wmlro.com: former New York Police Commissioner admits to corruption

Kerik's star appeared to be in the ascendant. He was nominated by US President Bush to head the Department of Homeland Security, after he and Mayor Rudy Guiliani, famed for his zero tolerance approach to crime, were lauded as heroes after 11 September 2001's attacks on New York.

Kerik had progressed from being Corrections Commissioner - in charge of New York's jails - to which he was appointed in 1998 to head of the New York Police Department just two years later.

Described by Bush Jr as "one of the most accomplished and effective leaders of law enforcement in America," he left his post after just 18 months and formed "The Kerik Group," which claims "unparalleled expertise and experience in risk mitigation, crisis management, and counterterrorism." The website is laden with pictures of Kerrick with George W Bush and even one of him with Queen Elizabeth II. That kind of fits: the offices of BCCI all had pictures of Agha Hasan Abedi shaking hands with US President Carter.

In the post 11 September hysteria, he was awarded honours in Italy and the UK. Then he went to Iraq as the interim Minister of Interior and the Senior Policy Advisor to the U.S. Presidential Envoy to Iraq’s Coalition Provisional Authority.

Yesterday, Kerik pleaded guilty to receiving a substantial benefit from a construction company connected to the Gambino organised crime family: renovations worth USD225,000 were carried out to his home while he was Corrections Commissioner, and to tax evasion by not declaring that benefit. He admitted interfering with investigators looking into the connection between the Gambinos and the contractor. And he admitted that, when questioned during the approvals process to head the Dept of Homeland Security, he lied about his connections with the contractor. In total, he admitted to eight offences - but not to the most serious offence of using his office for personal gain, he did not enter a plea, and charges of mail and wire fraud were withdrawn.

There will be allegations of soft-peddling: the deal done with prosecutors and put before the court recommends a sentence of between 27 and 33 months in jail.

If that is the case, then many recent white collar crime sentences appear to be very severe.