Seven NYPD Officers Arrested in Gambling, Prostitution Ring 

It seems the days of New York City cops getting in on the illegal sex work protection business, as depicted in HBO’s The Deuce, aren’t as far behind us as we thought. Today, seven police officers were arrested for running a gambling and prostitution ring in Brooklyn and Queens, according to the New York Times. The officers were apparently protecting local brothels and illegal gambling. Sources told the New York Post that another 30 cops are under investigation, and 40 civilians were also arrested, including a former NYPD vice detective.

From the Times:

Three sergeants, two detectives and two police officers were arrested and two additional detectives were placed on administrative duty. Officials have not said what specific criminal and disciplinary charges the officers face.

“Today, those who swore an oath and then betrayed it have felt the consequences of that infidelity,” the police commissioner, James P. O’Neill, said in a statement. “The people of this department are rightly held to the highest standard, and should they fail to meet it, the penalty will be swift and severe.”.

Mr. O’Neill said with the arrests, the internal affairs unit and the Queens district attorney have “sent a clear message: There is no place in the N.Y.P.D. for criminal or unethical behavior.”

Formal charges will be announced Thursday when the officers will be arraigned at the State Supreme Court.

The investigation began in 2015 with a tip from an officer, and the department spent the next three years sending undercover officers to the suspected brothels and gambling locations, as well as performing 300 hours of surveillance, including multiple wiretaps. David Simon, your next miniseries is calling.