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New York Detective Nailed on Perjury Charge By Teen MP3 Recording

Teenager, Erik Crespo, used his MP3 player to secretly recorded an abusive interrogation by a New York Detective, Christopher Perino, that may not land the detective in jail for perjury.

In an extraordinary Petty Mason moment, Perino was on the stand testifying in April that he never interrogated the teenage suspect about a Bronx shooting until a defense attorney confronted him with the transcript taken from the MP3. Perino never knew that he was recorded in an hour long interrogation using abusive language. After the prosecutor asked for a delay, Perino was taken from the stand and advised to get a lawyer. He now stands accused of perjury.

Defense attorneys have long complained that officers will often show more loyalty to their colleagues than to the truth on the stand. While the vast majority of officers testify truthfully, there remains a disturbing incidence of false testimony told to protect the “thin blue line. Without this recording, there would be no way that Perino would have been held accountable. Prosecutors, as here, routinely take the word of the officers without independent inquiry.

He faces 12 counts of first-degree perjury and faces as many as seven years on each count, prosecutors said.
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3 thoughts on “New York Detective Nailed on Perjury Charge By Teen MP3 Recording”

  2. Prof. Turley,

    Thank you for your work. The link under “anonymous” references a law review you wrote in re directly prosecuting a sitting President, outside imppeachment/outside Congress.

    Could you comment on this in future appearances before the media: If Congress (DNC/GOP) have jointly agreed to not impeach (to protect their power), what about an effort to lead the State AGs to directly prosecute this sitting President?

    Could you address this issue in a future blog:
    A. Do you still stand by the 2001 article you wrote?
    B. Are you aware of any efforts to use this approach today, now that Congress (DNC/GOP) have jointly agreed not to impeach?

    Thank you for your appearance on the radio and open media. Thank you for your efforts to challenge state secrets claims.

  3. Thanks for this story. I had a similar experience but don’t have the recording to prove my side.

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