Bronx cop on trial for false testimony in marijuana bust

Posted February 21, 2012 By Alice Brennan

A New York City police detective accused of lying to a grand jury three years ago in a drug trial is scheduled to appear in Bronx Supreme Court today as a defendant, facing perjury charges.

Detective Debra Eager, 44, pleaded not guilty to the three counts in 2009 after video surveillance footage allegedly contradicted her testimony of the arrest two years prior in a Holland Avenue apartment building.

The indictment charges Detective Eager with lying in testimony claiming to witness two men “with Jamaican accents” carrying boxes up the building’s stairs; the circumstances under which she and another police officer apprehended the suspects; and the recovery of two parcels containing 33 pounds of marijuana.

Bronx district attorney Robert T. Johnston said in a statement on the case at the time of the indictment, “Untruthful testimony from law enforcement officers strikes at the very heart of our system of justice and seriously erodes public confidence in our courts.”

The case came about because defendants in the drug arrest filed complaints with the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board. Misdemeanor and felony charges against them have been dropped.

Eager has been released on a $15,000 personal bond, but each of her three counts carries a maximum sentence of seven years jail.

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<h1>Bronx cop on trial for false testimony in marijuana bust</h1><a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.thenewyorkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/BRONX-SUPREME22.jpg');" href="http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/BRONX-SUPREME22.jpg"><img class="alignright" title="Bronx Supreme Court" src="http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/BRONX-SUPREME22-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>A New York City police detective accused of lying to a grand jury three years ago in a drug trial is scheduled to appear in Bronx Supreme Court today as a defendant, facing perjury charges.
Detective Debra Eager, 44, pleaded not guilty to the three counts in 2009 after video surveillance footage allegedly contradicted her testimony of the arrest two years prior in a Holland Avenue apartment building.
The <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.documentcloud.org/documents/296385-indictment-debra-eager.html');" title="indictment" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/296385-indictment-debra-eager.html" target="_blank">indictment</a> charges Detective Eager with lying in testimony claiming to witness two men “with Jamaican accents” carrying boxes up the building’s stairs; the circumstances under which she and another police officer apprehended the suspects; and the recovery of two parcels containing 33 pounds of marijuana.
Bronx district attorney Robert T. Johnston said in a statement on the case at the time of the indictment, “Untruthful testimony from law enforcement officers strikes at the very heart of our system of justice and seriously erodes public confidence in our courts.”
The case came about because defendants in the drug arrest filed complaints with the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board. Misdemeanor and felony charges against them have been dropped.
Eager has been released on a $15,000 personal bond, but each of her three counts carries a maximum sentence of seven years jail.

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