What to Know
- An NYPD detective is speaking out for the first time on television after accusing his female boss of shoving dirty underwear in his mouth
- Detective Victor Falcon says that the NYPD is failing to take his report of sexual harassment seriously because he is a man
- An NYPD spokesman declined to say if the officer involved has been disciplined but confirmed that there was an internal investigation
For the first time, a disgusted detective is speaking out on TV about the female boss he accused of shoving dirty underwear in his face and into his mouth.
Detective Victor Falcon says he believes the NYPD is failing to take his report of sexual harassment seriously – because his accused harasser is a woman and he is a man.
"The minute I get a dirty panty stuffed in my mouth, the minute I get that, it’s ‘horseplay.’ That’s ‘shenanigans.’ I mean in what world can you ever see such a double standard perpetuated in your face.”
According to a complaint Falcon filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Sgt. Ann Marie Guerra made a sexually charged spectacle in the 72nd Precinct when she pressed her underwear in Falcon's face after he criticized her for hanging them up in a unisex station house bathroom.
“She literally took a pair of dirty underwear and stuffed it into his mouth,” said Paul Liggieri, Falcon’s attorney. “If this was a male supervisor, everybody would be up in arms and instead, because this was a female supervisor the NYPD tried to label this as horseplay. That’s nonsense.”
Lieutenant John Grimpel, an NYPD spokesman, declined to say if Guerra has been disciplined for the alleged underwear-in-mouth attack, though he did confirm an internal investigation.
Local
“There is an active Detective Bureau Investigation case regarding the 72 Detective Squad,” Grimpel wrote in an email to the I-Team.
Since the alleged sexual harassment, Sgt. Guerra has been transferred from Brooklyn to the 17th Precinct Detective Squad in Midtown Manhattan.
But Falcon says that transfer amounts to a promotion.
According to group chat messages Falcon provided to the I-Team, Guerra joked about her new position in Manhattan by comparing herself to Will Smith's character in the sitcom "Fresh Prince of Bel Air."
In the series of texts, Guerra allegedly texted "That's going to be me everyday," underneath a meme that shows Smith grinning with the caption, "How Brooklyn Cops Act When They Arrive For A Detail in Manhattan."
Guerra has not responded to the I-Team's request for comment. Her union, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, also did not answer questions from the I-Team.
Last month, Ed Mullins, president of the SBA, came to Guerra’s defense with a Facebook post warning the media that “unsubstantiated allegations should never be headline news” and “we believe that when this investigation is completed, these ridiculous allegations will be largely unsubstantiated.”
