Poor Bernard Kerik shouldn't have to spend much time in prison because of his "extraordinary public service," and his "extraordinary and meteoric rise from truly humble origins wrought with hardship," his defense lawyers argue. On the other hand, prosecutors submitted a long memo to the judge yesterday that highlighted Kerik's "egotism and hubris", and dredged up an extraordinarily petulant letter the former NYPD commissioner sent in 1999 to his buddy Larry Ray (himself a former NYPD commissioner) which makes Kerik look like a crass, money-grubbing whiner.
"I can't go to the Carribean [sic] or Florida on a three day stint just because my dick gets hard or because I need a rest," Kerik bitched in the letter. "I can't go out an buy a motorcycle or a car, or a Rolex watch at the drop of a dime, like I've watched you do." The hardship never ended for Kerik—no wonder he had to turn to graft!
"I'm walking on eggshells until this apartment is done," Kerik complained to Ray, prattling on about how he desperately needed money for renovations. He'll be sentenced February 18th for accepting free apartment renovations from a mob-linked contractor, tax fraud, and lying to the White House during his nomination for homeland security secretary. Defense lawyers say he's "tormented by daily guilt and remorse" and "plagued by enormous debt and mounting legal fees." Under a plea agreement, prosecutors are recommending that Kerik serve 27 to 33 months in prison. The judge is not bound by the plea agreement, and he previously warned Kerik that the maximum sentence is 61 years.
Despite the deal, the Feds sent a tough-talking, 61-page memo sent to Judge Stephen C. Robinson, asking that Kerik's sentence send "an unmistakable message" about public officials who break the law. Kerik "became a wealthy man by shamelessly exploiting the most horrific civilian tragedy in this nation’s history," prosecutors added. Speaking of 9/11, of all the dozens of letters attesting to Kerik’s character (many of them from retired police officials), conspicuously missing was any missive from former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who launched Mr. Kerik's career.
