Judge KOs release of Louima cop

A Brooklyn federal judge rejected an application for compassionate release from the former NYPD cop who sexually brutalized Abner Louima with a broomstick in 1997.

Judge Frederic Block denied Justin Volpe’s application, in which the ex-cop claimed he was a changed man who had caught COVID-19 behind bars.

Block argued that Volpe (top inset) did not present any “extraordinary and compelling reasons” for his release and that “the grave nature and circumstances of his crime” weighed against it.

Volpe pleaded guilty in 1999 to the heinous attack on Louima in the bathroom of Brooklyn’s 70th Precinct stationhouse, where the cop shoved a broomstick up Louima’s anus and threatened to kill him if he told anyone.

The Aug. 9, 1997, encounter left Louima (bottom inset) hospitalized for months and rocked the city, leading to protests against police brutality across the five boroughs and beyond.

When Louima heard the news that Volpe’s application for release was denied, he took it in stride, with little reaction except for a pause.

“It’s not up to me whether he is released,” Louima said Monday. “That’s the judge’s decision and that’s what matters.”

The feds strenuously opposed any early release for Volpe.

“The crimes committed by the defendant are among the most horrific crimes prosecuted in this district and left a lasting harm on Mr. Louima,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes wrote in court papers filed Monday.

Louima said in an interview with the Daily News last month that he forgave the cop — but would never forget the crime.

“It’s so many years after the crime,” Louima told The News in January. “Twenty-one years is not 21 days. I think at least he’s spent enough time thinking about his actions.”

With his application for early release denied, Volpe will remain behind bars in federal prison until 2025, his current projected release date.

A Florida businessman who touted Rudy Giuliani’s support while defrauding investors in an insurance startup was sentenced Monday to one year in prison.

David Correia swindled more than $2 million over a seven-year period from investors in a startup, Fraud Guarantee, which he pitched with Giuliani’s former associate Lev Parnas.

“The irony of the business’s name, Fraud Guarantee, is hard to ignore,” Manhattan Federal Judge Paul Oetken said, noting that Correia lied to investors about how much money was raised for the project and how their money would be used.

Prosecutors say Correia scored a $500,000 contribution from one investor in 2018 by emphasizing the former mayor’s support of the project. That money went to Giuliani’s consulting firm.

Correia, 45, said that Giuliani had agreed to be the “face of the company.”

“If [Giuliani] wasn’t part of this thing, I probably wouldn’t do it . ... If you’re telling me that [Giuliani] is definitely on board with this thing and he’s not going to back out ... I’m good. So I’m getting your assurance that [Giuliani] is definitely in with this thing without a problem?” the investor asked.

“Absolutely, replied.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos said that Correia served as the closer for Fraud Guarantee deals. The company, which never launched, was pitched as providing protection to investors in other companies from being defrauded.

“While they were acknowledging explicitly the damage that comes from fraud they were stealing money,” Roos said. “Guaranteeing fraud it’s so brazen.”

Authorities say Correia and Parnas spent investors’ money on personal expenses including private jets, nightclubs, casinos and other luxuries. Correia also committed a separate crime of lying to the Federal Election Commission.

“I let down many people who trusted me, including the people who invested in my projects,” Correia said. “I feel true remorse.”

Correia and Parnas were indicted in 2019 with two other alleged co-conspirators, Andrey Kukushkin and Igor Fruman.

The judge noted that Correia spent only $43,000 of investors’ money. Parnas who has pleaded not guilty, is alleged to have spent much more.

Giuliani has been investigated in connection with the case and not been charged. He’s denied wrongdoing. 100%,”

Correia

Rep. Anthony Brindisi conceded his race for reelection to Republican challenger Claudia Tenney on Monday, closing the book on the last open congressional contest in the country after months of legal challenges and recounts.

Brindisi, a centrist Democrat representing a swath of upstate that includes Binghamton and Utica, made the concession in a statement a few hours after the New York Board of Elections certified Tenney as the winner by a mere 109 votes.

“I hope that she will be a representative for all the people of this district, not just those that agree with her point of view, and work with members of both parties to heal the deep divisions that exist in our country,” Brindisi (inset) said.

Still, Brindisi issued a bitter lament about what he called a ballot-counting process “riddled with errors, inconsistencies and systematic violations of state and federal laws.”

“Sadly, we may never know how many legal voters were turned away at the polls or ballots not counted due to the ineptitude of the Board of Elections,” Brindisi said.

“My hope is some authority steps in and investigates the massive disenfranchisement of voters that took place during this election.”

For weeks, Brindisi called for a full hand recount of the roughly 325,000 votes cast in his Nov. 3 race after repeated discrepancies in the tallies.

However, on Friday a state Supreme Court justice ruled that the Board of Elections should certify Tenney as the winner — even though the margin had hours earlier been readjusted from 123 to 109 votes following another error.

Brindisi hinted over the weekend that he would appeal the ruling, possibly via a congressional mechanism whereby the House could order a hand recount to affirm the results.

But Brindisi suggested in his concession statement that it was time to throw in the towel for the good of the constituents of New York’s 22nd Congressional District.

Tenney, a conservative Republican who used to hold Brindisi’s seat before he ousted her in the 2018 midterms, said in a tweet she’s grateful for the congressman’s concession.

With Tenney returning to Congress, Democrats’ already slim majority in the House will be reduced to a margin of nine seats.