Staten Island DA Drops Charges Against Man Over NYPD Drug Planting Allegations

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Staten Island prosecutors on Friday dropped all criminal charges against Jason Serrano, a man who accused an NYPD agent of planting drugs on him during a car search. The decision came just days after a judge dismissed Serrano’s conviction as a result of the search, highlighting footage revealing an apparent drug plantation and NYPD records, obtained by Gothamist / WNYC, showing that the the officer in question had been quietly reprimanded for improperly billing drug seizures after the arrest of the same year.

The district attorney’s decision marks a sharp turnaround for the office, which for months had sought to uphold Serrano’s conviction in court.

“After reviewing the judge’s recent ruling in this case, and considering changes in the law over the past few years, we have made the decision to dismiss the case against Jason Serrano in the interests of justice,” District Attorney Michael McMahon said in a statement. .

Serrano’s attorneys at the Legal Aid Society thanked the district attorney for dismissing the charges, but argued prosecutors need to do more.

“According to the prosecutor’s office, the only discipline received by any of the officers involved in this case was the benefit of additional training,” Marion Elizabeth Campbell, a lawyer in the Staten Island trial office, told the Legal Aid Society.

“No officer has been disciplined, fired or prosecuted for giving evidence about innocent people and then lying in police reports and affidavits used in court. The culture of impunity will continue to thrive in constituencies until officers who betray the public trust are held accountable. “

The NYPD previously noted that reviews, conducted by both the NYPD and the Staten Island District Attorney’s Office, had cleared Serrano’s two agents, Kyle Erickson and Elmer Pastran, of criminal conduct.

According to the police department, Erickson has since retired and Pastran is on leave. Neither responded to requests for comment from their union.

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