Former NYC 'Gangster Cop' Facing Charges in Connecticut

VERNON, CT — A former corrupt New York City police officer who called himself "both a cop and a gangster" in a documentary was in a Connecticut courtroom this week to face charges that repeated social media messages to a Stafford woman violated a protective order.

Michael Dowd, 56, of East Islip, NY, served about 12-and-a-half years in prison for a police career that involved racketeering, protection money, stealing from drug dealers and a cocaine network in the 1980s and 1990s, according to law enforcement and court records and the documentary, "The Seven Five." Dowd is a focus of the film, which details the actions of Dowd and other corrupt cops out of Brooklyn's 75th Precinct during the height of the NYC cocaine craze.

Dowd was arrested Monday after surrendering at the state police Troop C barracks and appeared in Rockville Superior Court in the early afternoon that same day. He allegedly violated a 2016 protective order issued by a New York judge with 13 messages via Facebook messenger to a Stafford woman back on March 18, court papers indicate.

According to court papers, Dowd and the woman were an item and Dowd paid for her plane tickets to visit him in Florida. She also claimed Dowd assaulted her in East Islip and that was the subject of some messages, according to court records. The protective order resulted from that incident, according to court papers.

She told police she had not been in contact with Dowd for several days before he began messaging her. The messages were allegedly between 12:36 and 3:44 a.m., according to court papers.

Dowd on Monday appeared before Judge John Farley smartly dressed in a light gray suit. His Connecticut defense lawyer, John M. Andreini, argued that he had severed ties with the woman and all reason to be in Connecticut and said he would quietly go back to Long Island. Farley did not budge and ordered his bond set at $30,000.

The woman told police she felt unsafe, according to court records.

Dowd is due back in Rockville Superior Court on May 23.

The trailer for "The Seven Five" invites viewers to, "Meet the dirtiest cop in New York City history."

"In the 1980s, Michael Dowd patrolled the mean streets of one of the toughest precincts in Brooklyn," according to margin notes from Director Tiller Russell. "He also headed a ruthless criminal network that stole money and drugs, ultimately resulting in the city’s biggest ever corruption scandal."

Tiller adds, "In this explosive true crime saga, Dowd tells all as he relives his days as a mobster with a badge. The story that unfolds is a riveting real-life thriller full of larger-than-life personalities, stunning double crosses, and epic downfalls."

Check out the trailer on YouTube:

Dowd in court claimed he was reformed and, in a May 2016 interview with WAAF Radio out of Boston offered advice to young cops:

Dowd has been charged out of Troop C with three counts of violating the protective order, court records show.

Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police