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Officer Joseph Recca, 28, of West Islip, and two others were arraigned on Wednesday, July 22, Suffolk County officials said. They were arrested the day prior during a traffic stop.
Recca, Michael Sosa, of Brentwood, and Michael Corbett, of West Islip, are facing charges that include conspiracy, drug sales, and drug possession.
Additionally, Recca was charged with unauthorized use of a computer and official misconduct for allegedly running license plates using NYPD databases.
Officials said the investigation began after police found a cellphone next to the body of a Long Island man who fatally overdosed in September last year. The phone allegedly had text conversations between the victim and Recca.
The victim, who has not been identified had fentanyl, ethanol, and oxycodone in his system at death, officials said.
It is alleged that Recca was the one who sold the drugs to the overdose victim, though he has not been directly linked to the death.
Officials said that Recca’s vehicle had 100 oxycodone pills in a hidden compartment, along with two cellphones. Approximately $10,000 in cash, financial records, drug paraphernalia, and steroids were also seized at his Long Island home.
Sosa was found in possession of a “ghost” gun, drugs, tens of thousands of dollars in cash, packaging materials, and scales.
“It’s a sad day when, after being involved in law enforcement and public service for 30 years, I find myself sitting in the arraignment of a police officer,” Judge James Saladino, who gave Recca a supervisory release with mandatory GPS monitoring anklet, reportedly said on Wednesday.
If he is convicted, Recca faces up to 25 years in prison. He has also been suspended from the NYPD for 30 days, which is standard practice.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart added: "Together, law enforcement will continue to hold officers like Recca accountable for the damage they inflict not only on the communities that they swore to protect, but to the badge that we are all so proud to wear.”
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