Bronx cheer

It is being reported today that Bernard B. Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, is close to reaching an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to having accepted improper gifts totaling tens of thousands of dollars while he was a city official in the late 1990's.

Under the proposed agreement, Mr. Kerik would plead guilty to failing to report accepting roughly $200,000 in renovations to his Bronx apartment — a violation of the city's administrative code. A New Jersey construction company that the city had long accused of having ties to organized crime, officials have said, paid for the work.

Mr. Kerik, 50, who accepted the gift when he served as correction commissioner under Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, will not face any jail time, but is expected to pay a substantial fine.

On Dec 3rd 2004 George W. Bush announced the nomination of Bernard B. Kerik as the new Department of Homeland Security Secretary.



That nomination would face major problems when it was revealed that Kerik had a number of questionable personal tax problems.

Add to that, the fact that a person Kerik employed as a nanny and housekeeper had questionable immigration status.



Then there was the ground zero apartment scandal. Kerik secured a number of apartments in Battery Park City for the intended use of weary police and rescue workers who were helping dig at ground zero. These apartments faced out onto “the pit”, which was what remained of the World Trade Center. At least one of these apartments was not used for that purpose. Instead Mr. Kerik and Judith Regan (Publisher of Kerik’s best-selling 2001 autobiography) engaged in an extramarital affair there. These meetings with Regan (Below) occurred on more than one occasion, between Sept. 11 and Dec. 31, 2001.



This is a guy who has proved time and time again to be a major grade A scumbag. Despite this fact, he will not serve one day behind bars. In my opinion, this is totally messed up and it reeks of preferential treatment.

As a native New Yorker, who was born on September 11th, I think this guy should be given the chance to continue with his extramarital affairs. I just think it should be encouraged in a six by nine cell at Rikers Island.