The jailer’s going to jail — for a long time.
Former Police and Correction Commissioner Bernard Kerik, once dubbed “America’s Cop” for his 9/11 leadership, was hammered with a four-year federal prison sentence yesterday for a slew of felonies — including lying to the White House.
The sentence is 15 months more than the maximum punishment he could have received under federal guidelines based on the plea deal he negotiated.
READ KERIK’S LETTER TO THE JUDGE (PDF)
The barrel-chested, tough-talking former top cop stared straight ahead as Judge Stephen Robinson delivered his sentence, slamming Kerik, 54, for exploiting 9/11 in a bid to get the top Homeland Security job under President George W. Bush.
“The fact that Mr. Kerik would use that event for personal gain and aggrandizement is a dark place in the soul for me,” Robinson said.
Although judges generally don’t veer outside the sentencing guidelines, Robinson made an exception for Kerik.
“The guidelines don’t take fully into account the operatic proportions of this case,” Robinson said, citing the fact that Kerik was “the chief law-enforcement officer for the biggest and grandest city this nation has” while he committed some of the crimes, and made a “conscious decision to essentially lie to the president of the United States.”
“There comes a point where everyone who faces that dilemma has to make some fundamental choices,” the judge said. “He made some really bad choices.”
Kerik pleaded guilty last November to eight felony counts of tax evasion and making false statements. While he was police commissioner, Kerik allowed a construction company to pay for renovations to his Bronx apartment in exchange for helping the company obtain a city license.
He also provided false information about that deal to the White House after Bush nominated him to be Homeland Security director.
In statements inside and outside the White Plains courtroom — where his wife, Hala, and children, looked on — Kerik apologized for his acts.
“Your honor, I make no excuses,” he told the judge in court. “I take full responsibility for the grave mistakes that I’ve made.
“I know that I must be punished, and I ask only that you let me return to my wife and two girls to start a new path as soon as possible.”
Prosecutors wanted to send Kerik straight to the clink, but Robinson allowed him to return to his Franklin Lakes, NJ, home while officials select a prison.
He must surrender voluntarily by May 17, and continue wearing an electronic monitoring device until then.
Kerik has 10 days to appeal the sentence.
After a stellar career that put him on the brink of national power and acclaim, Kerik went into free fall amid accusations of corruption, false statements and obstruction of justice.
Along the way, Rudy Giuliani’s protégé stained the former mayor’s legacy and embarrassed President Bush.
In his failed plea for leniency, Kerik, who was appointed corrections commissioner in 1998 and police commissioner in 2002, presented dozens of letters of support from family, friends, clergy, cops and survivors of 9/11 victims.
But notably absent was a letter from Giuliani, who was dogged on the presidential campaign trail in 2008 by questions about Kerik.