| Ex
NYPD Ed Mullins Plead to Fraud 33 Month
Deal and $600000 Forfeiture Questioned in
Rain
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell
Book
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Jan 19 – In the U.S. District
Court for the Southern
District of New York on
February 23, a detention or
release proceeding was held by
Magistrate Judge Gabriel W.
Gorenstein on former NYPD
Sargeant and union official Ed
Mullins, who was released on
$250,000 personal recognizance
bond and had no comment
(unlike Sarah Palin) out on
Worth Street.
Another condition
of release: "no contact with
members / officers of SBA
relating to the allegations in
the Information."
The US
Attorney's Office says,
"Damian Williams, the United
States Attorney for the
Southern District of New York
announced today that EDWARD D.
MULLINS, the former President
of the Sergeants Benevolent
Association (“SBA”), the union
that represents all current
and former Sergeants of the
New York City Police
Department, was charged with
one count of wire fraud in
connection with a scheme to
steal hundreds of thousands of
dollars from the SBA, through
the submission of fraudulent
expense reports. MULLINS
surrendered to the FBI in
Manhattan this morning, and
was presented before U.S.
Magistrate Judge Gabriel W.
Gorenstein. The case has
been assigned to United States
District Judge John G.
Koeltl."
On March 17,
Inner City Press went to cover
the case before Judge Koeltl
and live tweeted, here:
OK - for NYPD's
Mullins, now outside Judge's
door for listed 2:30
proceeding. Three prosecutors
here. But it's locked.
Now in courtroom,
Mullins and two lawyers, one
in a 3-piece suit. He's Mark
Mukasey. All rise!
AUSA says parties
agree to 45 day continuance,
for discovery seized from SBA
HQ under warrants.
Judge: So
conference in 60 some days.
Mukasey: Mr Mullins was a cop
for 40 years and honorably for
most of it.
On July 13, Judge
Koeltl held another conference
in the case, and Inner City
Press covered and live tweeted
it, here:
OK - now US v. Ed
Mullins. Assistant US
Attorney: The parties are
working toward a pre-trial
disposition in this matter. So
please set the next date 45
days out. We'll be able to
update then. Defense counsel:
That's accurate.
Judge
Koeltl: The Court doesn't get
involved in pre-trial
disposition, that's up to
defendant with advice of
counsel. Next date: Sept 13 at
4:30?
Defense counsel
Marc Mukasey : I have a trial
before Judge Ramos on Sept 12
that is mostly certainly
going. [US v. Trevor Milton,
which Inner City Press is also
covering]
Jump cut to
October 7, when the next
conference was scheduled.
Mullins changed lawyers, from
Mukasey - who is on a one week
break from US v. Milton after
a positive COVID test - to
Thomas A. Kenniff. The
conference was held; Judge
Koeltl proposed another 45
days out. Kenniff
counter-proposed 60 days.
Discovery is still limited.
The next conference was set
for January 5, 2023.
But on December
30, Mullins' new lawyer Thomas
A. Kenniff wrote to Judge
Koeltl that "the parties are
still engaged in ongoing plea
negotiations" and asked that
the conference be pushed into
March.
In fact, the plea
agreement was dated that day,
and signed on January 18. On
January 19, the ritual
proceeding. Inner City Press
went and live tweeted, thread
here:
OK- now at SBA
(expected to be) change of
plea proceeding of Ed Mullins.
Judge Koeltl: I
have before me a plea
agreement signed Jan 18.
Mullins: I'm 61,
with a graduate degree. No
alcohol in last 24 hours.
Judge: Do you wish to plead
guilty to Count 1 of the
Information? Mullins: Yes.
Judge: The
Sergeants Benevolent
Association was defrauded by
you, the Information charges,
from at least 2017 to Oct
2021, over $1 million. Do you
understand?
Mullins: Yes
Judge Koeltl
is demostrating
with his hands for Mullins
how he could vary UPward or
DOWNward from the sentencing
guidelines.
"Do you understand?"
Mullins: Yes.
Judge: The plea agreement
specifies a sentencing
guideline of 33 to 41 months.
Mullins: I
submitted false and inflated
expense reports by email and
put the funds in local banks
here in Manhattan.
Judge: Where did
you send the emails from?
Mullins: I have no idea.
AUSA Rothman: We
have the emails. Judge: How do
you plead? Mullins: Guilty
Judge:
Sentencing May 25 at noon.
Postscript:
Afterward, Mullins didn't
speak but his (new) lawyer Tom
Kenniff said he'd speak on
Worth Street. It was raining;
Inner City Press shot phone
video and asked if $600,000
forfeiture is set in stone. He
didn't say yes - but phone
failed in the rain...
Here now is the
plea agreement on Inner City
Press' DocumentCloud here
The case is US v.
Mullins, 22-cr-120
(Koeltl).
***
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