NYPD cop from Long island convicted of perjury on drug arrest

Queens jurors on Wednesday convicted an NYPD detective from Long Island of perjury at a trial on charges that he arrested an innocent man on drug trafficking charges and lied about it under oath.

Det. Kevin Desormeau, 34, is scheduled to be sentenced on March 21 and faces up to 7 years in prison for his convictions on charges of first-degree perjury, official misconduct and making a punishable false written statement, said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown in a statement.

The unidentified man who was arrested spent 51 days in jail on Rikers Island before the charges against him were dropped as a result of an investigation.

Desormeau’s attorney, John Arlia of Manhattan, could not be reached for comment. Desormeau’s status with the NYPD was not immediately clear.

The trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise lasted for more than a week and centered on the events of Aug. 28, 2014, when, prosecutors said, Desormeau falsely arrested a man and lied about the collar in grand jury testimony on Jan. 16, 2015 and during a court hearing on Nov. 5, 2015.

Specifically, prosecutors said, Desormeau arrested a man who he said was selling crack cocaine around 108th Avenue and Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in the Jamaica section of Queens. Prosecutors said Desormeau stated in an affidavit that he observed the exchange with a woman of drugs for money and that he seized rock cocaine from the suspect.

Prosecutors noted inconsistencies in the circumstances in Desormeau’s subsequent testimony before the grand jury and in the court hearing.

Additionally, the arrestee’s attorney produced video of his client playing pool in a restaurant on Guy R. Brewer at the time Desormeau said he had been selling drugs. The video also showed the detective entering the restaurant and escorting the man out, prosecutors said.