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Disgraced former NYPD cop Robert Smith worked out of the 105th Precinct in Queens Village.
By Forum Staff
A former City cop has been sentenced to 97 months in prison for using interstate facilities to commit bribery and attempting to transport heroin, federal prosecutors recently announced.
During the relevant period, Robert Smith, 45, was a NYPD police officer assigned to the 105th Precinct in Queens Village, retiring in March 2020. Smith pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2021. Smith’s co-defendant, Heather Busch, 35, also a former NYPD police officer, was sentenced in February 2022 to six months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty in August 2021 to using interstate facilities to commit bribery. Another co-defendant, Robert Hassett, 37, also a former NYPD police officer, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to conspiracy to violate the Travel Act and is awaiting sentencing.
Smith engaged in several corrupt schemes to solicit and receive bribes while employed by the NYPD. Upon his retirement from the NYPD, Smith agreed to transport illegal drugs while armed with a gun in exchange for cash payments. In recordings obtained by the government during the investigation, Smith repeatedly referred to himself in criminal terms as, for example, “one of the most corrupt cops in the 105,” a “perp that got away,” and someone who, had he not been an NYPD officer, would have been “locked up so many times.”
The Tow Truck Scheme
Beginning in September 2016, NYPD Officers Smith and Hassett responded to automobile accidents by directing the damaged vehicles to a licensed tow trucking and automobile repair business (the “Business”) operated by an individual (the “Individual”), instead of using the NYPD’s Directed Accident Response Program (“DARP”), which requires NYPD officers to identify an appropriate licensed tow trucking business to respond to the scene of the automobile accident and remove the damaged vehicles from the scene. Smith and Hassett bypassed DARP and directed damaged vehicles directly to the Business in exchange for thousands of dollars in cash bribe payments. Smith and Hassett continued to participate in the scheme until at least June 2017.
In November 2019, Smith resumed his participation in the scheme and continued to steer vehicles damaged in automobile accidents to the Business in exchange for cash. Beginning in January 2020, Smith discussed his plan to recruit Busch to participate in the scheme in advance of his retirement from the NYPD. In March 2020, Busch, at Smith’s invitation, met with Smith and the Individual and agreed to participate in the scheme. Thereafter, Busch began steering vehicles damaged in automobile accidents to the Business in exchange for cash bribe payments, instead of utilizing DARP as required.
The Armed Drug Trafficking Scheme
Beginning in January 2020, Smith sought opportunities from the Individual to transport illegal narcotics, in exchange for payment, upon Smith’s retirement from the NYPD. In June 2020, Smith met with two undercover law enforcement officers posing as narcotics traffickers to discuss his interest in participating in a scheme to traffic drugs and told them he could carry a firearm and his retired NYPD identification while he was transporting the drugs. In July 2020, Smith met with a third undercover law enforcement officer and accepted a bag containing what Smith believed to be a kilogram of heroin. Smith transported the bag to a location in Queens where he delivered it to another undercover law enforcement officer in exchange for a payment of approximately $1,200 in cash.
