Capt. on his own in suit by ex-cop

An NYPD captain sued by a retired ex-cop over an ugly business dispute needs a new attorney.

The city Law Department, in an unusual move, informed Capt. Anthony Iemmiti that he was on his own in a legal shootout with former Officer Stephen Garzone — a nasty fight in which the captain is accused of repeatedly using his badge to harass the ex-officer.

According to Garzone, Iemmiti was so upset by their argument over an alleged $3,200 debt that the captain had him pulled over by traffic cops more than two dozen times. His two sons were also targeted for repeated NYPD traffic stops, with one receiving three tickets, the retired officer claimed.

Garzone additionally cited three occasions where he found a patrol car parked in front of his home — to cut down on speeding on his block, cops in the 123rd Precinct later told him.

“There are speed bumps on my block,” said Garzone. “They were put there so people can’t speed. It was absolutely harassment.”

Iemmiti, 52, who recently filed for retirement after nearly 27 years on the job, refused to answer any questions about the suit from a Daily News reporter after an apparent attempt at intimidation.

“Where do you live?” he asked the reporter.

The spat, which dates to January 2018, involved Iemmiti’s company Giant Beverages and Garzone’s RMG Distributors.

Garzone, 60, who left the force in 1996, told the Daily News that he purchased soda, water and drinks from Iemmiti’s company on a daily basis beginning in mid-2017. About six months into their arrangement, Garzone claims he was hit with a tab of $3,200 by the captain’s company.

“I didn’t know what he was talking about,” Garzone told the Daily News. “But I told him if he could prove [it], I would pay it.”

That never happened, and two weeks later Garzone and Iemmitti went their separate ways — although the captain reportedly warned the ex-cop that he would leave in handcuffs if he ever returned to Giant’s warehouse on Staten Island.

Garzone, a Staten Island resident, went to the Internal Affairs Bureau with a complaint in March 2018 about the contretemps. One month later, he received a letter from IAB declaring there was “sufficient evidence to prove part of your complaint. … It has been recommended that disciplinary action be brought against the officer in question for those acts of misconduct which have been substantiated.”

Garzone believes the captain learned about the Internal Affairs complaint and unleashed his NYPD payback, with the ex-cop eventually filing a federal lawsuit in May 2019 that referenced the traffic stops and alleged harassment.

The NYPD refused to answer any questions about the Internal Affairs probe, noting an officer’s disciplinary record is shielded from public disclosure by state law.

The city’s Law Department, while it does not discuss decisions about representation, typically represents NYPD officers if they believe the cops did not act recklessly or breach department regulations.

Chris Monahan, head of the Captains Endowment Association, defended Iemmti and denounced Garzone’s suit as frivolous and a “cash grab.”