Bronx, NY - Kerik Pleads Guilty in Case Involving Gifts and a Loan

Bronx, NY - Bernard B. Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges as the result of accepting tens of thousands of dollars of gifts and a loan while a city official in the late 1990's.

He entered the pleas in a Bronx courtroom and was sentenced to a total of $221,000 in fines. He was accompanied by three lawyers and three supporters for the proceeding, which lasted about 10 minutes.

The plea completed a stunning fall from grace for a public official who rose in a decade's time from a third-grade police detective to police commissioner and a nomination as secretary of the federal Department of Homeland Security.