Former NYPD Officer Convicted of Perjury
A former police officer in New York City was convicted of perjury on Friday, specifically for providing false information regarding a shooting incident from 2009. The details surrounding this case had been heavily reported before.
Danny Acosta was found guilty by a jury in Bronx criminal court on multiple charges related to his testimony about the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy in the stairwell of a public housing complex in Claremont. The District Attorney’s Office shared the news of his conviction.
Over the years, Acosta maintained that Peter Colon, who was a teenager at the time, had threatened his partner by holding a gun to his head, thus forcing Acosta to fire the weapon from a distance of ten feet. These claims were outlined in legal documents and were echoed in previous testimonies.
Interestingly enough, Acosta and his partner had also mentioned in civil court that, during a struggle with Colon, a girl who was present picked up a gun she had previously dropped and aimed it at her own head.
However, court records revealed that Acosta actually shot Colon at “point-blank range” while he was on his knees, contradicting Acosta’s version of events.
Colon had faced charges of assault and weapons possession, but these fell apart when Acosta chose not to testify before a second grand jury. Following this, Colon received a settlement of approximately $500,000 from the city.
Acosta’s deceptive statements came to light after he made what he believed to be confidential admissions to a city attorney. It turned out, however, that these comments were not as protected as he thought, leading to his lawyer alerting the NYPD.
In a 2021 interview, Acosta expressed his frustration with a Post reporter for disclosing the legal issues he faced after what he labeled the attorney’s breach of trust.
Acosta was fired in 2021 and had been indicted in 2018, though his initial trial failed to yield a conviction. The reporter, Craig McCarthy, testified for the prosecution during this second trial, recounting discussions he had with police officers related to the case.
Ultimately, the jury found Acosta guilty on multiple counts: four for first-degree perjury, one for first-degree falsification of a public document, and two for official misconduct.
While the Bronx prosecutors requested that Acosta be taken into custody due to potential prison time, the judge allowed him to remain free until his sentencing, which is set for June 8th.
