Star-struck cops have fixed tickets for big-time celebs, including Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and former team owner George Steinbrenner, sources told the Daily News.
Cops also made tickets disappear for three current City Council members, sources told The News. Two ofthe elected officials are from the Bronx and the third is from Manhattan.
Cops even showed Brooklyn love, letting rap superstar Jay-Z's driver off the hook for a speeding ticket, sources said.
Two sources familiar with the A-Rod speeding ticket said he was driving on the West Side Highway near W.57th St. in 2009. A highway cop issued the ticket, but an NYPD sergeant later squashed it, the sources said.
Yankees officials refused to comment last night. Rodriguez's spokesman declined to talk about the allegations.
Revelations of special treatment for bigwigs emerged as Bronx prosecutors and the Internal Affairs Bureau conduct separate investigations into suspected ticket-fixing.
It wasn't immediately clear if the allegations about A-Rod, Steinbrenner or Jay-Z's driver were part of the ongoing probe.
Three sources gave the Daily News names of celebrities who had tickets after Edward Mullins, the president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, called on members to give testimonials about the longstanding NYPD practice.
"It was very easy for a big name towalk away from a summons," onepolice source said. "[Celebrities] have contacts everywhere. There's aneagerness to help because of who theyare."
About 40 cops could be indicted for improperly voiding tickets, losing paperwork or purposely missing court dates in order to squash summonses, sources said.
Sources say the practice was so rampant, representatives for celebrities or politicians would sometimes call Police Headquarters directly to get their clients off the hook.
Summonses were fixed for bold-faced names who committed a wide array of infractions, sources said.
In addition to A-Rod, they include:
- At least three Council members had tickets fixed after they phoned friends in the NYPD. The city legal department said it had no information on the matter.
- Ex-Knick and current Denver Nuggets star Raymond Felton was pulled over blocks from Madison Square Garden, but his summons for a moving violation never made it to court, two sources said. A team spokesman declined to comment.
- A driver for Jay-Z was hit with a ticket last year after cops caught him speeding on the West Side Highway. A friendly cop "lost" the paperwork, and the case was nixed. The rapper's publicist declined to comment.
- Before his death, Steinbrenner used his clout with city officials to nix numerous tickets for family, friends and staffers. A Yankees spokesman did not return calls.
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