Bernard Kerik

Bernard Bailey "Bernie" Kerik (born September 4, 1955) is a former New York City Police Commissioner, Secretary of Homeland Security nominee, and now a federal felon. Kerik was New York City Police Commissioner from 2000 to 2001, under Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In December 2004, President George W. Bush nominated Kerik as United States Secretary of Homeland Security. A week later, Kerik withdrew his nomination, explaining that he had employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny; subsequently, numerous allegations surfaced which would likely have led to a confirmation battle in the Senate. In 2006, Kerik pleaded guilty to two unrelated ethics violations after an investigation by the Office of the Bronx District Attorney, and was ordered to pay $221,000.

A grand jury of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a 16-count indictment against Kerik on November 8, 2007, alleging conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and lying to the Internal Revenue Service. Kerik surrendered to authorities the next day and pled not guilty to all charges. On October 20, 2009, his bail was revoked and he was jailed pending trial. On November 5, he pleaded guilty to 8 charges in a plea bargain with prosecutors who recommended a jail sentence of 27 to 33 months. Kerik was sentenced to four years in federal prison on February 18, 2010.

Early life and education
Kerik was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Patricia Joann (née Bailey) and Donald Raymond Kerik, Sr. His mother was Irish American; his paternal grandparents emigrated from Russia to a coal mining town in Pennsylvania and changed their surname from "Kapurik". Kerik was raised Catholic and grew up in Paterson, New Jersey. He attended Eastside High School in Paterson, and dropped out in 1972. In July 1974 he enlisted in the United States Army and received a General Educational Development (GED) certificate from the State of North Carolina while assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

After leaving the New York City Police Department, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from Empire State College of the State University of New York in 2002.



Military and police service
From 1974 to 1977 Kerik served in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps. He was stationed in Korea as a military police sentry dog handler and to the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, assuming military police duties and teaching hand-to-hand combat to Special Operations and Special Forces personnel at the John F. Kennedy Unconventional Warfare Center.

Kerik was honorably discharged from the Army in July 1977 and worked briefly for the Interstate Revenue Research Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, as an investigator before joining the Morrison Knudson Saudi Arabia Consortium (MKSAC) in April 1978, where he was employed as a security officer at the King Khalid Military City in Hafar Al-Batin, Saudi Arabia, for nearly two and a half years. Upon his return, he worked for the Cumberland County, North Carolina Sheriff's Office, in the patrol division and later for the City-Country Bureau of Narcotics.

From December 1981 to October 1982 and then July 1984 to July 1986 Kerik worked at the Passaic County Sheriff's, in New Jersey, He served as the Department's Training Officer and Commander of the Special Weapons and Operations, and ultimately Chief and Warden of the Passaic County Jail.

Kerik worked from 1982 to 1984 as chief of investigations for the security division of the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one of the kingdom's premier hospitals, where members of the royal family are treated. Six members of the hospital security staff, including Kerik, were fired and deported after an investigation in 1984 by the Saudi secret police.

In July 1986, Kerik joined the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and was assigned to uniformed and plain clothes duty in the 14th Division in Brooklyn and in the Midtown South Precinct (Times Square). He was later transferred to the Narcotics Division as an undercover in Harlem, Spanish Harlem and Washington Heights and was promoted to Detective in September 1990. In 1991 he was assigned to the U.S. Department of Justice, New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, Group T-43 until he was transferred to the Intelligence Division in February 1994, where we he worked on the protective detail for New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Correction Commissioner - City of New York
In May 1994 Kerik was appointed to the New York City Department of Correction as the Director of the Investigations Division and was later transferred to the Commissioner's office as Executive Assistant to the Commissioner and in January 1995, he was appointed by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani as the First Deputy Commissioner of the Department.

In January 1998, Kerik become commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction. As corrections commissioner he was responsible for an annual budget of $835 million, a civilian and uniformed workforce of 13,000 and 133,000 annual inmate admissions in the Department's 16 jails, 15 court detention pens and four hospital prison wards, including Rikers Island.

He was credited with the creation of the Total Efficiency Accountability Management System (TEAMS), a management analysis and accountability program that placed as a finalist for the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Award, for Innovations in American Government for year 2000. Through TEAMS, the Department witnessed historic performance gains in virtually all areas of jail operations as a result of many new initiatives in violence reduction, overtime reduction, modernization of security equipment, an absence rate analysis program and others.

During his tenure, the Department developed a gang intelligence unit and gang tracking database, networking with local, state and federal authorities across the country. Inmate violence—defined as inmate-on-inmate stabbing and slashing incidents—were reduced by 93% FY ‘95 to FY ’99. Similarly, overtime spending in FY ‘99 decreased 45% from FY ‘95 and the uniform sick rate dropped for the same period 25%. These achievements occurred during a period when the inmate population rose to record levels, from 110,410 admissions in FY ‘94 to 133,000 in FY ‘99, a 25% increase.

In December 1997, he was also appointed by the Mayor to the New York City Gambling Control Commission. Kerik also chaired the Michael Buczek Foundation's annual fund-raiser that honors law enforcement across the nation.

Police Commissioner - City of New York


Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani appointed Kerik the 40th New York City Police Commissioner on August 21, 2000.

Giuliani gave much of the credit for a drop in 2001 crime to Kerik, saying that "Commissioner Kerik took over a Police Department that was leading the country in crime declines, and somehow he was able to figure out how to create even more crime reduction and to do that against a national trend in which crime is going up in much of the rest of the country." Known in the department as the "beat-cop commissioner," Kerik frequently cruised the city at night with a security detail composed of cops who have been in shootouts, dangled from rooftops, been hit by bullets, raced into burning buildings and seen their partners die. During his time as police commissioner he made five arrests including one involving two ex-convicts - one a paroled killer, wanted for a carjacking at gunpoint in Virginia - for allegedly driving a stolen van in Harlem. As Police Commissioner, Kerik served on the Terrorism Committee with the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Criminal Justice Advisory Board for St. John's University.

Kerik served 16 months as Commissioner, leaving office at the end of Giuliani's term on December 31, 2001.

Kerik was serving as Police Commissioner during the September 11 attacks. The twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed in the attack, and 23 NYPD officers were killed.

Kerik was in his office when the first attack occurred and arrived at the base of Tower I about three minutes before United Airlines Flight 175 hit Tower II, showering him and his staff with debris from the burning building and plane. Giuliani arrived within minutes afterward and the two men walked to a temporary command post on West Street to meet with senior police and fire personnel.

When the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed, Giuliani, Kerik and their top aides were trapped inside a building at 75 Barclay Street. According to the New York Daily News, Kerik, along with his first deputy commissioner, the chief of department and other top police officials were all in close proximity to the burning towers, and dodged rubble and debris as the structures fell.

On September 18, Kerik attended a ceremony in which Governor George Pataki signed legislation into law adding five new sections to the New York State Penal Law and one to the New York State Criminal Procedure Law, to address terrorist-related activity. Kerik also established the New York Metropolitan Committee on Counter Terrorism, responsible for reviewing existing security measures, technology, information exchange protocols and levels of cooperation among the participating agencies and developing recommendations for improving, facilitating and expediting the same throughout the current national crisis.

Interim Minister of Interior of Iraq
In May 2003, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Kerik was appointed by the George W. Bush Administration as the Interim Minister of Interior of Iraq and Senior Policy Advisor to the U.S. Presidential Envoy to Iraq, L. Paul Bremer III. He was responsible for reconstituting the Iraqi Ministry of Interior which had dissolved into the community during the U.S. led coalition's invasion of Iraq. The Iraq Interior consisted of the National Police, Intelligence Service and Border and Customs Police. Prior to his departure on September 2, 2003, more than 35,000 Iraqi police were re-instated, 35 police stations were stood up in Baghdad with several more around the country, the senior deputy interior ministers were appointed and the newly established governing counsel appointed the first Iraqi Minister of Interior, post Saddam Hussein, Nouri Badran.

In a United Nations UNODC Fact Finding Mission Report dated May 18, 2003, Kerik was cited as leading a small "International Policing Team", to restructure and rebuild the Iraqi Police and Ministry of Interior. They noted that the team made "positive interventions in a number of areas", but were under "no illusions about the magnitude of the reforms and work required" moving forward. Because Iraq had suffered from years of authoritarian rule, conflict and isolation, failure to pursue the necessary reforms with speed and resources, could result in serious consequences for the development of democracy and economic prosperity in Iraq.

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
On May 18, 2004, Kerik testified before the 9/11 Commission in New York City. He concluded his testimony with a list of lessons learned or recommendations, making the following points:

• First, emergency operations centers, with an Office of Emergency Management responsible for its operations, similar to the one in New York City, are essential, not only to coordinate operations in the event of a crisis but also for planning purposes. Relationships and response plans must be well established, before an emergency occurs – you just can’t make them happen in the midst of a crisis.

• Second, success in securing our homeland requires accurate and real time intelligence that is shared with all necessary stakeholders, whether they are at the local, state or federal level. There must be internal monitoring systems that will insure efficiency and accountability with regard to information sharing and communications. A culture change in intelligence and information sharing is essential and those that refuse to change must be removed. There can be no compromise.

• Third, this culture change has begun, assisted through the provisions of the Patriot Act. This law contains many provisions, particularly with respect to information sharing, that better enable law enforcement to continues its fight against terrorism. Thus, the Act should be continued.

• We should create a mechanism to hold countries accountable that promote terrorism against the United States. Such countries constitute a legitimate threat against Americans, both here and abroad.

• Finally, I believe our battles have only just begun. Removing the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda leadership from Afghanistan --- and Saddam and his regime from Iraq, were just the beginning in addressing the real threats against us. We must stand firm, stay pre-emptive and never believe for one minute that this war is over. And to those who would say that our actions in Iraq or Afghanistan have only worsened the threats against us, or to the Spanish who believe their involvement in Iraq resulted in the train bombings in Madrid, I ask: Why us on September 11, 2001.

"They brought this war to us, and it is a war we cannot afford to lose. I ask the members of this Commission to put politics aside, put our freedom first and give us the ammunition we need to continue the battle before us. For without it…we lose".

Politics
Upon his return from Iraq, Kerik was politically active, campaigning for Republican candidates for political offices at all levels, including speaking at the 2004 Republican National Convention, where he endorsed George W. Bush for re-election.

Kerik has been an outspoken supporter for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, calling for aggressive sanctions against Iran and Syria for their support of state sponsored terror.

Consulting work
Following his departure from the New York City Police Department, he was employed by Giuliani Partners, a consulting firm formed by the former Mayor of New York, Rudolph Giuliani. He served as a Senior Vice President at Giuliani Partners and as Chief Executive Officer of Giuliani-Kerik LLC, an affiliate of Giuliani Partners. Kerik resigned from these positions in December, 2004. In March 2005 he created The Kerik Group LLC, where he served as Chairman until June 2009, consulting in Crisis Management and Risk Mitigation, Counter-Terrorism and Law Enforcement and Jail/Prison Management strategies. He has served as an advisor and consultant to His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and to President Bharrat Jagdeo of the Republic of Guyana. He has overseen threat and vulnerability assessments for a ruling family in the United Arab Emirates and has also worked on crime reduction and national security strategies in Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico City, Mexico.

Nomination as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
On December 3, 2004, Kerik was nominated by President Bush to succeed Tom Ridge as United States Secretary of Homeland Security. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales vetted Kerik during that nomination period. But on December 10, after a week of press scrutiny, Kerik withdrew acceptance of the nomination. Kerik stated that he had unknowingly hired an undocumented worker as a nanny and housekeeper who had used someone else's social security number. Similar violations of immigration law had previously caused the withdrawal of the nominations of Linda Chavez as Secretary of Labor by George W. Bush and of Zoë Baird and Kimba Wood as Attorney General by President Bill Clinton.

Shortly after withdrawal of the nomination, the press reported on several other incidents which might also have posed difficulties in gaining confirmation by the Senate. These include: questions regarding Kerik's sale of stock in Taser International shortly before the release of an Amnesty International report critical of the company's stun-gun product; a sexual harassment lawsuit; an alleged affair with Judith Regan; allegations of misuse of police personnel and property for personal benefit; connections with a construction company suspected of having ties to organized crime; and failure to comply with ethics rules on gifts.

Awards and honors
Considered one of the most decorated Police Commissioners in the history of the New York City Police Department, he earned 30 medals for excellent, meritorious and heroic service, including the New York City Police Department Medal for Valor for his involvement in a gun battle in which his partner was shot and wounded and he and his team members returned fire, downing the suspect. Other medals included 1 Honorable Mention, 5 Commendations, 10 Meritorious Police Duty and 13 Excellent Police Duty medals.

Kerik received a U. S. Presidential Letter of Commendation from President Ronald Reagan for heroism and was appointed Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. He was also appointed Knight Commander, of the Military Constantinian Order of St. George by the Duke of Calabria, Italy. He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Mayor’s Medal of Honor from the City of Paterson, New Jersey, and a Mayor’s Meritorious Commendation from the City of Passaic, New Jersey, all for heroism. He earned the Medal of Merit from the New Jersey State Police Benevolent Association and the Medal for Valor from the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association.

Other honors have included: The New York State Senate Liberty Award, the Golden Star Leadership Award, Los Angeles, California; Special Achievement Award, Special Narcotics Prosecutor's Office, City of New York; Man of the Year Award, Honor Legion, Police Department – City of New York; Man of the Year Award, Detective’s Endowment Association, Police Department – City of New York; Man of the Year Award, Brooklyn Law School, LELSA; 2 Distinguished Service Awards, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; DEA Administrator's Award, U.S. Department of Justice, DEA; Distinguished Person of the Year, NYC Correction Captains Association; Distinguished Service Award, New York Shields; Distinguished Service Award, New York City Retired Detective's Association; Dedication and Commitment Award, NYC Correction Officer’s Association and the President’s Appreciation Award, NYC Correction Guardians Association.

He is an active member of the Detective’s Endowment Association – City of New York and the New Jersey State PBA (Silver Card - Life Member). He is a member of the Honor Legion of both, the City of New York and State of New Jersey; and past member of the National Council of Columbia Societies in Civil Service; the Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association of New York and the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association. He served as the former Vice Chairman of the Boy Scouts’ Greater New York Council Law Enforcement Exploring Division and the Michael John Buczek Foundation Award's Committee.

He has received Honorary Doctorates from Michigan State University, New York Institute of Technology, Manhattanville College, College of New Rochelle and Iona College, and he received the President's Medal from Hunter College.

He is a 5th Degree Master Instructor in the Martial Arts, studying both Korean and Japanese Karate, and has been inducted into The Centurion Black Belt Hall of Fame.

Personal life
Kerik's first child, Yi Sa, was born in October 1975 to Yi Yun Cha when he was 19 and serving in South Korea as a military policeman. In February 1976, Kerik completed his tour of duty in South Korea and was transferred back to the United States, leaving both mother and daughter behind. In his autobiography, Kerik called the episode "a mistake I will always regret, and I pray to God that one day I can make it right." In December, 2001, Kerik and his daughter, now Lisa Marie Jordan (married to Joshua Jordan with two children), re-united after 26 years of separation.

Kerik has been married three times. His first marriage was to Linda Hales on August 10, 1978, when he was nearly 24 and she was 27. They separated in 1982 and were officially divorced June 6, 1983. Linda — now remarried and known as Linda H Priest — is the Clerk of Superior Court in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Kerik's second marriage was to Jacqueline Llerena of New Jersey. It lasted from September 3, 1983, to July 1992. Together they had one son, Joseph Michael (born June 11, 1985) who is a Detective with the Newark Police Department in New Jersey.

Kerik's third marriage was to Syria-born Hala Matli (born February 3, 1972). He met her in 1996, when she was the office manager in his dentist's office. They married on November 1, 1998, and they have two daughters: Celine Christina (born March 3, 2000) and Angelina Amber (born October 30, 2002). Rudy Giuliani is their godfather.

He is a 5th degree black belt master instructor in the martial arts, with black belts in both Japanese Karate and Korean Tae Kwon Do.

In 2001, Kerik published a memoir, The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice, a New York Times best seller. In this book, he revealed that his parents divorced when he was three years old, and that his mother, an alcoholic and a prostitute, was murdered when he was nine - possibly by her pimp.

Kerik's father, Donald Raymond Kerik, Sr. died on February 24, 2006 from cancer.

In 2009 Kerik was seen in the season finale of the Bravo reality show Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Investigation, federal indictment and imprisonment
On June 30, 2006, after an eighteen-month investigation conducted by the Bronx District Attorney's Office, Kerik admitted his guilt via a sworn statement in open court to two ethics violations (unclassified misdemeanors) and was ordered to pay $221,000 in fines at the 10-minute hearing. Kerik acknowledged that he failed to document a personal loan on his annual New York City Conflict of Interest Report (a violation of the New York City Administrative Code) and accepting a gift from a New Jersey construction firm attempting to do business with the city (a violation of the New York City Charter). During the court hearing, the Assistant Bronx District Attorney stated that "although some may draw inferences from this plea, there is no direct evidence of an agreement between Kerik and the New Jersey construction firm."

On November 8, 2007, in White Plains, New York, Kerik was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy, tax fraud and making false statements. Prosecutors say Kerik received about $255,000 in renovations to his Riverdale, Bronx, apartment from a company seeking to do business with the city of New York and concealed the income from the Internal Revenue Service. The indictment also charged that Kerik made several false statements to the White House (in his background information statement regarding his Department of Homeland Security appointment) and other federal officials. If convicted on all 16 counts in the indictment, Kerik could have faced a maximum sentence of 142 years in prison and $4.7 million in fines. He was released upon payment of a $500,000 bond. The New York charges were dropped in December 2008, but he was indicted in a separate Washington, DC action because that is where the crimes happened. "Today’s indictment of Mr. Kerik—the third separate prosecution against him arising out of the same purported corruption allegations from 10 years ago—is the latest example of the Department of Justice’s overzealous pursuit of high-profile public figures,” said Barry Berke, Kerik's attorney.

On October 20, 2009, Kerik's bail was revoked after he allegedly disclosed information which was under seal. He was remanded to the Westchester County Department of Corrections jail in Valhalla, New York, which has a section reserved for federal prisoners. Kerik was referred to as "a toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance" by Judge Stephen Robinson on October 20, 2009.

On November 5, 2009, Kerik pled guilty to tax fraud and lying to White House officials. The prosecution and defense recommended that Judge Robinson sentence Mr. Kerik, who faced up to 30 years in prison on the most serious charge, to 27–33 months. The judge, who was not bound by the recommendation, set sentencing for February 18. On that date, Kerik was sentenced to 48 months in prison; he was also ordered to pay restitution of nearly $188,000.

In the summer of 2010, Kerik was reportedly held at a medium-security federal prison in Cumberland, MD. At the time, he was also reported to have tweeted his negative opinion of the proposed Park51 project, though as a prisoner he was forbidden access to the Internet, Twitter included, a prison spokesperson said.