EFTA00025171.pdf

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A. Public Corruption Unit
The Public Corruption Unit, consisting of about 20 AUSAs, including two supervisors, had
a busy year focusing on both traditional corruption offenses and other abuses of power by-both
local and national in scope. The Unit charged numerous law enforcement and correctional officers
in the New York City area with various abuses of power, including an excessive force prosecution
involving a mentally disturbed homeless victim, and multiple federal correctional officers,
including one who has since pled guilty to sexually assaulting numerous female inmates under his
watch. The Unit also brought charges of national significance, including campaign finance and
related charges against Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, among others; extortion and fraud charges
against attorney Michael Avenatti, and sex trafficking charges against former financier Jeffrey
Epstein.
At the local level, the Unit successfully prosecuted both local and federal officials,
including a former NYPD Detective who used his position to facilitate a scheme to steal tens of
thousands of dollars from dozens of New York victims. U.S. v. Bonanno, 18 Cr. 427 (PGG).
Another police officer, Robert Espinel, became the final defendant to plead guilty in the unit's
multi-case prosecution of officials at the NYPD's gun licensing division for accepting bribes to
approve and expedite gun licenses. U.S. v. Robert Espinel, 17 Cr. 398 (ER). The Unit also brought
charges against a sitting Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice for obstructing a federal investigation
into fraud and corruption at the Municipal Credit Unit ("MCU") whose board she chaired. U.S. v.
Ash, 19 Cr. 780 (LAK). Finally, the Unit brought charges against three federal correctional officers
at the MCC, one for abusing his position to sexually assault numerous female inmates under his
watch over a multi-year period, U.S. v. Akparanta, 19 Cr. 363 (LGS), and two for falsifying records
intended to conceal their …

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