Rudy's Buddy Bernie Kerik Likely to Face Bribery, Tax Fraud and Obstruction of Justice Charges

Posted by Jeralyn Merritt at 3:30 PM on October 12, 2007.

This post, written by Jeralyn Merritt, originally appeared on Talk Left

The New York Daily News reports that Rudy Giuliani pal Bernie Kerik, already disgraced from his failed nomination for Homeland Security Secretary and guilty pleas for state tax violations, is sending his lawyers to Washington for a last-chance meeting with the Justice Department to avoid indictment on federal tax charges:

Kerik's lawyers recently agreed to waive the statute of limitations on the tax charges until Nov. 17, which will allow them to make one last plea to try to ease the pain.

Kerik will go to the Justice Department in Washington in the coming weeks to try to get expected criminal tax charges reduced to civil fines.

Kerik still faces probable charges of bribery and obstruction of justice over a secret meeting with former Giuliani officials in Tribeca in 1999.

More...

The Giuliani officials are Raymond Casey, former head of the Trade Waste Commission, a city agency set up to keep the mob out of the carting industry, and Michael Caruso, former inspector general with the city Department of Investigation.

In July 1999, Casey and Caruso met with Kerik, then the city Correction Department commissioner, at Walker's bar on North Moore St., court papers reveal.

At the time, Casey was investigating Interstate Industrial Corp., a company that employed Kerik's brother Donald and the best man at Kerik's wedding, Larry Ray.

Interstate is the company that renovated Kerik's apartment. He failed to pay taxes on $165,000., the amount of renovations, which formed the basis for his misdemeanor state tax charge.

In return for the renovations, the feds will allege, Kerik used his city position to try to influence the city's probe of Interstate, the sources said.

....The expected obstruction of justice charges from the feds are related to Kerik's statements to Bronx prosecutors, the sources said. The expected federal tax fraud charges are linked to Kerik's failure to pay taxes on the income he received from Interstate, the sources added.

The big question is how this will affect Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid. Will it be old news Rudy can brush off with "I made a mistake" or will it tarnish his reputation as a leader who uses bad judgment?

Jeralyn Merritt is criminal defense attorney in Denver representing persons accused of serious federal and state offenses.