Kerik Pleads Guilty to Corruption

On Thursday, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik pleaded guilty to lying to the White House when he was nominated for the Homeland Security post in 2004. Kerik's plea bargain, which involved eight anticipated charges, accepted the prosecution's suggestion that the onetime 9/11 hero's crimes would mean 27 to 33 months behind bars. Before formally entering his pleas, Kerik said he would also admit to a series of tax crimes in the first of his three pending federal criminal trials, scheduled to begin Monday in White Plains, New York. He told the presiding judge he would confess to cheating the IRS, aiding in the preparation of fraudulent tax returns, and giving the federal government other dishonest reports. The judge warned Kerik of the maximum 61-year prison sentence, but the defendant said he was giving up his right to appeal and promised to file revised tax returns for three previous years.