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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Accused NYPD 'Cannibal Cop' Pleads Not Guilty

By  Irene Plagianos and Julie  Shapiro | November 19, 2012 3:51pm | Updated on November 19, 2012 5:09pm

NEW YORK — The NYPD cop accused of plotting to cook and eat women pleaded not guilty in Manhattan Federal Court Monday afternoon.

Gilberto Valle, 28, pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to kidnap and illegally accessing a federal crime database without permission, in connection with an alleged plan to kidnap, rape, kill and cook women.

If convicted, Valle faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Valle, a Forest Hills resident and six-year member of the NYPD who worked in Morningside Heights' 26th Precinct, is accused of creating a detailed list of 100 women he knew, including their address and a physical description, along with a photo.

He then tracked down more information about the women by illegally accessing state and federal law-enforcement databases, and staked out some of their homes and offices, a three-month FBI investigation found.

Federal investigators uncovered explicit emails and instant messages in which Valle said his oven was "big enough to fit one of these girls if I folded their legs," according to the criminal complaint.

Referring to one of his potential victims, Gilberto is accused of writing, "She does look tasty, doesn't she?" [Click here to read the shocking complaint.]

On Monday, Valle waved at his mother, brother and other relatives as he entered the courtroom at 500 Pearl St.

When the judge asked if he had read the federal indictment against him, he replied that he had, and when asked how he pled, he said, "Not guilty."

Valle did not harm any of the women on his list, authorities said, and Valle's defense attorney has said the suspect's plans were nothing more than fantasy.

However, federal prosecutors said Valle was on the verge of carrying out his plot when he was arrested in October.

Valle is being held without bail but is scheduled to have a bail hearing in federal court on Tuesday.