Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart and the New York City Police Department’s (“NYPD”) Internal Affairs Bureau today announced the arrest of three individuals, including an NYPD officer, in connection with an alleged drug distribution ring.
“This is an NYPD officer who, along with two co-conspirators, was allegedly involved in operating a local drug distribution network in our community, which is very disturbing,” District Attorney Sini said. “Our message is consistent: If you are dealing drugs in Suffolk County, we are coming for you, and no one is above the law. No matter what position you hold in our community, we will hold you accountable if you violate the law.”
“This case signifies the important partnership we have with our law enforcement agencies, like the NYPD, and it also serves as an example of our commitment to the idea that no one is above the law,” Commissioner Hart said. “Together, law enforcement will continue to hold officers like Recca accountable for the damage they inflict not only on the communities they took an oath to serve, but on the badge that that we are all so proud to wear. I would like to thank the District Attorney and his team as well as the New York Police Department who partnered with us on this investigation, and would like to commend the efforts of our department’s Narcotics Section, Telephone Records and Surveillance Section, Firearms Suppression Team, Emergency Service Section and the Third Precinct SOT Team, who all worked on this case.”
Joseph Recca, 28, of West Islip, is charged with Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a B felony; Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a B felony; Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a C felony; Unauthorized Use of a Computer, an A misdemeanor; and Official Misconduct, an A misdemeanor. Recca has been employed as an NYPD officer since 2017.
Michael Sosa, 25, of Brentwood, is charged with Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a B felony; Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, an A-1 felony; Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a B felony; and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a C violent felony.
Michael Corbett, 53, of West Islip, is charged with Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a B felony, and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a B felony.
On Sept. 3, 2019, members of the Suffolk County Police Department responded to a report of a fatal overdose of a male in his twenties in Copiague. An investigation in connection with the fatal overdose, which is still ongoing, revealed evidence of alleged drug dealing by Recca.
Further investigation, which was conducted in collaboration with the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, revealed evidence that Recca allegedly purchases pills containing illicit substances from Sosa, and that Recca then resells the pills to Corbett for distribution. The investigation involved physical and electronic surveillance as well as court-authorized eavesdropping.
During the course of the investigation, Recca allegedly used official NYPD resources to run the license plate numbers of vehicles he believed were following him in furtherance of the drug trafficking operation.
Members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Suffolk County Police Department, and the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau executed several search warrants yesterday in connection with the investigation, which resulted in the seizure of approximately 400 grams of oxycodone pills and tablets, approximately $75,700 in cash, and various paraphernalia consistent with drug sales, including scales and packaging materials. A search warrant executed at Sosa’s residence in Brentwood also resulted in the seizure of a loaded 9 millimeter unserialized “ghost gun.”
Recca, Sosa and Corbett were arraigned today by Suffolk County District Court Judge James A. Saladino. Recca was released on his own recognizance with electronic monitoring and is due back in court on July 27. Corbett was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court on Sept. 2. Sosa is being held on $100,000 cash bail, $500,000 bond, or $1.5 million partially-secured bond. Sosa is due back in court on July 27.
If convicted, Recca, Sosa and Corbett each face a maximum sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kristin Barnes, of the Special Narcotics Bureau.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
