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April 23, 2015 -- Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore announced that former Yonkers Police Officer Neil Vera pled guilty today to:

  • one count of Perjury in the Second Degree, a class "E" Felony,
  • two counts of Official Misconduct, class "A" Misdemeanors.

Also, Yonkers Police Detective Christian Koch pled guilty to:

  • one count of Perjury in the Second Degree, a class "E" Felony.

In a statement after the defendants pled guilty, District Attorney Janet DiFiore said: "There is nothing more important than members of law enforcement acting with honesty and integrity. We place enormous trust in the work of police and when that trust is violated we will not hesitate to hold the individuals accountable, as we have in this case."

On March 21, 2014, Police Officer Vera, a former Yonkers Police Department Housing Unit police officer, working with Detective Koch, a Yonkers Police Narcotics Detective swore falsely, and the false statement was made in an application for a search warrant for "141 School Street, Apt #3, Yonkers, NY". The false statement was made with intent to mislead a Yonkers City Court Judge in the performance of his official functions signing the warrant.

Additionally, on May 20, 2014, Police Officer Vera asked a person identified to the Grand Jury to lie to investigators and provide a false written statement to police officers of the Internal Affairs Division of the City of Yonkers Police Department.

He asked that individual to make a false statement to the Yonkers Police Internal Affairs investigators identifying himself/herself as an individual who had performed controlled narcotics buys at 141 School St. in support of the search warrant, when in fact this was completely false.

The defendants surrendered to the Yonkers Police Department Internal Affairs Division.

Sentencing for Vera will be on May 28, 2015.

Sentencing for Koch will be on Sept. 10, 2015.

They face a maximum of four years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Berit Huseby and Assistant District Attorney Brian Fitzgerald of the Public Integrity Bureau are prosecuting the case.

 

Neil Vera

Christian Koch
Neil Vera Christian Koch

 

In compliance with Disciplinary Rule 7-107A of the Code of Professional Responsibility, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.