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NYPD detective forced to retire after false statements in Brooklyn investigation
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 5, 2026
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By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 5, 2026
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A Brooklyn NYPD detective who admitted to giving false information during a criminal investigation has been forced to retire, ending an 18-year career over what a department judge called “cutting corners,” according to disciplinary records.
Detective Patrick Craig of the Gun Violence Suppression Division pleaded guilty in June to three disciplinary charges stemming from the investigation of a 2022 shooting in Coney Island. They included providing false information to his partner that was used in a search warrant affidavit and giving false information to a Brooklyn assistant district attorney about the identification of a man tied to the shooting. Craig also admitted to failing to properly document investigative steps and consultations.
The case centered on a man whom investigators identified as a lookout for a street gang on Mermaid Avenue. Craig told Assistant District Attorney Daniel Stern that another detective, Michael Murphy, had “positively identified” the man based on previous encounters with him, according to the disciplinary decision.
But that identification had not happened before police obtained the warrant. Craig's partner, Detective Tomas Krohn, swore to the information in a search warrant affidavit, and a judge signed the warrant on March 29, 2023. Police executed it the following day.
On March 31, the day after the warrant was executed, Craig emailed Murphy a photo of the man and asked, “do you know this guy. can you ID this guy?” according to the decision.
Evidence seized under the warrant was later suppressed.
Craig acknowledged during the disciplinary proceeding that he knew the Brooklyn District Attorney's office required an identification based on personally collected identifying information for purposes of obtaining a search warrant. The department judge found that Craig nevertheless gave his partner false information to obtain the warrant.
Craig admitted the misconduct but maintained that he did not intentionally make materially false statements. He said the man was well known to police in the neighborhood and that he believed Murphy, who had previously arrested him, could formally identify him.
The NYPD's Department Advocate sought Craig's termination, consistent with department disciplinary guidelines that call for dismissal as the presumptive penalty for intentionally making a false official statement. Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Trials Vanessa Facio-Lince instead recommended a lesser penalty of forced separation.
“It does not appear that his actions were nefarious,” Facio-Lince wrote, adding that Craig “was cutting corners in a lengthy investigation to expedite the desired result.”
But she also wrote that Craig's actions called his credibility into question and threatened “the integrity of the Department to uphold the rule of law.”
Facio-Lince cited Craig's more than 18 years with the department, 312 arrests and numerous departmental honors as mitigating factors. Three supervisors testified on his behalf, describing him as an exceptional and highly respected investigator with a reputation for honesty and integrity.
Stern, the Brooklyn prosecutor whom Craig had misled, also testified on his behalf, saying Craig had a “very good reputation.” Stern said Craig continued appearing as a witness before Brooklyn grand juries while the disciplinary charges were pending.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch approved Craig's forced separation on Aug. 7. Under the settlement, Craig was required to immediately retire with his vested pension benefits, forfeit 30 suspension days and all accrued leave and agree never to seek reinstatement with the NYPD.
In 2020, Craig forfeited 10 vacation days after the department found he unnecessarily struck a person in the face and refused to provide his name, according to department records.
He has been named in 10 lawsuits, and the city has paid $242,500 to settle seven of them, according to 50-a.org, a database of NYPD misconduct records. The largest settlement, for $105,000 last year, stemmed from a lawsuit accusing Craig and other officers of falsely arresting two people in 2017 and submitting an “erroneous police report” to cover it up, according to the complaint.
Craig's attorney, Roger Bennet Adler, called the detective's lapse in judgment “a great Shakespearean tragedy.”
“It resulted in a loss of a career that Detective Craig loved and gave great contributions to eliminating, or attempting to deal with, gang violence,” Adler said.
The Brooklyn District Attorney's office said it knew about the false identification while the criminal case was pending and disclosed it to defense attorneys. The office declined to comment further but said Craig would not be called as a witness again.
The NYPD did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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