Cop Caught on Tape in Ticket-Fix Scam

Officer caught on tape in ticket-fixing probe wasn't worried about summons investigation
The New York Daily News by Rocco Parascandola and Alison Gendar - April 22, 2011

A wiretap recording reveals Deputy Inspector John D'Adamo admitting he asked a union delegate to make a seat-belt violation disappear. A top cop caught on a wiretap having a ticket fixed was later secretly taped saying he didn't think the investigation into the favor was a big deal. The second recording, which was sent to the Daily News, reveals Deputy Inspector John D'Adamo admitting he asked a union delegate to make a seat-belt violation disappear. D'Adamo downplays the seriousness of being caught by NYPD Internal Affairs, saying his career was not imperiled by a grand jury probe and that other high-ranking cops were in hot water. "I mean, that's it - one ticket. OK, I can see if I was involved in a 100-ticket scandal getting kickbacks and money and s--- like that," D'Adamo, former commanding officer of the Bronx's 52nd Precinct, is heard saying. A Bronx grand jury is investigating what sources say is a massive ticket-fixing scheme. More than 40 cops could face criminal charges for making summonses disappear in exchange for gifts, sources said. Another 100 could face NYPD departmental charges, sources said. Sometime before last June, Internal Affairs used a wiretap to catch D'Adamo asking a PBA delegate to help out a pal by fixing a ticket. In the last couple of months, someone recorded D'Adamo complaining about having to appear before the grand jury - and anonymously sent the tape to The News. "So, I get another phone call today from someone, I can't say who it is, and the person says, 'Look, you're not getting arrested, you're not, not, not, not, not getting arrested,'" D'Adamo said in the conversation with a friend. "All they want me to do ... 'You're gonna get a subpoena on Thursday, you're a witness ... you are gonna go down next week and testify in the grand jury that you asked a certain delegate to take care of one ticket for you," he continued. D'Adamo said the same source told him the indiscretion wouldn't result in criminal charges. "No, the person said, 'You'll probably get charges and they'll probably take 10 days from you, but your career's not over, they are not going to ask you to retire, nothing like that,'" he says. "That's what this individual told me. He said there are other COs [commanding officers] involved also... "I have no choice but to f------ cooperate with the grand jury. They have it on wiretap. What am I going to do, deny it? "I mean, how can you hammer me for asking a delegate to take care of one ticket? Come on!" D'Adamo's lawyer Michael Krieger said his client "has been fully cooperating with all ongoing investigations into this matter." "To the extent that personal conversations were secretly recorded by a nonparty, we intend to seek criminal prosecution of the responsible individual or individuals," said Krieger, who listened to the tape and was provided a transcript of the conversation about the ticket probe. Since the investigation began, the NYPD has instituted a new system that allows each summons to be tracked electronically, making it tough to get rid of once it is written. rparascandola@nydailynews.com