Former DA Tom Spota, Aide Found Guilty On All Counts

RIVERHEAD, NY — Former Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota, 78, and his chief investigator were found guilty of obstruction by a jury Tuesday — after covering up an incident during which a man was beaten after he stole a duffel bag from a former police chief filled with sex toys and pornography.

Spota and McPartland were both convicted on all charges, John Marzulli, a spokesman for the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office, said. A jury found them guilty of witness tampering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy after they pressured witnesses not to cooperate with an FBI investigation into the 2102 assault, abc7ny.com said.

According to News 12, Spota and Christoper McPartland, 53, were convicted of four felonies; one stemmed from the cover up of the assault of suspect Christopher Loeb by former Police Commissioner James Burke.

Loeb was paid $1.5 million after he filed a federal lawsuit against Suffolk County for "being beaten while shackled to the floor of an interrogation room by former Police Chief James Burke in 2012 after stealing a duffel bag packed with a gun belt, ammunition, sex toys and pornography from Burke's vehicle," a report by 1010wins said.

"Thomas Spota and Christopher McPartland are guilty of ruining the lives of so many other families. They're guilty," Loeb wrote on Facebook Tuesday.

Both men denied the charges, multiple reports said.

The verdict came after the jury sat for five weeks listening to evidence, including reports of secret meetings between Spota and McPartland, cell phone tower data, and phone records; Burke previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced, News 12 said.

“The verdict today confirms what I said on May 12, 2016 when I stood on the steps of the district attorney’s office calling on him to resign — that Tom Spota, along with Christopher McPartland, was running a criminal enterprise out of the district attorney’s office," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Tuesday. “The allegations of covert spying, threats made against perceived enemies, relentless intimidation tactics, and outright fear were spelled out clearly by federal prosecutors and I commend them for their outstanding work."

He added that at the time he called for the resignation, "Tom Spota’s power was at its peak and their criminal enterprise was in full swing. This culture of corruption has had a real and profound impact. They ruined lives and destroyed careers."

Today, Bellone added, new Suffolk District Attorney Tim Sini has "restored integrity to the office"; Suffolk County also has a new police commissioner, Geraldine Hart, who previously headed the FBI’s Long Island office.

"With today’s verdict, we continue on our path to reform criminal justice in Suffolk County," Bellone said. "In light of the facts that have now been established through this trial, I have directed the county attorney to review all legal options for recovering salary and benefits with respect to convicted felons Spota and McPartland.”

In 2016, Bellone publicly called on Spota to step down with claims that Spota was "operating a criminal enterprise that must be stopped."

Bellone said his actions were inspired by reports of political corruption in the district attorney's office.

Spota called Bellone's assertions "baseless" and said the county executive had a "vendetta" against him for investigating and prosecuting people close to him.

Bellone, however, told reporters that he was compelled to demand Spota to step down following a Newsday report revealing that in 2007, Spota, along with Burke — who was the district attorney's chief investigator at the time — and chief of the government corruption bureau, prosecutor Christopher McPartland, managed a Suffolk County district attorney government corruption bureau wiretap operation.

Burke, who stepped down as chief, pleaded guilty in February, 2016 to covering up an assault and obstructing a federal civil rights investigation after he was accused of beating a suspect in police custody who stole from him in 2012, thereby violating the man's civil rights, and pressured the detectives who witnessed the assault to cover it up.

After the verdict was announced, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said: "The very people charged with upholding the law were the ones who were found guilty of assisting James Burke in his attempt to get away with his crime. Instead of being leaders and standing up for justice, they did their best to manipulate the system and everyone who stood in their way."

She added: "The actions of former District Attorney Thomas Spota and his chief aide Christopher McPartland go against everything that this department stands for and it is unfortunate that their illegal activities could cast a negative light on the public’s perception of this police department. Instead of supporting the proud men and women of this department, this trio focused on corruption and cover-ups."

Spota, who served as Suffolk County DA for more than 15 years, and McPartland face up to 20 years behind bars.

In October, 2017, Spota announced that he'd be resigning from his position following his indictment on federal corruption charges.

"I will be leaving my post as district attorney at the earliest opportunity after the resolution of normal administrative matters relating to my retirement," Spota said in a statement.