NYPD Officer Accused of Attempted Kidnapping, Threatening to Eat Women

Gilberto Valle, of Queens, was charged with two counts of attempted kidnapping

An NYPD officer is accused of threatening to kidnap, cook and eat women in a bizarre plot where he fantasized about how "tasty" one victim looked and said it would be easy to roast a person in his oven, officials said Thursday.

Gilberto Valle, 28, of Queens, was charged with two counts of attempted kidnapping in the shocking case that includes online transcripts of his alleged plans, at one point telling a co-conspirator that his oven is "big enough to fit one of these girls if I folded their legs."

"I was thinking of tying her body onto some kind of apparatus ... cook her over a low heat, keep her alive as long as possible," he is accused of saying in the July conversation.

"She does look tasty, doesn't she," he added, according to the complaint.

According to the criminal complaint, Valle had files on his computer that referred to at least 100 women, including photographs, addresses and physical descriptions.

Ten of those women have been interviewed by the FBI and confirmed that they know Valle, the complaint said.

During the arraignment Thursday, prosecutors said Valle "took active and affirmative steps short of kidnapping her, cooking her and eating her." 

"Had he not been arrested, we believe he would have carried out his plan," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Hadassa Waxman. 

Defense lawyer Julia Gato said in court Valle's online chats were "just idle talk," pointing out no ropes, chemicals or other suspicious material were found in his home. 

"We're talking about someone with a fantasy, in a deviant world where people talk about unreal things," said Gato. "At worst, he has sexual fantasies about people he knows." 

Gato said Valle was a respected officer in the NYPD, with six and a half years on the force. 

Valle maintained an OKCupid account under the username "valleee3," a law enforcement source tells NBC 4 New York, where he is described as "a very calm individual" and his favorite foods include "I'll try anything and am not picky at all."

The profile for the married father also said his favorite book is "Green Eggs and Ham," because "it's about a guy named Sam who makes this new breakfast and tries to get his neighbor to try it. After many failed attempts, the neighbor finally eats it and to his surprise he really likes it."

Valle had been assigned to the 26th Precinct in Manhattan before his suspension on Wednesday.

Valle met one potential victim over lunch, authorities said.

The complaint alleges that in February, Valle negotiated to kidnap another woman for someone else, writing, "$5,000 and she's all yours."

He told the buyer he was aspiring to be a professional kidnapper, authorities said.

"I think I would rather not get involved in the rape," according to the complaint. "You paid for her. She is all yours, and I don't want to be tempted the next time I abduct a girl."

It says he added: "I will really get off on knocking her out, tying up her hands and bare feet and gagging her. Then she will be stuffed into a large piece of luggage and wheeled out to my van."

Cellphone data revealed that Valle made calls on the block where the woman lives in March, the complaint says. An FBI agent interviewed the woman, who told them that she didn't know him well and was never in her home.

Valle's Facebook page cultivated the image of a very different man. Postings were filled with photos of a smiling wife, a baby girl and an English bulldog puppy named Dudley. A Maryland football and Yankees fan, Valle had more than 600 Facebook friends, including dozens of young women.

Valle respected his colleagues on the force, took the sergeant's exam and spoke out against Occupy Wall Street, cop killers and others who broke the law, according to the page. His current photo was a blue line, a sign of mourning for when an officer is killed, and expressed condolences for the family of a Nassau County officer who was shot to death this week.

"Keep Nassau County police in your prayers what a brutal week," he wrote earlier this week.

The page was taken down Thursday afternoon.

A man who identified himself as Valle's younger brother but did not give his name told reporters outside the officer's home that he was surprised by the arrest.

"You guys know more than I do," he said.

He and another brother were in federal court later Thursday, along with Valle's mother, during the arraignment. 

Valle recently separated from his wife, and she recently moved out of their Forest Hills home with their 1-year-old child, officials said. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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