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Bad News for Ex-Cop Who Abused Girlfriend, Sent Her Sex Dolls
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 23, 2010
Modified Sep 23, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 23, 2010
Modified Sep 23, 2010
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In January, former NYPD sergeant Mario Buonviaggio was fired after pleading guilty to using his ex-girlfriend's credit card and checking account to send porn, lingerie and an inflatable sex doll to her home. The total cost of the prank, which included buying Pay-Per-View events, came to $400, but that doesn't include the cost of Buonviaggio losing his job and health insurance one year before he was eligible for retirement. He sued the city earlier this year to get his job back, but a judge has now ruled that the punishment fit the crime.
Buonviaggio, a former undercover narcotics detective who needs spinal-fusion surgery for a line-of-duty injury, had begged for a lesser penalty, noting the "good works" he’d performed both as a police officer and a private citizen. He also claimed his judgment had been "clouded" from the painkillers he was taking to cope with in line-of-duty injuries. But it's unclear how painkillers would have driven him to shove his girlfriend, Sgt. Joanne Guidice, yank her hair and spit in her face, and Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Eileen Rakower ruled, "[G]iven the seriousness of the conduct alleged and admitted to by [Buonviaggio], the court does not find the penalty of dismissal to be shocking to one’s sense of fairness."
Buonviaggio tells the Post, "What happened is ridiculous. I worked hard for the city, and they fired me for nothing." For justice, he'll have to go to the NYPD Rant message board, where the commenters never disappoint. "Firing wasnt justified," opines ranter Terry. "The blowup doll and porn is just childish nonsense. What's left—shoving the girl friend and spitting at her? Who has never done something like that? Come on—women can really drive you nuts, if you get involved with a loon."
Tagged
bad cop
Mario Buonviaggio
nypd
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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