QUEENS — Two Queens cops illegally sold accident reports and other information in an insurance scheme that netted them $7,700, prosecutors said.
Officers Roberto Espinal, 44, and Danny Cano, 36, sold private police documents to "runners" who would then steer victims to favored medical facilities in order to maximize insurance profits, prosecutors said. The men operated independently, prosecutors said.
Officials say that between March and August, Cano — who is assigned to the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights — provided a runner with the names and addresses of 13 accident victims culled from NYPD reports in exchange for $6,200.
Espinal, who is assigned to the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst, is accused of a similar scheme. Prosecutors say that between May and August, he provided copies of official NYPD accident reports containing the names and addresses of seven accident victims to a runner, pocketing $1,500 in cash.
"The defendants are alleged to have been operating independently of each other in this accident victim solicitation scheme," Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in a statement.
"However, what they allegedly did have in common was that they both tarnished their NYPD badges by exploiting the misfortune of others to unjustly enrich themselves."
Cano is charged with nine counts of third-degree bribe receiving and one count of official misconduct. Espinal is charged with two counts of third-degree bribe receiving, five counts of second-degree receiving reward for official misconduct and one count of official misconduct.
Both officers paid their bail and were released Thursday morning, according to the Department of Correction.
They due back in court on Oct. 9 and each face up to seven years in prison if convicted, officials said.
