a Queens
grand jury in a fatal 2018 drive-by shooting
in St. Albans, according to Queens
District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Michael Brown, 37, of Catalpa Avenue
in Franklin Square, was held on a threecount
indictment warrant before Justice
Gene Lopez on Friday, Oct. 8, charging
him with murder and criminal possession
of a weapon in the shooting
death of 34-year-old Rhodd Khipplyn of
Springfi eld Boulevard in Queens Village.
According to the charges, on the night
of Sept. 25, 2018, Khipplyn was standing
near his work van in the vicinity of
118th Street and Farmers Boulevard when
he was struck in the torso by a gunshot
fi red from a silver four-door sedan traveling
southbound on Farmers Boulevard.
Th e victim succumbed to his injuries and
was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital
Center.
“Securing this indictment demonstrates
exactly why I formed the QDA Cold Case
Unit. We will work tirelessly to bring closure
to grieving families and assure them
they are not forgotten,” Katz said. “Justice
will be pursued and sought in a court of
law regardless of how much time passes.
Th e defendant tried to elude identifi cation
and responsibility for his alleged crimes
but he will now stand in court to answer
for this shooting.”
Brown was ordered to return to court
on Oct. 13, before Queens Supreme
Court Justice Kenneth Holder. If convicted,
Brown faces up to 25 years to life
in prison.
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NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY
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Written Re-evaluation/Record of Decision
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