Ed Mullins, the previous boss of a robust NYPD police union, pleaded guilty on Thursday to stealing members’ cash by way of bogus reimbursements.
Mullins, 61, who was the fiery and controversial leader of the Sergeants Benevolent Affiliation for twenty years, was indicted in Manhattan final yr on federal costs for submitting a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} in false or inflated expense studies.
Prosecutors mentioned Mullins used these reimbursements – which got here immediately from union dues – on lavish dinners for himself and his buddies, residence home equipment and even a relative’s school fund.
Mullins, who sported a grey beard and wore blue go well with with pink pinstripes, admitted he “submitted false and inflated expense reports to the SBA for reimbursement.” He acknowledged he was “not entitled to” the cash.
The phrases of his cope with the Manhattan U.S. lawyer’s workplace specify a sentence between 33 and 41 months for wire fraud. Choose John Koeltl will sentence Mullins on Could 25.
The plea capped the downfall of Mullins, who was as soon as one of the vital outstanding police union leaders within the nation. He visited President Donald Trump within the White Home and was a daily on Fox Information.
In court docket filings, prosecutors detailed a brazen effort to accumulate fraudulent bills from the union’s contingency fund, which was made up of dues paid by the SBA’s 13,000 members.
After spending $45 at a New Jersey wine bar, for instance, Mullins obtained an $845 reimbursement from the union. On one other event, he paid for household and buddies to dine at a high-end Greenwich Village restaurant, then handed the $3,000 tab onto the union.
In complete, Mullins obtained greater than $1 million in reimbursements between 2017 and 2021, the vast majority of which was fraudulent, in accordance to prosecutors.
Mullins, who spent 4 a long time with the NYPD, retired in November, one month after federal brokers raided his Lengthy Island residence and the SBA’s Decrease Manhattan workplace. Investigators mentioned they recovered two units of bank card statements in his residence workplace: one marked “Clean Copy,” the opposite “Work Copy.”
He was charged with wire fraud in February of final yr, ending the profession during which he was identified for his brash – and incessantly bigoted – criticism of these he deemed hostile to regulation enforcement.
His lengthy record of controversies included sending an explicitly racist video to union membership, which referred to Black folks as “monsters,” and showing on Fox Information with a mug emblazoned with the brand for the QAnon far-right conspiracy idea.
Prior to his departure, Mullins confronted a pair of division trials for disclosing private details about former Mayor Invoice de Blasio’s daughter, and for referring to two metropolis officers as a “bitch” and “first-class whore” on Twitter.
He was docked a complete of $32,000 for the offensive tweets, however prevented termination, permitting him to retire with the majority of his advantages. It wasn’t instantly clear how Mullins’ plea would have an effect on his pension.
“Anytime you have somebody in that position caught with their hand in a cookie jar, it makes us all look bad, and makes us angry,” mentioned Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and professor at John Jay Faculty of Felony Justice. “What he’s done is unforgivable and anything he did that was positive before that no one will remember.”
Exterior court docket, his lawyer, Thomas Kenniff, mentioned his shopper has accepted duty for his wrongdoing.
“We’re optimistic and hopeful that he’ll be judged on the totality of his life and not just this incident,” he mentioned.
Inquiries to the SBA and the NYPD weren’t returned.
Isidoro Rodriguez contributed reporting.