An NYPD sergeant was stripped of his gun and badge for refusing to talk to federal investigators without a lawyer present, sources said Saturday.
Sgt. Erez Levy was ordered put on desk duty earlier this week, officials said. The order came down after he had asked for a lawyer, sources said.
Law enforcement sources do not believe Levy, 43, is connected to the ongoing NYPD corruption investigation in which two Orthodox businessmen allegedly treated cops to lavish trips and jewels for favors such as police protection.
“We are not aware of any connection to that investigation,” said Ed Mullins, head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association. “But why would they modify him? He is entitled to representation.”
Levy, who is assigned to Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, joined the NYPD in 2002.
Nine cops — many of them high-ranking officers have been either put on modified assignment or transferred to a different post since early April. None of them have been charged with a crime.
The NYPD began its fraud investigation in 2013, and was later joined by the FBI and Department of Justice.
Two businessmen, Jona Rechnitz and Jeremy Reichberg, are under investigation for doling out lavish gifts to top cops in exchange for favors, such as police escorts, sources have said. Neither has been charged.
