GUNNiNg FOr att’Y
Trial to start in ‘cop bribery’
A DOG-FANCYING former prosecutor will face a jury Monday on charges he bribed cops to boost his gun-licensing business.
Firearms license expediter John Chambers — who routinely travels to competitive dog shows with his Belgian Malinois, Luciano — was collared last April 25.
He now faces four counts in Manhattan Federal Court, including bribery and honest services fraud.
The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office has claimed that Chambers (photo) – who bills himself as the “top firearms licensing attorney in New York” — heaped freebies on former NYPD Sgt. David Villanueva so he would rubber-stamp approvals.
In return, Villanueva made sure his clients’ renewal applications – which would normally take from 30 to 40 days – were greenlighted in as little as one day.
Villanueva also used his pull with the Nassau County Police Department – sending over Chambers’ applications on official NYPD stationary to speed them along, according to the feds.
Villanueva pleaded guilty in February 2017 to pocketing illicit gifts — including an $8,000 wristwatch, Broadway show tickets and sports memorabilia – from Chambers and other expediters as part of an alleged licensing quid pro quo.
Chambers also mailed cash to Villanueva – “by taping it to the inside of a magazine,” prosecutors charge.
Both Villanueva’s and Chambers’ lawyers declined to comment.
The accusations facing Chambers relate to a sprawling graft scandal that has publicly racked the NYPD License Division for nearly two years – but has possibly been going on behind closed doors since 2010, court papers reveal.
Prosecutors have said there are multiple, separate licensing schemes, with overlap between some of the key players.
Retired NYPD Detective Gaetano Valastro, Lt. Paul Dean and Officer Robert Espinel were arrested the same day as Chambers on gun-licensing-related bribery charges.
Two major donors to Mayor de Blasio — Jeremy Reichberg and Jona Rechnitz — also stand accused of doling out goodies to cops, including Retired NYPD Deputy Inspector James Grant, for favors such as green-lighting gun licenses, prosecutors charge.
Reichberg and Grant may soon go on trial for corruption charges relating to this alleged scheme.
And Alex (Shaya) Lichtenstein, a prominent member of Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community, pleaded guilty in November 2016 to bribing cops for pistol application approvals – including Villanueva and Officer Richard Ochetal.
License broker Frank Soohoo copped in October 2016 to providing free booze and food, as well as hookers and strippers, to cops in the division.