Robert Leuci, a former New York City police detective whose undercover whistleblower work in the early 1970s led to the indictment of dozens of NYPD narcotics detectives, died on Monday at the age of 75.
For nearly two years, Leuci wore a wire and secretly recorded meetings with mobsters and corrupt cops, lawyers and judges for the Knapp Commission, a five-member investigative committee appointed by then-New York City Mayor John Lindsay in the wake of revelations about NYPD corruption brought by another New York City cop, Frank Serpico.
Serpico was among those who urged Leuci — who at the time was a corrupt young cop himself — to begin cooperating with Knapp Commission investigators.
“He was a guy who was on the wrong side of the law and desperately wanted to be on the right side, and he literally risked his life to do that,” said Nicholas Scoppetta, a former New York City fire commissioner and assistant US attorney who worked closely with Leuci on the investigation, adding that Leuci’s undercover work was fraught with risk.
“Frank was kind of a first, but he was talking about gambling corruption,” Scoppetta said. “Bob was in the special-investigations unit of the narcotics division. There was a lot of organized-crime influence, so what Bob did was far more dangerous — as an investigation — and I think produced tremendous developments that made a huge difference in narcotics enforcement. He was enormously productive, creative and resourceful.”
Twice during his undercover work, Leuci’s wire was discovered, yet both times he was able to talk his way out of trouble, said Scoppetta.
Leuci’s life was the subject of Robert Daley’s nonfiction book “Prince of the City.” He was played by actor Treat Williams in the movie version, which was directed by Sidney Lumet.
Leuci went on to author six novels, a memoir and numerous short stories and television episodes and lectured at dozens of colleges and law schools on police ethics.
He is survived by his wife, Kathy, and ex-wife Regina Leuci, with whom he had two children, Anthony and Santina.