Ex-NYPD Top Cop Likely Faces Indictment
Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, once a close associate of Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, is expected to face a federal indictment on tax fraud charges and other counts as early as Thursday, CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports.
A person familiar with the Kerik investigation says prosecutors expect to announce criminal charges in a news conference Friday at the U.S. Attorney's office in White Plains, N.Y. Kerik is expected to turn himself in and not face arrest.
A grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the case for several months was expected to vote Thursday on whether to indict Kerik, a federal law enforcement official said Wednesday.
Asked Wednesday whether Kerik would face federal charges by the end of the week, defense attorney Kenneth Breen said: "I haven't been told one way or the other."
Yusill Scribner, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia, declined to comment.
The investigation of the former New York City police commissioner stemmed from a $240,000 renovation of his Bronx apartment in 1999.
Authorities alleged most of the makeover was paid for by mob-connected builders who sought his help winning city contracts - a charge he denied until a misdemeanor guilty plea in state court last year spared him jail time and preserved his career as a security consultant.
Before the apartment scandal broke, Giuliani had endorsed his old friend's nomination in 2004 to head the Department of Homeland Security. But only days after President Bush introduced Kerik as his nominee, Kerik announced he was withdrawing his name because of tax issues involving his former nanny.
A federal indictment of Kerik could cause a major headache for Giuliani, a Republican, as the first presidential primaries draw near.
Giuliani frequently says that he made a mistake in recommending Kerik to be Homeland Security chief, but that might not be enough to avoid the political damage of a drawn-out criminal case involving his onetime protege.
Giuliani, in an interview earlier this week with The Associated Press, argued that Kerik's woes shouldn't overshadow his administration's crime-fighting record.
"There were mistakes made with Bernie Kerik," Giuliani said. "But what's the ultimate result for the people of New York City? The ultimate result for the people of New York City was a 74 percent reduction in shootings, a 60 percent reduction in crime. ... Sure, there were issues, but if I have the same degree of success and failure as president of the United States, this country will be in great shape."