NEW YORK — Bernard Kerik, who served as New York City’s police commissioner on 9/11 and later pleaded guilty to tax fraud before being pardoned, has died. He was 69.
The New York Police Department confirmed his death Thursday on social media.
FBI Director Kash Patel said his death came “after a private battle with illness.”
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani reflected on his long history with his former police commissioner on his show Thursday.
“We’ve been together since the beginning. He’s like my brother,” Giuliani said through tears. “I was a better man for having known Bernie. I certainly was a braver and stronger man.”
Kerik, an Army veteran, rose to the pinnacle of law enforcement before a fall so steep that even a city jail named after him was renamed.
In 2010, he pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud and false statement charges, partially stemming from over $250,000 in apartment renovations he received from a construction firm that authorities say counted on Kerik to convince New York officials it had no organized crime links. He served three years in prison before his release in 2013.
President Donald Trump pardoned Kerik during a 2020 clemency blitz. Kerik was among the guests feting