New York, NY – A New York City man who intentionally cut the brake line of an NYPD police car was handed a three-year prison sentence by United States District Judge William F. Kuntz II this week.
Jeremy Trapp was convicted of cutting the brake line of a New York City police car and for defrauding the covid-19 pandemic-related Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
Additionally, Trapp was ordered to pay $9,722.88 and restitution to the Small Business Administration.
“Today’s sentence shows that there are consequences for those who seek to harm our law enforcement officers and steal from our public assistance programs,” stated Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “In cutting a brake line on an NYPD vehicle, Jeremy Trapp showed a blatant disregard for the lives of police officers and residents of New York City who could have been killed or seriously injured by a runaway vehicle without brakes.”
According to court documents, on July 17, 2020, “Trapp crawled under a marked NYPD van parked near Fourth Avenue and 42nd Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and partially severed a line that is part of the NYPD van’s anti-lock braking system, which is similar in appearance to, and in the same location as, the NYPD vehicle’s main brake line.”
Trapp also falsely applied for a $42,500 COVID-19 loan for his car wash to pay for payroll, but instead, he deposited that money into his personal bank account.