Ex-SBA president Ed Mullins charged with defrauding police union

Edward Mullins, the former head of the NYPD's Sergeants Benevolent Association, was arrested and charged Wednesday with defrauding the police union of $1 million in phony expenses, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said.

Mullins, 60, of Port Washington, was charged with one count of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the SBA, through the submission of fraudulent expense reports, federal prosecutors said. He pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court. The charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison upon conviction.

Mullins allegedly charged his personal credit card for, among other things, hundreds of high-end meals, clothing, jewelry, home appliances and a relative’s college tuition, prosecutors said.

"As alleged, Edward Mullins, the former President of the SBA, abused his position of trust and authority to fund a lavish lifestyle that was paid for by the monthly dues of the thousands of hard-working sergeants of the NYPD, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a prepared statement.

In 2020, Mullins made more than $220,000 from his job at the NYPD, according to public records: $88,757 from the union and $133,195 from the NYPD, The Associated Press reported.

Mullins surrendered earlier Wednesday at 10 a.m. to FBI agents to face wire fraud charges contained in a federal information, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandria Rothman said during Mullins' arraignment. An information is a charging document in which prosecutors bring a case quickly without going to a grand jury.

Following an appearance before Magistrate Judge Gabriel Gornstein, Mullins was freed on a $250,000 personal recognizance bond.

Rothman said prosecutors and defense attorney Marc Mukasey agreed on the bond and that Mullins had a week to come up with the two guarantors. In addition, Mullins was to surrender his passport and not possess any firearms.

An additional condition of his release stated Mullins wasn't to have any contact with the SBA or its members that related to the fraud charges.

Wearing a gray suit, shirt and tie, Mullins walked into Gornstein's federal courtroom at 3:40 p.m. from a back holding area and was not wearing handcuffs.

Mullins, who was often outspoken and combative while conducting union business, answered "yes" when asked by Gornstein to identify himself and to affirm that he was agreeing with the government using the information as a charging document.

Gornstein summarized the charges, saying they allege that from 2017 until about October 2021, Mullins took $1 million from the union through the filing of fraudulent expense reports, sometimes via email.

Mullins then submitted fraudulent and inflated expense reports to the treasurer of the SBA. He would then seek reimbursement for such items, purporting them to be legitimate SBA expenditures when in fact they were not, prosecutors stated.

He rarely included receipts. Some times, according to prosecutors, Mullins would inflate bills he did submit for reimbursement and pocket the difference.

In one case, prosecutors said Mullins changed paperwork he submitted for reimbursement from the union from a $185.88 charge at a Long Island supermarket to cover a $685.88 charge at a Manhattan restaurant

The former union president resigned from his SBA post last fall after the FBI raided his union offices and home seeking evidence in the case.

Mullins also resigned from the NYPD on Nov. 5 at the same time an NYPD administrative trial found that he had violated department rules by using profane language in referring to government officials.

For that offense, he was docked 40 days in vacation pay. In another administrative case, Mullins was found guilty of improperly leaking the arrest record of Mayor Bill deBlasio’s daughter stemming from anti-police demonstrations. For that offense, Mullins was docked 30 vacation days. Attorneys for the Civilian Complaint Review Board had asked that Mullins be dismissed.

SBA officials couldn't be immediately reached for comment and didn’t return calls. Mullins is next due in federal court on March 17.

Federal prosecutors said the SBA is the fifth-largest police union in the country, with approximately 13,000 members. Those members are required to pay dues. Active members pay approximately $1,300 annually.

The union also controls a $264 million retirement fund, according to AP.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.