3 Former Cops Plead Guilty to Tow-Truck Bribery Scheme

By Hamodia Staff

BROOKLYN — Three former New York Police Department officers have pleaded guilty this week to conspiring in a scheme in which two of the cops steered vehicles damaged in accidents to a tow-truck company owned by a third, retired, officer.

The former officers who allegedly participated in the scheme between May 2020 and May 2021 were identified as James Davneiro, 43;  Giancarlo Osma, 40; and Michael Perri, 33. The guilty pleas were announced Thursday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI and NYPD.

At the time they participated in the scheme, Davneiro and Osma were assigned to the 107th Precinct in Queens. Perri was also at the 107th Precinct at the outset of the scheme, but retired in June 2020 and began operating a licensed tow-trucking and auto-repair business. Perri bribed Davneiro and Osma with thousands of dollars to steer vehicles damaged in accidents to Perri’s tow trucking and automobile repair business, rather than using the NYPD’s Directed Accident Response Program (DARP), as legally required. DARP requires the NYPD to identify appropriate licensed tow-trucking and auto-repair businesses to respond to accident scenes and remove damaged vehicles. 

Davneiro resigned from the NYPD in November 2021 and Osma resigned on Wednesday.

As part of their respective pleas, Davneiro has agreed to forfeit $25,000, Osma has agreed to forfeit approximately $26,011, and Perri has agreed to forfeit approximately $158,277.

When sentenced by U.S. Judge Rachel P. Kovner, each of the defendants faces up to five years in prison. 

“These three officers abused the public’s trust and disgraced their NYPD badges by lining their pockets with bribes,” said Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.  “This office will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate and prosecute corruption by those who are sworn to enforce and uphold the law.”

“The investigators of our Internal Affairs Bureau left no stone unturned in this case because there is zero tolerance in the NYPD for corruption of any kind,” said NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell.  “We worked tirelessly in this case, alongside our partners in the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office, to ensure that those who swore to serve and protect the public but violate that trust face severe consequences.”