Transgender NYPD gun permit fixer found guilty of bribery
His transgender defense just didn’t work.
A former Brooklyn prosecutor was found guilty of bribery Tuesday after a Manhattan federal jury decided it didn’t buy his claim that he showered an ex-NYPD sergeant with gifts because the sergeant was one of the few people he connected with after his transition from a woman to a man.
John Chambers, 63, dropped his head when the jury read the first “guilty” verdict on count 1. The Brooklyn gun lawyer shook his head in disappointment after the jury read the other counts.
In total, he was convicted on four counts and faces as much as 50 years in the slammer when sentenced on August 9th.
“It was very black and white,” one of the jurors said afterward. The jury said Chambers’ transgender defense only impacted the jury in that it made them concerned that he could face a tough time in prison.
“Compassion was expressed that it might be difficult fort him serving a prison sentence but it didn’t mitigate the facts,” another jury said.
Chambers stood trial for paying lavish bribes, including a diamond-studded Paul Picot watch, to ex-NYPD sergeant David Villanueva, 44, in exchange for hard-to-obtain NYPD gun permits — including for people who should not have had them.