Crown Heights Cop Scammed Insurance Company Over 'Stolen' BMW: DA

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A Crown Heights cop tried to collect insurance cash on a BMW convertible he reported stolen days after it caught fire in East New York, prosecutors said.

Police Officer Kirk Peddie, 43, was hauled into Brooklyn Criminal Court Thursday where he was arraigned on fraud and attempted grand larceny charges, the Brooklyn District Attorney's office announced.

"That this crime was allegedly committed by a police officer is troublesome," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "We demand honesty and integrity from all of our law enforcement officials."

Peddie, of Borough Park's 66th Precinct, stands accused of reporting his 2006 BMW 650i convertible stolen to police and State Farm Mutual Automobile Company on Dec. 25, 2016, prosecutors said.

The Brooklyn cop told investigators he'd last seen the car when he parked it near his Crown Heights home on Dec. 22, after firefighters found the car on fire in East New York on Dec. 20, prosecutors said.

When police questioned him about how he parked a car that had been destroyed in a fire in East New York two days earlier, Peddie said he'd confused the date but couldn't explain how, said prosecutors.

Peddie, a 15-year NYPD veteran, was released without bail and is expected back in court on Oct. 23, said prosecutors.

The Brooklyn cop could spend seven years in jail if convicted.