An Albany County jury found a Bethlehem police officer guilty today of possessing a fake identification card in order to purchase a retired police officer badge.
Christopher Hughes, 40, of Feura Bush, was found guilty of criminal possession of a forged instrument, a felony. He is set to be sentenced on June 26, by which time Hughes’ lawyer, Robert Molloy, said they would decide whether or not to appeal the decision. He could face up to seven years in prison.
`Our stance was and has been that officer Hughes did not have knowledge that that retirement card was fake or fraudulent and he did not use it to deceive anybody,` said Molloy after the verdict was read.
Albany County Assistant District Attorney Linda Griggs maintained throughout the three-day trial Hughes `took matters into his own hands` when attempting to obtain the badge.
`Christopher Hughes was not entitled to a retired police badge because he was not retired,` she said.
Hughes was arrested for the incident in October of 2011. Police said Hughes submitted a forged police retirement identification card to Galls, a Kentucky-based company that sells equipment, supplies and clothing for emergency responders. The company also processes badges and identifications. Hughes provided the card in order to have a police retirement badge processed.
Hughes is an officer in the Bethlehem Police Department but has been off of active duty on disability leave for years. He was taken off duty shortly after bringing forth accusations Chief Louis Corsi used a racial slur in a taped phone conversation and has been a sometimes vocal detractor of the town and department ever since. He filed a lawsuit against the town and Corsi in 2010 seeking to wipe disciplinary actions from his record.
The prosecution told the jury Hughes had wanted the badge because it was a `matter of pride` to obtain one after leaving active duty. Griggs also argued the badge could be used to identify oneself as a former police officer if pulled over. The defense said a retirement badge was simply a `novelty.`
`Would an average person walking down the street know the police badge of a retired officer is a novelty?,` Griggs asked the jury.
A representative from Galls took the stand, as did a representative from Linstar, a company in Buffalo that has made the identifications cards for the Bethlehem Police Department since 2008. The latter witness said there were minor differences in the retired identification card Hughes submitted in order to obtain the badge when compared the ones the ones issued to the town’s police force, such as the font.
Hughes never obtained the badge, according to Griggs, because Galls has implemented a security process in which the superior of the person attempting to gain a badge is notified for verification purposes. When Hughes did not receive the badge in a certain amount of time, the Galls representative said he called the company repeatedly. A recording of one such call was submitted into evidence for the jury to hear.
`I think the jury ruled fairly,` said Griggs. `It was a short case, but it was straightforward. I really don’t know what else they could have done to arrive at their conclusion.`
Bethlehem police Chief Louis Corsi took the stand, as did Deputy Chief Timothy Beebe, who helped investigate the incident.
Albany County District Attorney David Soares said the charges brought up against Hughes were serious and the punishment should reflect the act. Hughes now faces up to seven years in prison.
`Companies like Galls make very specific equipment for law enforcement officers and we don’t want to make light of the effort Hughes put into creating a perk he no longer had the privilege of having,` Soares said.
Hughes was released until the time of his sentencing under the supervision of the Albany County Department of Probation.
Because of the felony conviction, Bethlehem Town Attorney James Potter said the police department can now terminate Hughes as an employee under section 141 of the town code.
Hughes could not immediately be reached for comment.
