Emotional juror in cop bribe trial
An attorney’s passionate defense of a former NYPD cop accused of accepting bribes on Friday moved a juror to exclaim, “bravo, bravo” hours before deliberations began in the closely watched trial.
The stunning moment came during closing remarks by John Meringolo, who is representing ex-Deputy Inspector James (Jimmy) Grant. The cop is being tried alongside Brooklyn police buff Jeremy Reichberg, who is accused of showering officers, including Grant, with gifts in exchange for official favors.
Meringolo said the government ruined Grant’s career on flimsy evidence.
“Jimmy Grant was a cop’s cop . ... We know a bad cop. That’s a good cop!” he said.
“Yo u know who’s the most humble guy in the world? That guy is the most humble guy in the world!”
As he concluded, a male juror repeatedly said “bravo.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Martin Bell asked jurors not to be distracted by Meringolo’s remarks. He told them to instead match wiretaps and receipts of gifts given to Grant with the testimony of Jona Rechnitz, the crooked Mayor de Blasio donor who is cooperating with the government in hopes of a light sentence. Rechnitz testified he and Reichberg plotted to bribe cops to gain influence.
Bell recalled the theme song of the “Golden Girls,” which features the lines “Thank you for being a friend. Traveled down the road and back again.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, that wasn’t a ‘Golden Girls’ friendship. That was a bribery friendship,” he said.
Last month, Bell and Meringolo got into a shoving match in the courthouse.
The jury will continue deliberations on Wednesday.