A sergeant in the department responsible for investigating
NYPD corruption was busted earlier this month for buying a $15 iPhone off the
street. The Daily News reports that Internal Affairs Bureau Sgt. Victor
Leandry, 38, was charged with possession of stolen property after buying the
gadget, which was being peddled by an undercover police officer. The sale was
made as part of an investigation into bodega owners suspected of paying
teenagers to steal iPhones for resale on the black market.
Leandry's attorney, John D’Alessandro, insists his client
did nothing wrong when he bought the suspiciously inexpensive iPhone on a Washington
Heights sidewalk. “He absolutely denies it was offered as stolen property,”
D’Alessandro tells the Daily News. “It was a poorly planned operation. There’s
no video... and we end up with a sergeant who has his reputation dragged
through the mud.”
According to Leandry, the undercover officer "badgered
him until he agreed to buy the phone" and he had no way of knowing it may
have been stolen... which, actually, it wasn't. But no matter, even if the
charges get dropped, at least some cops got to enjoy hassling an Internal
Affairs officer for a change.