The New York Post by Kirstan Conley - May 24, 2011
A Bronx cop admitted in testimony yesterday that she once fixed a speeding ticket for her mom -- and tried to fix others -- but in sisted her police work was solid the night 4 and a half years ago when she arrested a suspected drunken driver. Officer Julissa Goris took the witness stand against Stephen Lopresti, a former Bronx prosecutor on trial for allegedly driving under the influence when he hit motorist Erison Estevez on the Grand Concourse in December 2006. The otherwise-straight forward DWI trial is con sidered the first major test case of how damag ing the NYPD ticket-fix ing scandal will be to fu ture prosecutions. NYPD Internal Affairs investiga tors are probing several hundred cops for allegedly wielding their influence to nix traffic tickets for family and friends. In opening statements earlier yesterday, Lopresti's defense went on the offense and told jurors to reject testimony from Goris and fellow Officer Harrington Marshall. Goris, who arrested Lopresti, and Marshall, who administered the breath-alcohol test, have both been caught on wiretaps, allegedly fixing tickets. Anticipating a harsh cross-examination, Deputy DA Allyson Kohlmann asked Goris to describe how she made her mom's ticket vanish. "I had one fixed for my mother," Goris said. "I talked to an officer and it went away." Goris said she also tried to fix a ticket for her boyfriend's cousin, but doesn't know if that effort was successful. The officer calmly recounted how she pulled up to the crash scene and found Lopresti. "He was leaning against the car. I asked if he was OK. He said he was fine," said Goris. The prosecutor asked Goris how she could tell Lopresti was impaired and the cop nonchalantly said: "I've arrested people for drunk driving before." Defense lawyer Adam Perlmutter told jurors that the two cops cannot be believed. "Officer Goris and Officer Marshall have both been caught individually on wiretap in the ticket-fixing scandal which is now raging through The Bronx," Perlmutter said. The defense lawyer said he will show Marshall was trading favors with fellow cops who helped him fix tickets. Perlmutter also told the panel to ignore other police witnesses, reasoning that they would cover for their allegedly dirty colleagues. Additional reporting by David K. Li
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