Former NYPD Deputy Inspector James Grant, who served as commanding officer of the 72nd and 66th Precincts, has been found not guilty on all counts by a jury in Federal District Court in Manhattan on Wed., Jan. 2.
Back on June 20, 2016, Grant, who was then the commanding officer of the Upper East Side’s 19th Precinct, was arrested by FBI agents and members of the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, and charged with accepting bribes in exchange for doing favors for Jeremy Reichberg, a Brooklyn businessman and prominent fundraiser for Mayor Bill de Blasio. Three other NYPD officers were also arrested when Grant was.
Reichberg was convicted of several counts of bribery and conspiracy.
“As a unanimous jury found, Jeremy Reichberg orchestrated a years-long bribery scheme that led to tens of thousands of dollars in benefits being provided to a select group of NYPD officers to provide Reichberg with a private, paid police force,” said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman after the verdicts were announced. “These illegal acts clearly undermine the mission of the NYPD and leave the citizens of New York City poorer, and Reichberg’s subsequent attempt to hide evidence of his scheme from law enforcement cannot be tolerated. We respect the jury’s verdict as to James Grant, and we thank the jurors for their service during this lengthy trial.”
“I’m very happy Jimmy gets this opportunity to rebuild his life,” Grant’s attorney John Meringolo told reporters. “I’m just happy for Jimmy and his family. What they put his family through, it’s not nice.”
The criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan in 2016 charged that Reichberg cultivated close relationships with Grant and other officers, and, over the course of several years, provided them with substantial bribes, including prostitutes, jewelry, expensive meals, private flights, hotel rooms, home improvements and prime seats at sporting events.
In Grant’s case, the complaint alleged, Reichberg provided him with, among other benefits, “A private jet trip to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl, costing $57,000 for the plane alone; a two-night stay in a hotel in Rome, worth more than $1,000; contracting work on his home worth approximately $12,000; and jewelry.”
In exchange for the favors provided, the indictment charged, Reichberg would call the NYPD for official action both for himself and for members of the Borough Park Orthodox Jewish community. Reichberg allegedly obtained benefits on an as-needed basis, giving him influence over internal NYPD affairs, including personnel decisions such as the promotion of certain favored NYPD officers.
Grant was stripped of his badge and gun and placed on modified duty when the investigation first became public.