MANHATTAN (CN) - An NYPD officer was arrested and charged with extortion and dealing cocaine, federal prosecutors said. Officer Juan Acosta conspired with his friend Yorick Rafael Corniel-Perez to deal kilos of cocaine around New York City, and used an NYPD car "to rob a drug courier of several hundred thousand dollars in cash derived from a drug deal with Corniel-Perez, making it appear as if the money had been seized by law enforcement," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
After Acosta "boasted of his status as a police officer" to a man be believed to be a member of a Colombian cartel, he took $15,000 to take when he believed to be 10 kilos of cocaine from Long Island to the Bronx, prosecutors said. But the cartel member was a cooperating witness and Acosta was arrested.
Acosta has been with the NYPD since 2000.
Subscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.
Additional Reads
-
-
Texans head to the polls for high-stakes US Senate primary February 17, 2026