Mount Vernon whistleblower: Scarpino should step down from police corruption probe

Police-reform advocates are calling on Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino to recuse himself from an investigation they say he has mishandled since September 2018, when a whistleblower police officer reported corruption in the Mount Vernon Police Department. 

Mount Vernon police officer Murashea "Mike" Bovell secretly recorded his colleagues acknowledging false arrests, evidence planting and beatings, as first reported by Gothamist/WNYC. He then brought the recordings to Scarpino, who swept the incident under the rug, Bovell's attorney alleges. 

A press conference is planned Friday to urge Scarpino to recuse himself from the investigation and have Kathie Davidson, administrative judge for New York's 9th Judicial District, appoint a special district attorney to investigate.

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The event is planned for 1 p.m. outside the Westchester County Courthouse, where Scarpino's office is located.

Bovell's attorney, Joseph Murray, said in a statement that he and his client will be joined by Damon Jones and A.J. Woodson of Black Westchester Magazine; Jesse Van Lew of Save Mount Vernon, a group that has fought against gun violence in Mount Vernon; and Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., whose father — a veteran and retired correction officer — was killed by White Plains police in 2011.

Scarpino's role in the investigation was previously criticized by Mimi Rocah, who defeated him in a June Democratic primary for Westchester district attorney. The seat is up for election in November.

In the two years since Bovell began reporting corruption and other misconduct in the department, he said he has been retaliated against while doing his job. 

Bovell said he was denied medical benefits for a line-of-duty knee injury, given lower performance evaluations, denied promotion to detective, forced to take "bogus" fitness duty exams, had his guns taken away, placed on unpaid leave pending termination and more, according to his attorney, Joseph Murray.

"Now that Bovell's recordings have been published, his life is in danger every day he puts on that uniform and goes on patrol," Murray said in a press release on Wednesday. "Bovell cannot wait until a new district attorney is installed in January." 

Murray says Scarpino never conducted a real investigation of these allegations. 

Following the Gothamist article, Murray said, Mount Vernon Police Commissioner Glenn Scott requested copies of the tapes from Scarpino and was denied access. After receiving copies from Bovell, Commissioner Scott was asked by Scarpino for copies of the transcripts, Murray said. 

Scarpino had said the FBI investigated these tapes and found nothing that could be prosecuted, but afterwards Murray was contacted by Perry Carbone, the chief assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who also asked for copies of the recordings. 

"Scarpino had again lied about the FBI ever reviewing these tapes and finding nothing prosecutable," Murray said, adding he believed if Scarpino had investigated, he would have been in possession of the transcripts already. 

Helen Jonsen, spokesperson for the Westchester District Attorney's Office, said in response to these allegations that the incident is still under investigation.

"The allegations that District Attorney Scarpino and this office are not conducting a full and thorough investigation are false. This office continues to investigate but will not jeopardize the work by commenting publicly on the substance of the investigation," Jonsen said. 

When contacted by The Journal News/lohud on Thursday, Mount Vernon city spokesperson Daniel Terry said Scott and Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard had no comment.

Isabel Keane covers breaking news throughout the Lower Hudson Valley. Click here for her latest stories. Follow her on Twitter @ijkeane. Check out how to support local journalism here.