STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An imprisoned ex-cop has agreed to
pay $7,500 out of his own pocket to a black man he falsely arrested in
Stapleton two years ago, according to the man's attorneys.
According to authorities, Michael Daragjati, 34, of
Tottenville, who is white, arrested Kenrick Gray on April 15, 2011 because Gray
had complained about being stopped and "roughly" frisked on Targee
Street and Laurel Avenue. The next day, he boasted to a friend in an intercepted
phone call that he had "fried another n - - -," said court documents.
Gray filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, which came to a
close after Daragjati agreed to a $7,500 settlement with Gray, while the city
has agreed to pay out $125,000, said Jason Leventhal, Gray's attorney.