Kerik: "psychiatric unit ... suicide watch"

[Reportedly...] ...Kerik is in a psychiatric unit and on a suicide watch and most likely will not be able to make the court date. Kerik is displaying worrisome, risky behavior in jail, a federal judge said Friday after speaking with the jail's psychiatric director. Judge Stephen Robinson said the pretrial session Friday in U.S. District Court that he received a memo from Dr. Robert Mahler, medical psychiatric director of the Westchester County jail in Valhalla, then spoke with the doctor by phone. The doctor reportedly said Kerik, 54, was "at risk." He said Mahler felt there was more behind Kerik's problem than just the normal stress of incarceration. Kerik has been jailed since Oct. 20 to await trial on corruption charges. "There were things, unexplained, described to me that were either said or done ... that raised the level of concern," the judge said. "I left the conversation with Dr. Mahler feeling this was an issue that cannot be ignored." The judge also expressed doubt that Kerik's trial could still begin Nov. 9. ... [LINK]

See also CBS: [LINK]

See also 'The Trials And Tribulations Of Don Kerik' [LINK] This is worth a close read as it provides some revealing insight into the rise of Bernie Kerik.


Note - For what it's worth, this blogger is NOT celebrating the reported downturn in Mr. Kerik's mental condition (if that's what it really is...). Mr. Kerik is simply an interesting character that may, or may not (you decide), provide some insight into the sort of hubris-laced personalities involved with Taser International.

Don't mention the mob...

Bernie Kerik [a former member of the Board of Directors of Taser International] doesn't want his alleged mob connections tainting his upcoming corruption trial.

In a White Plains federal court filing, the former NYPD commissioner claims jurors "may be ... prejudiced" if prosecutors are allowed to reveal alleged organized-crime ties to Interstate Industrial Corp., which paid for $165,000 in renovations to Kerik's apartment in the Riverdale section of The Bronx. [LINK] The feds believe that the construction work was a bribe for Kerik to help Interstate win city contracts.

Kerik also wants to keep under wraps the identities of "numerous co-defendants" (*) in the securities-fraud case against Larry Ray [LINK], who was best man at Kerik's 1998 wedding and who introduced him to Interstate owner Frank DiTommaso. [LINK]


* March 2, 2000. Larry Ray is indicted in a stock fraud conspiracy with Garafola and 18 others, including members of the Colombo and Bonnano crime families. [TIMELINE] [LINK]


Six degrees of separation...? Some senior Canadian police leaders, in the course of dealing with stun-gun salesmen, will have been socializing (almost certainly unknowingly) with folks only about two or three steps from the mob [allegedly].

Permission granted in case you feel the need to have a long hot shower right about now.



Background:

Bernie Kerik joined the board of Taser International in spring of 2002.

June 3, 2002 - TASER International, Inc., ... today announced with great pleasure the appointment of former NYPD Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik to the Board of Directors of TASER International, Inc. "We are delighted to have such an outstanding and world-renowned law enforcement professional join our ranks," said Phillips Smith, Chairman... [LINK]

...it is the relationship Kerik has had since the spring of 2002 with Taser International, a Scottsdale, Ariz., manufacturer of stun guns, that has by far been the biggest source of his newfound wealth, earning him more than $6.2 million in pre-tax profits through stock options... [LINK]

11 Apr 2005 - Taser International, a maker of advanced non-lethal weapons, today announced the appointment of former Montana Governor Judy Martz to replace Bernard Kerik, who is resigning from the board to "focus on his consulting business" [LOL]. Controversial former New York police commissioner Kerik had withdrawn his name from consideration to head the US Department of Homeland Security in December 2004, due to the fact he had employed a nanny who was an illegal alien, without paying required Social Security payments. [LINK]

June 30, 2006 - Bernard B. Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, pleaded guilty today to two misdemeanor charges as the result of accepting tens of thousands of dollars of gifts and a loan while he was a city official in the late 1990's.


Quote of the week (for 10 Dec. 2004): "...there are growing concerns about whether the stun guns are truly as non-lethal as advertised." [LINK] (Published on Friday, December 10, 2004 by the San Francisco Chronicle)


Note - Everyone is entitled to be considered innocent until proven guilty. Many of these allegations have not (yet) been proven in court.


Distraction here: "Federal authorities are reporting increased chatter..." [LINK] Bernie, terrorist 'chatter' is not the only thing that Federal Authorities are reporting - LOL.

Bernie Kerik's "alarming behaviour"

New York Times - Judge Stephen C. Robinson, who will preside over Mr. Kerik’s federal corruption trial, said in court Friday that Westchester County jail officials told him that Mr. Kerik had demonstrated alarming behavior. Judge Robinson did not describe the symptoms further. [LINK]

Bernie Kerik is facing numerous charges relating to alledged corruption and other similar accusations. His bail was revoked due to the alledged unauthorized release of confidential information intended to be used to prepare his defense.

Mr. Kerik was on the board of directors of Taser International in the years 2002 to 2005. The X26 taser was introduced to the market in 2003. Mr. Kerik made about $6M from his involvement with Taser International.

I hope Mr. Kerik is feeling better soon.

Perhaps his old friends at Taser International could send him a basket of fruit or something.

Who is Bernie Kerik?

I have a headline ticker following the antics of Bernie Kerik. Who is Bernie Kerik?

Kerik was on Taser's Board of Directors from May 2002 [LINK] until April 2005 [LINK].

He made millions profit from stock options when TASR stock peaked during that period.

Kerik has had, and continues to have, quite a few legal issues (presently facing "...a maximum sentence of 142 years in prison and $4.7 million in fines..."). [LINK]

One commenter suggested that Kerik's hubris tended to rub off on others.

The X26 taser was introduced in mid-2003 (during Kerik's tenure at Taser). The previous model of taser was called the M26 Advanced. Perhaps the otherwise-unnamed X26 taser should have been called the X26 Hubris.

Former Taser International Director Bernie Kerik jailed

It has been reported that Taser International's original Six-Million Dollar Man [LINK], Mr. Bernie Kerik [LINK], has been ordered to jail.

Before revoking the bail of Mr. Kerik, Judge Robinson described him as a “toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance, and I fear that combination leads him to believe his ends justify his means.” [LINK] [LINK]

[Okay... Sorry about that. I was attempting to post this from a mobile device and frankly, I was laughing so hard that it was nearly impossible to continue typing on the little tiny keyboard. So I had to switch to a full size keyboard.]

“He sees the court’s rulings as an inconvenience,” Judge Robinson said, “something to be ignored, and an obstacle to be circumvented.”



After the proceeding, Mr. Kerik loosened his tie and removed papers and a wallet from his pockets. He then carefully took off a chain and medallion and handed it to one of his lawyers. He was led away, not in handcuffs, by court officers.

See also Reuters: [LINK]

Bernie Kerik was on the Taser Board of Directors (2002-2005). He made $6.2M through stock options. The X26 taser was introduced in mid-2003 (during Kerik's tenure at Taser).

More on Kerik's guilty pleas

White Plains, NY - Bernard Kerik [a former member of the Board of Directors of Taser International] said ('in a low but firm voice' [LINK]) "guilty" eight times as he admitted to eight felonies - which included lying about taxes, hiding income from the IRS, and faking a monetary contribution to a charity. Prosecutors suggested that Kerik be put behind bars for up to 33 months. The judge said the maximum sentence is 61 years. In addition to serving time in prison, Kerik may also be fined. He has already agreed to pay nearly $188,000 in restitution and to resubmit his personal tax returns for six years, paying past-due taxes and penalties.


Opinion: A sentence of a year or two should be sufficient. With good behavior, he might be out in under a year. And that's fine. I believe it's safe to conclude that his hubris has been surgically removed at this point. He just needs some quiet time to recover.

See: "...Kerik Cries..." [LINK]

Former Taser International BoD member Bernie Kerik "plans guilty plea"

White Plains, N.Y. - Bernard Kerik, a former member of the Board of Directors of Taser International (his C.V. has a few other things mentioned...), will reportedly enter a guilty plea to resolve three pending criminal trials... Kerik plans to enter the plea in a federal courtroom on Thursday in a deal that could bring him a recommended prison term of around two and one half years...

See [LINK]

Sources have mentioned that Mr. Kerik will plead guilty to a single charge of conspiracy. This is not confirmed. (UPDATE: This turns out to be incorrect.)

Note - Mr. Kerik's legal problems are apparently not directly connected to Taser International. There is no proven cause-and-effect relationship between his ethical missteps and his association with Taser International.

Send in the clowns, the Kerik circus starts soon

The article linked here defies summarization. I'm not going to even try. If you're interested, please see the full article.

"The Bernie Kerik Litigation Circus Is Coming to Town" [LINK].


The topic of Mr. Kerik relates to the taser issue because Mr. Kerik was sitting on the Board of Directors of Taser International during a critical period in their history. I'm sure that Mr. Kerik's sage advice and moral leadership skills (LOL) left their mark on Taser International. It's just a small, rather trivial part of a larger pattern. But it's the part that happens to be sticking out in public view.

Kerik's friendly news spinners

Bernie Kerik is, among his many other accomplishments [smirk], a former member of the Board of Directors of Taser International.


I've been wondering where all the inexplicable and frankly-weird Kerik headlines were coming from over the past few months. I've seen them popping up on the headline banner at the top of this blog. Even I (only barely keeping an eye on the Kerik news of the day) had started to notice that some of the headlines were stretching the truth well past the breaking point.

Well, others have noticed and kept score. It turns out that there seems to be a campaign to "rehabilitate" [the slightly tarnished reputation of] Mr. Kerik.

Newsmax is putting a lot of effort into rebuilding the disgraced former New York police chief into a credible spokesman on terrorism issues and whitewashing the corruption charges he still faces. [LINK] [LINK]


Honestly - I don't understand. The right wing side of politics has many fine and upstanding people. People that can keep their pants on, and not engage in unethical behavior. And can choose their friends with care. I don't understand why The Right would try to salvage one particular individual that has so many 'issues'. It's not as if there's a worldwide shortage of right-leaning spokespuppets for hire.

What's former Taser Director Bernie Kerik up to?

There are some that have noted a propaganda campaign to rehabilitate Mr. Kerik's tattered reputation. See [LINK].

"...legal battles alleging tax evasion, conspiracy, and lying under oath. Next month, Kerik will stand before a Judge to answer these charges that have been dropped several times only to be filed again under different jurisdictions." [LINK]

"In fact, those charges were dropped specifically so they could be filed in D.C. The judge essentially told prosecutors to do exactly what they did..." [LINK]

Mr. Kerik was on the Board of Directors of Taser International during a critical period. He made millions of dollars during his tenure.

Bernie Kerik, former member of Board of Taser International

Bernie's blog - corrected:

Bernard B. Bernie Kerik is was one of the most accomplished corrupt law enforcement executives in the United States. For more than thirty years, Mr. Kerik served his country himself and his several mistresses – most notably in an apartment intended for emergency workers near Ground Zero in as the 40th Police Commissioner of the City of  New York. ... (etc.)  [LINK]

On May 17th, disgraced NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik (a.k.a. 210717) will be off to prison to serve a four-year term for tax fraud and lying to the White House... [LINK]

See also [LINK], [LINK], [LINK] and [LINK] for some highlights of his illustrious career.

Taser QotW: on Bernie Kerik

A "toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance...", Judge Robinson.

...

Mr. Kerik sat on the Board of Directors of Taser International between 2002 and 2005.

The X26 taser was introduced in mid-2003.


By the way... Mr. Kerik's $500,000 bail was reportedly secured against his house (?). Does this mean that his house, or at least $500G of it, will be forfeited as a result of this? If so, then 'Ouch!'

More details of Bernie Kerik's crimes

A 28-page letter (pdf format) detailing some of Bernie Kerik's crimes. [LINK]

Note - There is nothing to suggest that these criminal activities have any direct relationship to Mr. Kerik's time spent as esteemed member of the Board of Directors of Taser International. The fact that one former member of their Board of Directors has been convicted of criminal activities that spanned roughly the same period of time (1999-2004) as his membership on the board (2002-2005) should not be interpreted as besmirching the fine reputations of any other individuals involved with Taser International.

"Free Bernie Kerik because he is a victim." LOL

See Len Levitt: Bernie Kerik: Victim, Victim, Victim [LINK]

Mr. Bernard (Bernie) Kerik was a member of the Board of Directors of Taser International (TASR) during the period 2002 to 2005. He is now in prison serving a 4-year sentence for assorted crimes committed in during a lengthy period that overlaps the same time-frame. There is no evidence to suggest any of his criminal wrongdoing was directly related to his membership on the Board of Directors of Taser International.

Kerik offered plea deal

Former member of the board of directors of Taser International, Mr. Bernie Kerik, has been offered a plea deal that, if accepted, would see him plead guilty to consolidated criminal charges and would serve about three years. [LINK]

Reports indicate that Mr. Kerik has not yet accepted the offer.

UPDATE: But he's reportedly thinking about it. He has to decide by Thursday (5 Nov. 2009). Wanna bet that he'll take the Guilty plea, and then later (much later, like 27 months later), complain about how he was actually innocent and was forced to plea bargain in spite of his "innocence"? Wanna bet? The court should make him personally and explicitly discuss the nature of his guilt, for the record, before accepting the plea. Such an approach might preclude future revisionist nonsense.

Bernie Kerik faces 15 count indictment

White Plains, NY - Former member of the Board of Directors of Taser International, and a former NYC Police Commissioner, Bernard Kerik faces up to 142 years in prison and $4.75 million in fines if convicted on all 15 counts of a federal indictment that was announced Monday. Kerik, whose nomination for Homeland Security secretary in 2004 was derailed when it was revealed he had employed an undocumented nanny, is charged with tax fraud, obstructing the IRS, theft of honest services, and making false statements to the federal government and on a loan application. [LINK]

Some strange "people"

According to EDGAR Online Pro [LINK]:

"The following individuals have appeared in one or more SEC filings related to TASR. "

[Cut-and-paste extracts from list at link above (gently formatted).]

Last Name, First Name
DEATH, ED WRONGFUL
DIPLOMA, EQUIVALENCY
DISCOVERY, ED WRONGFUL DEATH
FIFTH AVENUE, S.W.
INJURY, TARRANT
KERIK, BERARD B.
KERIK, BERNARD
KERIK, BERNARD B.

I think that the parsing software at EDGAR is about as good as the proof-readers at Taser.

Bernie, Bernie, Bernie...

Bernie Kerik, former member of the Taser Board of Directors (2002-2005), was "...engaged in an extensive crime spree, one that lasted from 1998 to 2006," according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott Jacobson. (*) [LINK]

Mr. Kerik made $6.2M through TASR stock options during his tenure on Taser's Board. I'm sure he was worth every penny. You're known by the Company you keep.

Note - the only thing that I'm pointing out is the I'm-sure-perfectly-coincidental overlap in the dates. Nothing more.

* These allegations are unproven.

210717

Google News [LINK]



NY Times [LINK]

Best comment: "Hubris personified."


Update (Friday, 23 Oct.) - "BernardKerik" hasn't Twittered (Tweeted?) for 4 days now. I guess he's busy. Or maybe he's in a location with poor cell phone coverage.

JotD:
Q: "Bernard B. Kerik" - What's the middle initial for?
A: "Behind_Bars"

(Mr. Kerik was on the Board of Directors of Taser International during 2002 to 2005.)

Former member of Taser International (TASR) Board of Directors, Bernie Kerik, heads to prison today

Bernie Kerik heads to prison this day.