NYPD Officer Michael Daragjati Expected To Plead Guilty For False Arrest

A Staten Island NYPD officer accused of violating a man's civil rights by issuing a false arrest and using racial slurs is expected to plead guilty in court on January 24.

Officer Michael Daragjati was arrested in October for allegedly falsely accusing a black man of resisting arrest while conducting the controversial stop-and-frisk practice. Authorities say the officer was angered when the man asked for Daragjati's badge number and then proceeded to arrest him, telling him he did not like being disrespected.

Investigators then intercepted a phone call between Daragjati and a female friend, where Daragjati was recorded bragging about the arrest and that he had "fried another n***er...no big deal."

In a separate episode stemming from March, Daragjati is also being accused of extortion, insurance fraud, and abusing his power when he threatened a man whom Daragjati believed had stolen a plow from a side business he owned. Daragjati allegedly gathered a group of men to attack the man and threaten him with a handgun.

Daragjati was secretly recorded describing the attack and saying that the victim cried like a "bitch" when trying to escape.

The New York Times reports that the civil rights violation carries up to a year in prison, along with a fine of up to $100,000. However, the extortion and fraud charges could land Daragjati behind bars for up to 20 years with a fine up to $500,000.