The NYPD insider charged in a $1 million scheme to illegally obtain scores of pistol permits failed to strike a plea deal and is turning his efforts to suppressing statements he made to authorities, a court hearing revealed Thursday.
A judge last month gave Alex “Shaya” Lichtenstein three weeks to hammer out an agreement with the feds or face trial on conspiracy and bribery charges.
But during an appearance in Manhattan federal court, neither side said the case had been resolved, so Judge Sidney Stein scheduled Lichtenstein’s trial for Feb. 13.
Defense lawyer Richard Finkel said he planned to file a motion later in the day to toss out incriminating admissions Lichtenstein made during 2-1/2 hours of questioning on April 17, one day before he was arrested by the feds.
Finkel has claimed that photos and videos from the lengthy interview inside Lichtenstein’s Rockland County home show that authorities didn’t advise of his Miranda rights or have a search warrant.
Stein scheduled a Nov. 14 hearing over those allegations.
Lichtenstein, a leader of Brooklyn’s “Shomrim” safety patrol, allegedly visited the NYPD’s Licensing Division on a near-daily basis to seek pistol permits on behalf of clients who paid him up to $18,000 each.
The feds say he was caught on tape bragging about paying bribes to obtain 150 licenses, and allegedly offered a cop $6,000 a permit to keep the scam going.
