Disgraced former top cop Bernard Kerik is hitting up his loyal cronies to help pay off his legal expenses.
A Web site for The Bernard Kerik Legal Defense Trust, created several weeks ago, asks the ex-police commissioner’s friends and supporters to kick in cash to cover his legal expenses as he faces new federal charges.
Potential donors are given a one-paragraph description of Kerik’s legal woes, including his 2006 guilty plea in The Bronx over renovations at his Riverdale co-op and the subsequent investigation by the office of U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia.
“Having incurred legal fees in the course of the Bronx and federal investigation and paid a substantial financial penalty . . . and having had his business impacted by the intense publicity, he is not in a position to fund a proper defense to this federal case,” the site laments.
Two pages on the site are devoted to Kerik’s long résumé of public service, including a stint as Iraq’s interim minister of the interior.
A page entitled “About Bernard B. Kerik” leads off with the fact that he was nominated to serve as secretary of Homeland Security, but neglects to mention he was forced to withdraw in disgrace in December 2004 over tax issues related to a nanny he employed.
Rudy Giuliani, who as mayor appointed Kerik police commissioner, is quoted praising his old pal as “a hero to New York City and to our country” and “an excellent police commissioner and courageous leader on 9/11.”
Supporters are instructed to read the “how to donate” section, which cautions that gifts are not tax-deductible, and to make contributions in the form of a check.
Last month, the Fulbright & Jaworski law firm sued Kerik for allegedly stiffing them on more than $200,000 in bills from his legal problems over the past two years.
Kerik-fund trustee Paul D’Emilia said last night the fund was “literally just getting off the ground.”