July 18, 2023 | Barsha Roy | Meaww

Click HERE or on the heading to read the article

The Politics of Corruption: James Burke

March 9, 2020 | Newsday Project

March 9,2020: Suffolk sues Spota, McPartland and Burke for backpay and benefits

July 17, 2019: Discord over law firm to recoup funds from Burke

April 10, 2019: Records: Burke finishing prison sentence Thursday

March 21, 2019: Unsealed court letter reveals details of investigation into Spota

March 11, 2019: Bellone signs bill to recoup Burke pay; targets Spota

March 8, 2019: Court rejects bid by James Burke to vacate 2016 corruption conviction

March 5, 2019: Suffolk lawmakers vote to sue to recoup Burke salary

Feb. 13, 2019: Vote delayed on bill to recoup Burke salary

Feb. 7, 2019: Panel passes bill to take back Burke salary and benefits

Dec. 13, 2018: Proposal to sue Burke for $1.5M settlement tabled

Nov. 26, 2018: Ex-police chief James Burke released from prison, sent to halfway house

March 3, 2018: Editorial: Break up the game among Long Island political insiders

Feb. 1, 2018: Suffolk agrees to settle Christopher Loeb’s lawsuit, officials say

Jan. 26, 2018: Spota, former aide make brief court appearance in cover-up case

Dec. 23, 2017: Arc of Thomas Spota’s career marked by close relationship with police

Nov. 27, 2017: Brown: Third time a charm for Suffolk top cop search?

Nov. 8, 2017: Original charges against James Burke’s accuser dropped

Oct. 28, 2017: Brown: Thomas Spota couldn’t continue as Suffolk DA

Oct. 26, 2017: Burke, at heart of Spota case, receives $145G pension

Oct. 26, 2017: DA Thomas Spota‘ leaving my post’ after federal indictment

Oct. 26, 2017: Spota’s decades-long relationship with Burke leads to indictment

Oct. 25, 2017: Suffolk DA Thomas Spota, top aide indicted in cover-up

Oct. 25, 2017: Editorial: District Attorney Thomas Spota’s contempt for the law

Aug. 4, 2017: Burke accuser charged with violating order of protection

May 9, 2017: Sources: Drugs found in ex-Suffolk police chief Burke’s prison cell

April 26, 2017: Attorneys: Christopher Loeb indictment should be thrown out

April 1, 2017: Brown: Several investigations of Long Island public officials under way

Jan. 31, 2017: Christopher Loeb goes free as guilty plea is set aside

Dec. 21, 2016: ‘Numerous’ cops pleaded guilty in James Burke cover-up, court papers say

Nov. 16, 2016: James Burke, ex-Suffolk police chief, appealing prison sentence

Nov. 2, 2016: Ex-Suffolk police chief James Burke gets 46 months in prison

Oct. 31, 2016: Prosecutors recommend 51-month jail sentence for James Burke

Oct. 28, 2016: James Burke asks for no prison so he can care for ill mom

Sept .9, 2016: Former Suffolk police chief James Burke sentencing date set

May 3, 2016: Steve Bellone was warned James Burke’s past would lead to scandal

Feb. 2, 2016: James Burke, ex-Suffolk police chief, offered plea deal of about 5years, sources say

Dec. 9, 2015: James Burke’s arrest generates disappointment, concern in Suffolk

Dec. 10, 2016: Janison: Suffolk’s official puzzles are piling up

Dec. 10, 2015: James Burke, ex-Suffolk police chief, charged in assault, cover-up

Dec. 8, 2015: James Burke, former Suffolk police chief of department, indicted, sources say

Oct. 27, 2015: Suffolk Police Chief James Burke resigns as federal probe reopens

Nov. 7, 2013: Man at center of case with top Suffolk cop Burke says chief, other cops beat him

Oct. 24, 2013: Testimony: Burke left crime scene with duffel bag

July 13, 2013: Culture of cover-up: How deep is it?

June 27, 2013: Editorial: Suffolk chief crossed line of good judgment

June 25, 2013: Sources: FBI probing Suffolk Chief of Police James Burke

June 14, 2013: Police: Chief went to theft suspect’s home

June 14: 2013: Man accused of stealing police gun belt, ammo in St. James

State Sen. Boyle calls for AG to 'investigate the investigation' into the Gilgo Beach murders (news12.com)

June 28, 2021 NYS Senator Phil Boyle letter to NYS AG Letitia James
requesting appointment of a special counsel to investigate the role of Suffolk County law enforcement in the investigation of the Gilgo Beach serial killer murders. “We have a serious problem in Suffolk County”.

Not long after the Gilgo Beach/Long Island Serial Killer (LISK) victims were discovered, Steve Bellone was elected as our Suffolk County Executive and named Suffolk County Police Department Sgt. James Burke to be his Chief of Department.  County Executive Bellone’s choice came as a surprise to many given that Burke had numerous red flags in his police department internal affairs file.  These included drug use, a drunk driving incident, and a proven allegation of Burke having a sexual encounter with a sex worker while in uniform in his police vehicle, and not securing his service weapon.

One of Burke’s first actions upon being hired as Police Chief by County Executive Bellone was to begin working to remove the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from assisting the Gilgo Beach/Long Island Serial murders investigation.  Needless to say, Burke’s decision to decline assistance from the world’s leading law enforcement agency, with its unparalleled experience in such cases and the world’s best forensic capabilities defied reason.

The suspicious decision, along with other actions on the part of former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke and former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota (both now convicted felons) as well as suspicious actions taken by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone in protecting Burke bring us to the current state of affairs in Suffolk.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, many residents of Suffolk County – and followers of this case found throughout the world – now firmly believe that our former Police Chief, James Burke, was personally involved in these murders either directly or indirectly.  The unfathomable actions of both former DA Thomas Spota and current County Executive Steve Bellone only add to the questions being asked about the investigation into these terrible crimes.

 . . . I hereby officially request that you seek the appropriate legal referrals to name a Special Prosecutor to look into the investigation of the so-called “Gilgo Beach/Long Island Serial Killer” case during the tenure of former Chief Burke.  I ask that any report specifically look at the period of time dating from the election of Steve Bellone as our Suffolk County Executive on November 5, 2011 to December 10, 2015, the date that the FBI officially joined the investigation into these matters.

Undated letter from NYS Senator Phil Boyle to Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone regarding Bellone’s appointment and retention of James Burke as SCPD Chief 
                As you are undoubtedly aware, there has been a renewed public interest in the Gilgo Beach/Long Island Serial Killer (LISK) cold case due to the numerous books, movies, documentaries, podcasts, radio shows and other media conduits that have shone a new light onto this investigation. Almost without exception, these sources list your former police chief, James Burke, as a potential suspect for either direct or indirect involvement in these crimes or efforts to hinder the investigation . . . The public is demanding answers!

                On January 1, 2012, you appointed then-Sergeant James Burke to the position of Chief of Department of the Suffolk Count Police Department, despite an extensive personnel file highlighting his lack of fitness for such a critical position.  Almost as soon as Police Chief Burke was elevated to this role, he began efforts to remove federal law enforcement officials from providing much-needed assistance in the murder investigation of at least ten victims of the Gilgo Beach/Long Island Serial Killer.  Your former Police Commissioner and former FBI Agent, Geraldine Hart, has commented that Chief Burke’s efforts to remove the FBI from the investigation likely hurt the efforts to apprehend this killer or killers.

                Significantly, removing the FBI from the investigation into these brutal murders was the very same action for which you later demanded that then-Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota resign from office. On behalf of our mutual constituents and all residents of Suffolk County, I pose the question, “Why?’ Why the double standard of demanding DA Spota resign for removing the FBI from the Gilgo Beach/LISK investigation but not exercising your authority and immediately firing Chief Burke when, in fact, he was more responsible for excluding federal agents than was Spota.

                Further, during your recent on-the-record interview with investigative journalists Billy Jensen and Alexis Linkletter of the podcast and Discovery Plus special entitled, “Unraveled: The Long Island Serial Killer” you stated that you came to understand that your police chief, James Burke, was sociopathic.  When you came to that realization, why did you not immediately fire Burke from his position as your top law enforcement official and relieve him of his command over the thousands of heroic Members of the Suffolk County Police Department?

                 I, along with countless residents of Suffolk County, New York State and the rest of the country demand to know why you consistently promoted, enabled, and protected James Burke despite undeniable evidence that he was a dangerous individual.  You decision to retain James Burke as Chief for years provided him with the continued power and authority to retaliate and punish any of those in “his” department who questioned or challenged him.  That was a monumental mistake on your part for which Suffolk County residents are still paying.

                Finally, a number of reports listing Chief Burke as a potential suspect cite a sex worker going by the name of LeAnne who encountered Burke at parties in the community of Oak Beach in the period before you appointed him as your police chief.  Allegedly, these parties involved prostitution and significant amounts of illegal drug use.  The reports mention as an attendee or even a host of these parties an individual with close ties to the highest levels of Suffolk County government.  My last question is whether you have any close friends or associates who live in the small community of Oak Beach who might have witnessed Chief Burke at any of these parties?  If this individual or individuals had conveyed to you that then-Sgt. Burke attended any of these parties, it would have provided even further proof that Burke was absolutely NOT the right person to be elevated to Chief of Department.

June 28, 2021 letter from NYS Senator Phil Boyle to Stuart Cameron, Chief of Suffolk County Police Department
in which the senator noted that a large and growing number of people suspect that former Chief James Burke might be involved with the Gilgo Beach homicide victims and requesting that Chief Cameron make public the investigative actions SCPD took to solve the murders following Burke’s January 1, 2012 appointment to Chief of Department.

. . . Soon after upon being named Suffolk County Police Chief by County Executive Bellone, James Burke lt it be known that he no longer wanted the FBI involved in the Gilgo Beach/LSK investigation.  Requesting that the top law enforcement agency in the world, with tremendous experience and technological resources, leave a major investigation made no sense to anyone.  In fact, Geraldine Hart, head of the FBI’s Long Island office at the time of Burke’s request, told Erin Mortiarity of “48 Hours” that “not having the FBI involved consistently from the beginning has definitely hindered the investigation.”  Mr. Burke, it should be noted, not only kicked the FBI off the case but he also immediately forced the retirement of Suffolk Count Police Chief of Detectives, Dominick Varrone, who had been lead investigator on the Gilgo Beach/LISK case.  Incredibly, Mr. Varrone has stated that he was not even permitted to share what he learned about the case with the new lead detectives before retiring. 

So there are really two questions to be answered.

The first, why was one of James Burke’s first actions after being named Suffolk County Police Chief by County Executive Bellone to remove the FBI from the Gilgo Beach Serial Killing investigation.  Unfortunately, we may never really know Mr. Burke’s motives and he is not talking.

The second question, and perhaps one that we can shed some light on the situation, is what investigation of the Gilgo Beach/LISK murders did Chief Burke oversee in the weeks, months and years after he removed the FBI from assisting on the case.

. . . Specifically, and most importantly, on behalf of my constituents and the 1.5 million residents of Suffolk County, I demand that you make public whether former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke has ever been questioned and cleared of any involvement in the Gilgo Bach/Long Island Serial Killer case.  If the former Chief was questioned, we demand to know when that occurred and who did the questioning.

As you are undoubtedly aware, Chief, during my long tenure in elected office, I have consistently been an [sic] strong supporter of the Suffolk County Police Department and law enforcement in general.  That is why I believe we cannot allow more time to pass while Suffolk residents wonder if individuals at the highest levels of our local law enforcement and county government were not doing absolutely everything in their power to win justice for the Gilgo Beach/LISK victims and remove a murderous criminal from our streets.

Click on the hyperlinks to access and download PDF copies of the respective letters.

ABOUT UNRAVELED: LONG ISLAND SERIAL KILLER
It’s been over a decade since 11 bodies were found on the coast of Long Island. While many have attempted to solve the murders, no one has looked into just why the case remains unsolved…until now. Against a backdrop of police corruption, sexual misconduct and cover ups at the highest levels of the Suffolk County Police Department, co-hosts Alexis Linkletter (The First Degree) and Billy Jensen (The Murder Squad) investigate the investigation itself to expose the untold story of the Long Island Serial Killer, in the seven-part true crime podcast series Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer.

Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer Podcast | Investigation Discovery

• 8 Questions for Billy Jensen and Alexis Linkletter, Hosts of Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer Podcast | Serial Killers | Investigation Discovery
  Ten years after the remains of eleven victims were discovered on Long Island’s southern shoreline investigative journalists and native Long Islanders Billy Jensen and Alexis Linkletter seek to expose the confusion, contradictions, corruption and cover-up involved with the investigation.

  • S1 EP. 9 Breaking: LISK Suspect in Custody – July 17, 2023 (47 Min)

• Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer Podcast | Investigation Discovery Episode 7: Who Is The Long Island Serial Killer?
  Alexis and Billy examine all the theories in the case, from how many killers are out there to who the leading suspects are—as well as share their personal thoughts on what went wrong during the investigation and who the LISK is. To follow our investigation even further, stream Unraveled: The Long Island Serial Killer, exclusively on discovery+.

  • LISK EP. 7: Who Is The Long Island Serial Killer? – March 10, 2021 (42 Min)

• Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer Podcast | Investigation Discovery Episode 6: New Evidence  
  With a cloud of suspicion hanging over the Suffolk County Police Department, Billy and Alexis interview the new officials in charge of the LISK investigation, plus share some startling new evidence that was recently revealed.

  • LISK EP. 6: New Evidence – March 3, 2021 (45 Min)

• Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer Podcast | Investigation Discovery Episode 5: Oak Beach
  A former sex worker discloses disturbing details about an encounter she had with the soon-to-be-named chief of police at a sex party in Oak Beach, a secretive community just two miles from where the LISK dumped the bodies of 11 dead sex workers.

  • LISK EP. 5: Oak Beach – Feb. 24, 2021 (42 Min)

• Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer Podcast | Investigation Discovery Episode 4: Twelve Months of Misery
  After uncovering evidence that law enforcement had not been doing everything in their power to solve the LISK case, Alexis and Billy go back to the start of investigation and the gruesome discovery of 11 victims between December 2010 and December 2011.

  • LISK EP. 4: Twelve Months of Misery - Feb 17, 2021 (46 Min)

• Unraveled Long Island Serial Killer Podcast | Investigation Discovery Episode 3: Deal With the Devil  
  Alexis and Billy revisit another Long Island murder case from 1979 and uncover a troubling connection with two of the authorities trusted to lead the LISK investigation.

  • LISK EP. 3: A Deal With the Devil – Feb 10, 2021 (41 Min)

• Unraveled Long Island Serial Killer Podcast | Investigation Discovery Episode 2: Fail to the Chief  
  Alexis and Billy uncover a secret from the past with incriminating information about the former Chief of Police of Suffolk County.

  • LISK EP. 2: Fail to the Chief – Feb. 3, 2021 (37 Min)

Unraveled Long Island Serial Killer Podcast | Investigation Discovery Episode 1: David and Goliath
Alexis’s childhood friend claims to have key evidence that could lead to solving the ten year mystery of the Long Island Serial Killer murders

• LISK EP. 1: David and Goliath – Jan. 27, 2021 (45 Min)

Related Reporting and Commentary

Bellone was warned about Burke in 2011 letter (news12.com)

Docuseries, podcast and media put spotlight on Gilgo Beach serial killings (greaterlongisland.com)

'Lost Girls,' the movie about the Gilgo Beach murders, is streaming now on Netflix - Greater Long Island

Opinion | Was L.I. serial killer investigation stymied in coverup by corrupt Suffolk cop and DA? We need a special prosecutor to probe investigation - RiverheadLOCAL – Oct .17, 2021
Was L.I. serial killer investigation stymied in coverup by corrupt Suffolk cop and DA? We need a special prosecutor to probe investigation – Greg Blass Opinion
Greg Blass is a former six-term Suffolk County legislator and Presiding Officer of the Legislature, a former Family-court judge, a former commissioner of Suffolk County Social Services and a former prosecutor in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps.