NATIONAL BRIEFING / NEW YORK
An angry federal judge sent former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik to jail for sharing secret pretrial information with a “propagandist” whom Kerik claimed was his lawyer.
Kerik must await his upcoming corruption trial behind bars. Judge Stephen Robinson found probable cause to believe he was in contempt of court and revoked his $500,000 bail.
His lawyers said they did not know if Kerik, 54, who has been New York City’s corrections commissioner as well as police commissioner, had ever spent a night behind bars.
The judge said he could not find another way to keep Kerik from trying to contaminate witnesses and the jury pool.
Kerik was police commissioner when terrorists crashed jetliners into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. He and then-Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani were acclaimed for their leadership.
Kerik was later President George W. Bush’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, but he withdrew amid corruption allegations.
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