FBI probes officer’s ties to biker gang
Member of Hamburg police is a figure of interest in case involving Chosen Few
A Town of Hamburg police officer was placed on administrative leave last week, and federal agents are investigating to determine if the officer improperly supplied police information to the Chosen Few motorcycle gang.
Police officials also have turned the officer’s computer over to FBI agents, who are examining it to determine whether any law enforcement or state motor vehicle information was illegally accessed.
While few details were disclosed, The Buffalo News learned that federal agents are looking into allegations that the officer improperly provided information to Chosen Few leaders about some members of the Kingsmen, another biker gang.
Some of the Kingsmen, according to police, have feuded with members of the Chosen Few for more than a decade.
Existence of the federal investigation into the Hamburg officer’s activities was confirmed for The News by four sources who are familiar with it. The sources emphasized that, so far, the investigation has turned up nothing definitive about the officer’s actions.
They also confirmed that Buffalo defense attorney Joel L. Daniels is representing the officer, who is being paid during the administrative leave. The name, rank and gender of the officer were not revealed.
“Right now, it’s a personnel matter, and I can’t discuss it,” said Hamburg Police Chief Carmen Kesner.
When asked about the FBI probe and the computer, Kesner added: “I can’t comment on that.”
The investigation was briefly discussed in public at U. S. District Court on May 14, during a bail hearing for Alex Koschtschuk, 58, of Alden, identified by the FBI as president of the Chosen Few.
Koschtschuk and 19 other defendants were arrested May 7 after an investigation into biker violence conducted by the FBI-led Safe Streets Task Force.
During the bail hearing, Assistant U. S. Attorney Anthony M. Bruce revealed that information about some Kingsmen leaders — including their police mug shots, what vehicles they drive and diagrams of their homes and clubhouses — was found by state police in Koschtschuk’s home.
Federal agents suspect that a suburban police officer may have provided some of that information to the Chosen Few, and that matter is under investigation, Bruce told U. S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy during the hearing.
Monday, Bruce said he could not discuss the investigation. The Buffalo FBI office also declined to discuss it.
“An officer has been placed on administrative leave, and at this point, I’m not commenting,” Daniels said.
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