NYPD Cop Lied About Earnings To Lower Child Support Payments

BROOKLYN, NY — A longtime NYPD cop low-balled his yearly salary in family court so he wouldn't have to pony up as much for child support, prosecutors said.

Michael Martinez, an 11-year veteran currently assigned to the Housing Bureau in Manhattan, avoided paying $15,000 in child support over the course of four years by claiming to earn less than he actually did, according to prosecutors who indicted him for perjury Thursday.

"Perjury and fraud are always wrong, but this case is particularly disturbing because these offenses were allegedly committed by a police officer to deprive his child of needed financial support," District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "I will not tolerate such willful and deliberate deceit of our courts, especially from those who have taken an oath to serve the public."

The incident started during Brooklyn Family Court proceedings in 2013, when Martinez filed fake payroll statements showing his yearly salary from the NYPD was $22,000 lower than it actually was, a law enforcement source said.

In 2013, Martinez pulled in about $98,000 at his job, but the forms submitted to the court only showed him making about $76,000 that year, the source said.

Martinez also reported that he was making less than he did the year before and when a support magistrate judge quizzed him about the pay cut during a hearing on July 8, 2013, Martinez lied and blamed a schedule change.

The housing cop told the judge his salary had been lowered when he moved from the night shift to the day shift, Martinez was still working the night shift and getting paid extra for it.

Martinez continued to underpay child support until his kid turned 21 last year. Prosecutors said Martinez defrauded the child out of more than $15,000 during that time.

The fraud came to light when the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau launched an investigation into a different allegation against Martinez and found the false payroll filings in court, prosecutors said.

Martinez was indicted for perjury, criminal possession of a forged instrument, grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing Tuesday and faces up to seven years behind bars if convicted.

He was released without bail and has been placed on modified duty by the NYPD.

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