Metro

Bernie Kerik back in hot water after alleged violation

Bernie Kerik is in trouble with the feds again – this time for allegedly violating a court order and using information in confidential government documents to spice up a scathing malpractice lawsuit against celebrity attorney Joe Tacopina.

Kerik’s lawyer Tim Parlatore said in legal papers filed late Sunday in New York that two federal prosecutors recently threatened to slap the disgraced former NYPD commissioner with new criminal charges for allegedly violating the 2008 order. The confidential documents were related to Kerik’s 2009 sentencing on federal tax-fraud charges and lying to the White House during his failed vetting for Homeland Security chief.

Assistant US attorneys Elliott Jacobson and Perry Carbone are irked, sources said, because they believe Kerik and Parlatore relied on the confidential information to amend the lawsuit against Tacopina three weeks ago with salacious new claims — including that Tacopina was involved in racketeering and that he allegedly had extramarital affairs with TV personalities. Tacopina vehemently denies the allegations.

Parlatore asked the US Department of Justice in a letter Sunday to investigate the “conduct” of Jacobson and Carbone, alleging it’s aimed at trying to “impede” the Tacopina suit.

He also claimed to The Post that the prosecutors aren’t objective because they allegedly “turned” Tacopina — Kerik’s former buddy and lawyer – by convincing him to become a government witness against the disgraced ex-top cop.

Tacopina’s lawyer Judd Burstein declined comment, but Tacopina has previously denied violating any attorney-client privileges while representing Kerik.

Days after being sued, Tacopina in January slapped Kerik with defamation suit in Manhattan federal court claiming Kerik fed outrageous “lies” about him to the Daily News for a December “hit piece.”

Tacopina’s long list of A-list clients include shamed Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, whom he recently represented in a failed bid to get A-Rod’s Major League Baseball doping ban overturned.