A federal judge sentenced former New York Police Department Detective Saul Arismendy De La Cruz to six years and three months in prison for helping a robbery crew that targeted Asian-American small business owners. De La Cruz took bribes from the gang, which included two of his own relatives, in exchange for using his police powers to protect them and help them commit crimes between 2017 and 2022. In exchange for cash and jewelry, De La Cruz monitored 911 calls while the robberies were happening to make sure police response stayed under control, searched NYPD databases for any information about investigations into the crew, and ran license plate numbers of the getaway cars to check if they had been reported stolen so the thieves wouldn’t get pulled over right away. He also tipped off the gang’s leader that the FBI was about to arrest him, allowing the leader to stay on the run. De La Cruz pleaded guilty and must now pay more than $219,000 in restitution.
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