A New York Manhattan federal prosecutors said a police chief tasked with protecting the city’s schoolchildren took bribes in 2023 to help a businessman sell his “mobile panic alert system” to schools. Allegedly.
Kevin Taylor, the former commanding officer of the New York Police Department’s school security division, “repeatedly abused his power and considerable influence by soliciting or demanding bribes in two bribery schemes” — allowing him to enjoy lavish travel and lavish dining. indictment Accused him.
The indictment also charges Geno Rofaro, who is accused of using the safety tech.
Taylor vacationed in Las Vegas — where there was a “medieval-themed dinner theater” and a “helicopter tour” — as well as dining at “high-end restaurants” in the Bahamas and Nevada, Manhattan and a Caribbean vacation hotspot as part of the bribery scheme, prosecutors said. He issued a memorandum recommending that the NYPD award a contract worth millions to a tech company, they said, and also pushed the City Council to buy the services.
Taylor has pleaded not guilty to the charges. “Kevin Taylor has been an inspector for the NYPD for 28 years, responsible for school security, and his record was spotless before this incident,” said Richard Langone, Taylor’s attorney. “The allegations are baseless and we believe he will be deported.”
In a statement, Rofaro’s defense team said: “The United States Attorney’s Office’s pursuit of charges against Geno is vague and shallow, while simultaneously alleging and seeking to prove that he suffered an extortionate shakedown.
“Our client has dedicated his career to working with law enforcement to protect the public,” his attorney said, adding, “The actions of the US Attorney’s Office leave us all with more questions than answers.”
When Taylor failed to get “anything more than a second pilot program for this company,” Rofaro allegedly complained to Taylor via text, according to the indictment. “I got nothing from you brother and I am already hundreds [of thousands of dollars]”He wrote deliberately.
“You don’t have anything from me??” Taylor accused and criticized Rofaro. “You can’t play with the big boys and be pissed off like a puppy.”
“It’s fun, but it’s not fun or funny. Our company (ME) needs to report something real and important before the end of the year. And we need a full statement and start the first 2 weeks of the year,” Rofaro said in a December 2023 text message, prosecutors said. “Otherwise, I’m embarrassed. And you don’t want me to be embarrassed. I’m both your whore and your sugar daddy. I have to take this seriously.”
Taylor scheduled a press conference to announce the Rofaro app collection in early 2024, but that didn’t happen. Taylor was transferred from his leadership position in February of that year.
In September, Taylor saw in a news article that Rofaro’s company was “involved in a federal public corruption investigation” and texted it to an associate. He expressed concern that Rofaro would incriminate him, prosecutors said.
Taylor allegedly tried to force Ballistic Vest Company to pay for a more than $100,000 holiday party in late 2023. Prosecutors said the ceremony was not performed by the NYPD, but by Taylor herself for school safety officers.
Asked for comment, the New York The police department said: “The NYPD holds our officers to the highest standards, and it is unacceptable when anyone in this department violates those standards. There is no tolerance for misconduct, which is why we played an important role in this investigation.”
