Could be trouble for Rudy.
Sources: Grand Jury votes to indict Kerik
Indictment will cause headaches for Rudy Giuliani Eyewitness News
(New York- WABC, November 8, 2007) - Sources tell Eyewitness News that a federal grand jury has voted to indict former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik.
The charges stem from Kerik allegedly accepting free rent, and apartment renovations.
There are also allegations of tax evasion and that Kerik lied on his application for the job as head of the Department of Homeland Security.
An official said Kerik will surrender to federal authorities Friday to be arraigned on criminal charges. The federal law enforcement official said prosecutors plan to announce the filing of an indictment against Kerik at a news conference Friday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy of grand jury proceedings.
A second person familiar with the investigation, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the investigation, said Kerik will turn himself in Friday morning and be arraigned at noon in U.S. District Court. He would not disclose the specific charges.
Several calls to Kerik's lawyer, Kenneth Breen, were not immediately returned.
Federal prosecutors have been preparing the grand jury for several months to consider charges against Kerik.
The investigation sprang from allegations that Kerik, while still a city official, allowed mob-connected builders seeking city contracts to pay for much of a $240,000 renovation of his Bronx apartment.
An indictment could cause a major headache for Giuliani, who, as New York's mayor, plucked Kerik from obscurity and made him a national law enforcement figure.
Under Giuliani's patronage, Kerik rose from police detective to the city's correction commissioner to the head of the police force.
Giuliani also endorsed his old friend in 2004 to head the Department of Homeland Security. But only days after President Bush introduced Kerik as his nominee, Kerik announced he was withdrawing his name because of tax issues involving his former nanny.
Last year, Kerik pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor state charge that he took $165,000 in gifts from the construction firm that renovated his home. The deal spared him jail time.
Giuliani, in an interview earlier this week with The Associated Press, argued that Kerik's woes shouldn't overshadow his administration's crime-fighting record.
"There were mistakes made with Bernie Kerik," Giuliani said. "But what's the ultimate result for the people of New York City? The ultimate result for the people of New York City was a 74 percent reduction in shootings, a 60 percent reduction in crime. Sure, there were issues, but if I have the same degree of success and failure as president of the United States, this country will be in great shape."
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=5749640
