Accused Mafia Cop: I Had High Ranking Help

(AP) NEW YORK A retired police detective accused of working for the Mafia was recorded saying that a "high ranking" member of
the New York Police Department helped him get fake police identification.

Prosecutors said in court papers that Louis Eppolito was being recorded when he told a government informant earlier this year that "a high-ranking member of the NYPD had provided him with an active-duty ID card."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Henoch gave the information to Brooklyn Federal Judge Jack Weinstein in a letter.

Eppolito is charged with accepting thousands of dollars a month to settle scores for the Luchese organized crime family. He has been retired from the force for more than a decade.