Formerly Orthodox New York City Police Department Auxiliary Officer Charged With Hacking Into NYPD Computer And FBI Database

Earlier today, a criminal complaint was unsealed charging Yehuda Katz, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) Auxiliary Deputy Inspector assigned to the 70th Precinct in Brooklyn, with executing a scheme to hack into a restricted NYPD computer and other sensitive law enforcement databases in order to defraud accident victims.

Above: Yehuda Katz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York City Police Department Auxiliary Officer Charged With Hacking Into NYPD Computer And FBI Database
Defendant Obtained Personal Identifying Information of Traffic-Accident Victims and Fraudulently Posed as an Attorney Soliciting Clients

Earlier today, a criminal complaint was unsealed charging [45-year-old] Yehuda Katz, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) Auxiliary Deputy Inspector assigned to the 70th Precinct in Brooklyn, with executing a scheme to hack into a restricted NYPD computer and other sensitive law enforcement databases. The defendant was arrested earlier this morning and will have his initial appearance this afternoon at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge James Orenstein.

The charges and arrest were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Diego G. Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office, and William J. Bratton, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department.

“The defendant allegedly used his position as an auxiliary officer to hack into restricted computers and networks in order to obtain the personal information of thousands of citizens in a scheme to enrich himself through fraud,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “The threat posed by those who abuse positions of trust to engage in insider attacks is serious, and we will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute such attacks.” Ms. Lynch expressed her grateful appreciation to the FBI and the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, which worked together closely to investigate the case.

“As alleged, Katz illegally accessed sensitive law enforcement computer systems for his own personal gain. This type of behavior betrays the public’s trust and cannot be tolerated. We entrust our public servants to safeguard confidential information and not prey upon victims, and we will continue to work with our partners to prosecute those who engage in this type of criminal activity,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Rodriguez.

“This case is a clear example of the collaborative effort between federal prosecutors, the FBI, and the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau to weed out individuals who allegedly violate the Department’s trust,” said Police Commissioner Bratton.

According to the complaint, the defendant surreptitiously installed multiple electronic devices in the Traffic Safety Office of the NYPD’s 70th Precinct that allowed him to remotely access restricted NYPD computers and law enforcement databases, including one maintained by the FBI, that he did not have permission to access. One of the electronic devices installed by the defendant contained a hidden camera that captured a live image of the Traffic Safety Office and was capable of live-streaming that image over the Internet. The second electronic device was connected to one of the computers in the Traffic Safety Office and allowed the computer to be accessed and controlled remotely.

As alleged in the complaint, investigators with the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau and the FBI determined that the devices had been used to allow the defendant to remotely log onto an NYPD computer using usernames and passwords belonging to NYPD uniformed officers. Thereafter, the defendant ran thousands of queries in databases, including a restricted law enforcement database maintained by the FBI, for information, including the personal identifying information of victims, related to traffic accidents in the greater New York City area.

The complaint further alleges that, after the defendant accessed the NYPD computer and law enforcement databases, he contacted individuals who had been involved in traffic accidents and falsely claimed to be, among others, an attorney with the fictitious “Katz and Katz law firm” who could assist them with potential legal claims. Letters sent by the defendant to accident victims included claims such as “I can advise you with 100% confidence that I can resolve this claim in your favor,” and “My fee is 14% only when you collect. And I know that you will collect.” All told, according to the complaint, between May and August 2014, the defendant ran over 6,400 queries in sensitive law enforcement databases that he accessed remotely via the compromised NYPD computer for information related to traffic accidents.

The charges in the complaint are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Samuel P. Nitze and Peter W. Baldwin, with assistance provided by the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Department of Justice.

Comments

[m]

wow ! katz is gonna get into serious trouble and probably will loose his position .
in brooklyn , he might have a chance to appeal - not anywhere else - here , in nassau county headquarters of anti-semitism of NY state , katz will have no chance - none - zero -to keep his post , PLUS he will have to go to court for months to be indicted , PAY , and jail with no fail .

[tucsonjew]

Keep dreaming

[dapper danny]

Dude is in some deep shit.

[H]

Something similar happened in the UK some years ago.
A major petrol station chain was running a promotion based on car registration plates. Each week they'd print a random list of index plates, and if the driver saw their number on the list, they'd win a huge prize.
Some enterprising officers decided to use the Police National Computer to trace the owners and inform winners that their car had been selected. The person would then claim the prize and split it with the officer.
It only took one person to inform, and there was hell to pay. They all lost their jobs, and were imprisoned.
This guy seems to have done this on an industrial scale. I suppose they'll take the same dim view of abuse of a public office in the US as they do in the UK

[rocky]

Is this katz from far rock / 5 towns

[Jessica40]

Not Kosher

[mike]

Seriously!! Yehudah Katz is known as Ari and he hasn't been religious for the last 25 years wtf orthodox? Where do you get your information from!!!

[jake]

NASSAU county is anti-Semitism central?

[father of a victim]

The problem is not if? If he is still orthodox?? The problem is the chilul hashem because IT happened trough the hands of a jew,,(2) remember what I say today,,next is /79//90//precincts in Williamsburg,,where they have lots of Hasidic ,liaisons,running this precincts,,and getting tickets of Hasidic man dismissed and other corruptions (3) under all this liaisons ,every shmuk,in Williamsburg no matter who you are can run around with /vas/emt/emtp/ license plates,,even you are not non of this,,you can have sirens,,flashing lights,,what are we thinking ?? Isn't it going to bust one day ? (4) I was crying to hatzalah for the longest time they shouldn't let every shmuk running around with //vas//emt//emtp// if they are non of this volunteers,,because the police department will bust this people one day and it will not look good,,for hatzalah because the police department will not believe them to,,and then we will cry that the police department are antisemitism,,right?

[Boro park]

All you need to get EMT plates is a license as an EMT. Take the course, pass the test, get the license plate.

[lematameasara]

FAOV
עס זענען נישט דא קיין ווערטער אין סיי וועלכן שפראך צו אראפלייגן ווי גרויס א טיפש דו ביסט...
דו ביסט אנגעווייטיגט? גוד פאר יו; איך פיהל אפילו מיט מיט דיר, אבער דא איז נישט דאס פלאץ ארויסצוגעבען דיין ווייטאג

[father of a victim]

We shouldn't run around in the Catskills trying to become best friends with state troopers and put pressure on them to let you run around with//falls license plates//and to let you have tinted windows,,and sirens and flashing lights,,and all this craps,,(( yes lots of yungerliet and bucherim))are doing it but (1) let's not forget state troopers are state and if you get caught you can end up in state prison together with that state trooper,,(2) iesuv sona leyakov, he doesn't like you. Today he plays like your best friend,,and tomorrow the same person puts you behind state prison,,he will put all the blame on you so we must play by the rules,,you shull obay by the rules of your country,,period we are in gulus,,we must remember that,

[father of a victim]

To you (lematameasara) a traffic cop agent told me that they know about this problem they know that lots of this license plates are falls and they even know who is behind it and not only that it was being given over to another top department to investigate all this problems,,I am just coming here to tell for every one it's not a joke,, when a pedophile gets arrested we will terrorize the victims because they put a jew in jail right?? Who will we blame over here?? And do we want more Jewish people in jail?? Do we need our names to become. So,,farshvartzt,,in all the media ?? Oy another Jewish corruption do we really need this?? Didn't we just had the story about the buildings inspectors?How much fruma yungerliet,,where involved in it? Now this story?? And tomorrow another scandal??

[Shayna G in NZ]

father of a victim

From what you are saying, it sounds like living in the NY Haredi
community is almost like living in the Wild West !

[father of a victim]

Oh yes wild west? I have a cousin he has .e.m.t.p.license plates and tinted windows,,he has nothing to do with any volunteer he told me for a few bucks you can have it to ok?? Isn't it going to bust one day?? Could this bring one day a problem for real,,.e.m.t.p.??

[father of a victim]

Why should we be above the law? Yehuda katz was very wrong what he did (2) if a .e.m.t. or a .e.m.t.p., is only for someone who is a emt//or//emtp//certified,,why should anyone who never even learned how to be one should be able to have it on his car at all,?? Isn't it called abuse of the system?? Is ,hatzalah, ok that people are abusing this kind of license plates,,??If it could bring a problem for them??

[jancsibacsi]

lematameasara---In di bist a groisen rushe tzi shreibin dus far a mentch vus gait dorech aza groisen tzar in agmas nefesh,you are a rushe merishes megsteh shemen.

[dh]

עס זענען נישט דא קיין ווערטער אין סיי וועלכן שפראך צו אראפלייגן ווי גרויס א טיפש דו ביסט...
דו ביסט אנגעווייטיגט? גוד פאר יו; איך פיהל אפילו מיט מיט דיר, אבער דא איז נישט דאס פלאץ ארויסצוגעבען דיין ווייטאג

In di bist a groisen rushe tzi shreibin dus far a mentch vus gait dorech aza groisen tzar in agmas nefesh,you are a rushe merishes megsteh shemen.

...and i say to u, ?

[father of a victim]

To,,lematameasara,,the fact is,,hatzalah has a huge fight against the traffic agency,,complaining that there agents are giving out ,,tickets to hatzalah,,vehicles, are you aware of that? How did this problem happen? Because today there is more//vas//emt//emtp//in Williamsburg,,then regular license plate so it became a red flag for them so they decided to give out tickets to every vehicle no matter what license plates it has,,so you tell me now who is right? And who is wrong? Would you put a,,.m.d. license plate on your car if you are absolutely not a doctor??

[father of a victim]

Now let's talk about saying to me good for you, do you have a disabled child,? I have,3,out of ,4, DO you have a disabled child molested,?? I do,,when was the last time you ate trough your mouth,?? I ate THE last time trough my mouth about ,8,year's ago,,do you get your feeding trough a .I.v.feeding bag,,for ,15,hours a day,?? Do you have liver damage like me? And waiting for a liver transplant?? Do you have a pacemaker?since you where,,about,27,year's old,? Did you had,9, surgeries on your stomach,,to be able to eat like I went through,?? Are you suffering from kidney stones,?? Did you ever felt the pain of kidney stones? Where you critical on a ventilator with a terrible pneumonia,?Did you ever had a minyen by your bedside,??,was your children taken a side in a hospital room and prepared them for the worst,?? Can you still say to me good for you??

[dh]

Are there Jewish martyrs? I mean besides my mother.

[Abracadabra]

dh - All of our parents and grandparents. You want I should drop dead from exhaustion writing down all their names for the next 3 weeks straight?

[Abracadabra]

dh - Jesus was Jewish.

[Bon Prix Tunisie]

This is Really amazing information that you bring here, i wish if it's worng because we are speaking about police officer here.