New York, November 06: Former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik has pleaded guilty to a slew of charges in his high-profile corruption trial.
Kerik, who was New York’s head of police at the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, admitted accepting 255,000 dollars worth of renovations for his apartment from a construction firm angling for government contracts.
The company — which is suspected of having mob ties — installed marble bathrooms, a jacuzzi and a new kitchen in the former police chief’s apartment in the upscale New York suburb of Riverdale.
According to the indictment, Kerik then contacted regulators on behalf of the firm, but concealed the payments in tax returns as the firm was being investigated.
On Thursday he also pleaded guilty to lying to White house officials about the renovations while being vetted to become the head of Homeland Security.
He has pleaded guilty to a total of eight charges.
The 54-year-old is expected to be sentenced in February next year, when he could have faced 61 years in prison, but will likely receive a lesser sentence thanks to a plea deal.
—–Agencies