NYS Corruption Watch

10/17/2026

Honeytraps and Bait and Switches: The Hidden Reality of S*x Trafficking - Written by a S*x Trafficking Survivor

SCS Asset 1

For those who haven’t researched s*x trafficking, the image most commonly conjured is a snatch-and-grab scenario in which a victim is targeted on the street or in parking lots, usually alone or distracted, shoved into a van, and taken to a second location. While this is a realistic situation that certainly happens, other more covert and lesser-known tactics are widespread. Victims are lured or coerced into curated traps. They are sold a dream and delivered a nightmare. They are systematically disadvantaged to keep them ensnared, particularly financially, but also by tracking and installing handlers into their lives as friends, partners, bosses, etc., to monitor their activities and isolate them from support systems. In these instances, victims may not even be aware that they’re being trafficked, as the illusion of freedom is maintained by the premise that they can leave at any time.

Existing vulnerabilities such as poverty, high lifestyle aspirations, and drug addiction are exploited, with the trafficker stepping in to bankroll the lifestyle, provide housing or a job, or supply drugs—all for a price. Women are disproportionately affected by s*x trafficking, representing an overwhelming rate of 94% of all identified victims in the U.S., attributed to systemic inequalities, housing instability, and marginalization. Knowing the terrain of s*x trafficking techniques is the first step in protecting yourself from becoming a victim. Here are a few of many such examples:

Drug-addicted populations may be targeted for s*x trafficking. A victim who’s mired in drug addiction or becomes hooked by the trafficker, possibly her dealer, becomes desperate for a constant supply. The trafficker provides either drugs or drug money contingent on her willingly submitting to being prostituted—and the fix only comes when the job is complete.

Elsewhere, a woman becomes involved with a man who immediately charms her and tells her she’s special and he’s different from everybody else. He fast-tracks the relationship and, within weeks, invites her to move in, starts paying her bills, and portrays the image of the perfect man. He projects absolute respect for her and earns her trust easily. This is the “nice guy” act. He tells her whatever she wants to hear. He pretends to share her interests. Once she’s on the hook and is financially dependent on him, he starts isolating her from her family and friends, telling her, “They don’t understand you like I do,” or that they can’t be trusted, or just that he’d rather be alone with her, and commands all of her time and attention. This is the grooming phase. Once he’s become her entire world, he flips. He starts insisting that she owes him for providing for her. He may blackmail her, threatening to damage her reputation by revealing intimate photos or information she confided in him. He becomes her pimp and demands that she have s*x with other men for money, which all goes to him.

In another such case where the nice-guy act is pulled, she would be drugged by night and r***d by other men for money and may never know this had happened. When somebody is being drugged, they often notice health issues caused by withdrawal, as the victim becomes addicted to the drug, but don’t know to attribute it to the drug. In withdrawal from GHB, victims may be prone to blackout rages, disorientation, hallucinations, anxiety, and psychosis, leading them to misinterpret their symptoms. Doctors may not consider the possibility that their patient is being drugged. The trafficker plays the perfect gentleman and the concerned partner until the discard phase, when the rug is pulled: the situation gets too hot, as in he suspects his victim or law enforcement may become aware, or the target becomes unmanageable, and she’s dumped in a vulnerable state and typically left with nothing, as he controlled the finances.

Or, young women are offered modeling contracts and introduced to wealthy men who, unbeknownst to the victim, are targeting them for s*x. The women are enticed into the men’s circle via expensive gifts, luxury travel, access to exclusive events and dinners, and may be unaware that an unspoken expectation of s*x is attached to all of it. If she refuses, she could be threatened with humiliation, professional consequences, or exposure of private information.

Social media and dating sites are used by traffickers to gather information about and contact targets. In one typical tactic, a woman may provide private photos to somebody she meets online, which are later used to blackmail the victim into having s*x with the blackmailer or their clients, or into providing more photos, which may be sold. The latter is considered s*xual exploitation, but whether a particular case also constitutes trafficking depends on the circumstances. Refusing to comply would result in the photos being shared with the victim’s family, partner, employer, school, or online for humiliation or sale.

A homeless person or teen runaway may be offered shelter by a seemingly well-meaning charitable individual. The arrangement may be easygoing at first as the victim acclimates and vulnerabilities are identified, but later s*x is demanded. This type of arrangement can also be exploited for labor trafficking.

Cults can provide an environment for s*x trafficking. Imagine a child born into a high control religious group who’s raised to believe the outside world is volatile and unsafe and the cult is the only safe haven. The reality is far more sinister—children being sold or used by the cult as s*x slaves and later spouses who must produce heirs and provide labor. Their entire lives, they’re owned by the cult and don’t know it, and may not understand that the abuse is criminal or even wrong. Isolation is common throughout all of these depictions for a reason—fewer witnesses and fewer outside perspectives to alert the victim to their abuse. Calculated flattery, where the target is told they’re special or chosen, is a classic recruitment tactic for cults, traffickers, and abusers.

The scenario of a kidnapped victim being imprisoned, where violence is used and IDs are controlled by the trafficker, and where location and communications are monitored, is entirely realistic, and elements of those control measures could be used in any of the above depictions.

Share this post—you never know who may need it—and comment below with your thoughts and other ways s*x traffickers recruit unsuspecting victims. In the next article of this series, we’ll break down some of the red flags that you’re being targeted for trafficking.

If you are a victim of s*x trafficking and would like to tell your story, email NYSPA with the subject line: Survivor’s Story.

NYSPA
[email protected]

10/17/2026

✌️

SCSOp1

10/14/2026

Former Cop Convicted of Ra**ng a Child is Now Montgomery County Sheriff’s Assistant Director of Emergency Services - And Now His Wife Has Been Appointed as School District Superintendent

SCS Operator 1

Adam Schwabrow is a former Johnstown Police Officer who admitted to and was convicted for ra**ng a 16 year old girl. He was a 9 year sworn police officer at the time.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office lists Schwabrow on its Emergency Services staff page. According to that page, he oversees grants for every division of the Sheriff's Office, manages its social media and public media releases, assists with daily operations and responds to emergencies. The page also credits him with 25 years in the Town of Mohawk Fire Department, including four years as chief.

Schwabrow was arrested on September 19th, 2013. Because the Fulton County District Attorney had a conflict due to his employment, the Saratoga County District Attorney's Office prosecuted the case as special prosecutor.

On March 4th, 2014 Schwabrow pleaded guilty in Fulton County Court to R**e in the Third Degree, a Class E felony. He admitted that as someone 21 or older, he had s*xual in*******se with someone under the age of 17. The crime occurred in May 2011 in the City of Johnstown. Schwabrow was 30 years old and a sworn Johnstown police officer. Police said the girl was 16.

At sentencing, the prosecutor told the court Schwabrow had taken advantage of the girl on several occasions. The District Attorney's Office stated, "He, as a police officer, knew how old she was and what the law is."

Schwabrow resigned from the Johnstown Police Department effective March 4th, 2014 as a condition of his plea. At his arrest, he was ordered to surrender his fi****ms, including his duty revolver. On May 13th, 2014 Acting Fulton County Court Judge Peter Feldstein sentenced him to one year in the Fulton County Jail. He was required to register as a s*x offender.

The prosecutor's office said it insisted on the resignation so that Schwabrow would never serve as a police officer again.

At the time of his arrest, Schwabrow also served as Montgomery County's emergency management director. He is now back in county emergency services. Although his current role is not a sworn police position, it does place him inside the county's top law enforcement agency, handling public grant money, speaking for the Sheriff's Office through its media channels and responding to emergencies across the county.

New York Correction Law Article 23-A bars public employers from refusing to hire someone solely because of a prior conviction. There are two exceptions: a direct relationship between the offense and the job, or an unreasonable risk to public safety. Employers must weigh factors including the seriousness of the offense, the time since it occurred and the person's age at the time.

A conviction does not automatically disqualify Schwabrow from county employment. But whether it does or not, the public is entitled to know whether the required review was done, who signed off and what they concluded. The public deserves to know why a convicted child ra**st was selected for this position.

To make things even more disturbing, the Canajoharie Central School District Board of Education has unanimously appointed Jennifer Schwabrow, Adam Schwabrow’s wife, as the district's next superintendent. She currently serves as the district's director of special education and instructional services. She will succeed Superintendent Nick Fitzgerald, who plans to retire. Her term will run from February 5th, 2027 through February 4th, 2030.

The stories we publish exist because someone came forward. If you know something, say something. Law enforcement misconduct, judicial injustice, government corruption, we investigate and report on it all. Reach out to NYSCW at [email protected]. All communications are confidential.

10/13/2026

Ithaca Police Chief Orders Patrol Team to Abandon City of Ithaca to Hunt Down Man Who Called Him a Coward on Facebook – Unarmed Man Tased Six Times on His Own Property, Hospitalized For Life Threatening Complications Due to the Taser Use

What started as a Facebook video became a hours-long manhunt through a state park, a drone pursuit, six taser deployments against an unarmed man, and a hospitalization. This is what Ithaca Police Chief Thomas Kelly authorized when someone exercised their First Amendment right to criticize him publicly.

The Facebook Video

One of our SCS Operators, assigned to the Fingerlakes Region area, posted a video to his personal page calling Chief Thomas Kelly “a p***y and a coward” for his pattern of dishonesty, deflection, and refusal to be held accountable for the conduct of his officers. He threatened our Operator with charging him for “terroristic threats” and governmental obstruction as a result of him being part of a team exposing corruption in the Ithaca Police Department and allegedly stating that it needs to be “taken over” due to the rampant corruption. He also mentioned he was receiving death threats, stated his location and that he was armed and prepared to use force if anyone tried to hurt him. Which is his 2nd amendment right. He said if Chief Kelly promises not to shoot him, he could come to his location and speak with him. Within minutes, Chief Kelly called him directly, on his personal cell phone. Kelly asked why he had been called out publicly and stated that “it wasn’t cool”. His only concern was being called out on Facebook. That phone call is documented.

Our Operator agreed to come speak in person to Chief Kelly at the IPD Headquarters. Our Operator did not have access to a vehicle at the time and was enroute to his residence to retrieve his personal vehicle. While enroute, an IPD Officer assigned by Chief Kelly reached out to him, trying to get him to come meet him in an undisclosed area. When it became clear to our Operator that this was some sort of scheme to isolate and possibly ambush him, he ceased contact. Due to the Operator and Officer discussing plans to meet at the Buttermilk Falls State Park, that is where our Operator was located. IPD closed off the State Park to the public, making it so that our Operator could not exit the park – unless on foot.

Chief Thomas Kelly deployed his patrol team, abandoning the City of Ithaca.

The entire IPD patrol team left the City of Ithaca, abandoning the city they are paid and sworn to protect, and traveled to the Town of Danby to locate and confront the man who had criticized their chief on Facebook. While the officers abandoned the city, a stabbing occurred within city limits, which resulted in a man dying. Danby is outside Ithaca city limits. IPD has no jurisdiction in the Town of Danby. This was not a law enforcement operation. This was retaliation.

The Pursuit Through Buttermilk Falls State Park

Our Operator, who comes from a military background, knew that officers were converging on his location. He was forced to navigate through Buttermilk Falls State Park on foot to reach his home. IPD closed the park to the public and launched a drone equipped with thermal imaging technology to hunt him down. Our Operator was told by a colleague, who was enroute to the perimeter of Buttermilk Falls State Park to ex-fil him, that IPD launched their drone to locate him. At this point, our Operator had to submerge himself in a stream to lower his body temperature and bury himself under dirt and rocks to avoid detection by the drone’s thermal imaging. He called dispatch and told them he would shoot the drone down if they did not call it off. He was not armed. He knew that making that statement would cause them to ground the drone — and it did. He knew that if Officers did locate him, especially in the middle of the woods where there aren’t any witnesses, his life would be in extreme danger.

During the pursuit he requested medical attention due to heat exhaustion and dehydration. It was almost 100 degrees and he was wearing multiple levels of kevlar, along with not having access to clean drinking water. IPD did not allow the ambulance to respond into the park to treat him.

The Ambush

When he finally reached his home, an IPD officer assigned by Chief Kelly was sitting in an unmarked patrol vehicle, hiding in the woods across the street from his residence. When the Officer spotted our Operator on the side of the road, who was clearly unarmed and simply walking to his residence, the officer, who was not in uniform whatsoever and wearing only a t-shirt, jeans, sneakers and a tactical bullet vest, jumped out of the vehicle and ordered our Operator to stop – never identifying himself as law enforcement. This same Officer ordered all surrounding units to move in. Officers arrived within seconds, armed to the teeth, carrying AR-15’s, pump action sh****ns, and one even had a launching device that likely contained tear gas.

One officer raised his r***e and prepared to fire at our Operator, who was completely unarmed and walking toward him with his arms raised saying – and these are his exact words – “What, you gonna shoot me?” He was unarmed. His hands were up. An Ithaca Police Department officer had a r***e trained on him, prepared to fire his weapon. It wasn’t until the Operator moved away that he lowered his weapon.

Six Taser Deployments – Hospitalization

IPD officers deployed tasers against him six times. Six. Times. As a direct result of those deployments, he experienced supraventricular tachycardia, which is a serious cardiac arrhythmia, and severe rhabdomyolysis, which is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by the rapid breakdown of muscle tissue that can occur after repetitive taser use and electrocution and result in kidney failure. Both conditions are documented medical consequences of his encounter with IPD that night. He required extended hospitalization as a result.

The entire encounter was captured on his own body worn camera and his exterior security cameras. All footage is preserved.

What This Is

This is not a use of force incident that got out of hand. This is a police chief who received personal criticism on social media, made a personal phone call to the critic within minutes, and then deployed his entire patrol team outside their jurisdiction to confront that critic. When they found him, they almost shot him, and they tased him six times all while he was only standing, on his own property, in front of his own house. Absolutely no crimes had been committed by him, nor was he wanted for any warrants.

That is First Amendment retaliation. That is unlawful jurisdiction. That is denial of medical attention. That is an unlawful use of force. And it was carried out by the same police Chief who recently wrote a post on the Ithaca Police Department page, which was a complete lie, and then restricted the commenting on it, only allowing certain citizens to comment – another violation of 1st amendment rights.

Chief Kelly has been contacted for comment. No response has been received as of the time of publication. This investigation is ongoing. Legal counsel has been retained. All footage and medical documentation is preserved.

If you have information about misconduct by the Ithaca Police Department or any other New York State law enforcement agency contact NYSCW confidentially at [email protected]. All communications are protected.

NYSCW is an investigative organization operated under SCS Group. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice. We are not affiliated with any government agency. All reporting is based on public records, official documents, verified sources, body camera footage, security camera footage, and on-record statements.

09/03/2026

Ithaca Police Sgt. Meskill Admits to Ordering Officers to Preemptively Destroy Evidence by Disabling Recording of Radio Communications - All In an Effort to Send an Innocent Single Father to Prison.

SCS Operator 1 | Zone C

Under oath. In open court. On the record.

Ithaca Police Sergeant Michael Meskill admitted at a suppression hearing on March 10th, 2026 in Tompkins County Court that he personally ordered every officer on the GIVE detail to disable the recording function on their Zello communication app before conducting operations, including the operation that led to the arrest of Heath Phillips Jr., a single father now facing up to 20 years in prison on a felony drug charge.

His exact words, under oath: "It was my direction and I continuously said to make sure your settings are that it does not have a recording function. I gave that direction to everyone else understanding what Rosario material is and avoiding Rosario."

Rosario material is evidence that law enforcement is legally required to turn over to the defense. Meskill admitted, in plain language, that the purpose of disabling the recordings was to prevent that material from existing in the first place.

That is not a technicality. That is not a miscommunication. That is a law enforcement supervisor ordering the preemptive destruction of evidence before it is even created, to avoid a legal obligation to disclose it.

Meskill attempted to walk the statement back almost immediately, claiming the app was used merely as a walkie-talkie and that the recording was disabled for operational security reasons. The Court had already heard his admission. It was in the transcript. You cannot un-ring that bell.

There was no Heath Phillips without Meskill. The entire chain of events that led to Phillips' arrest began and ended with Meskill's alleged observation of a hand-to-hand drug transaction from 70 yards away, through a tree line, in August foliage. That observation was communicated exclusively over the Zello app, on a channel with recording disabled, with no written documentation, and no corroborating record of any kind.

The only evidence that Meskill saw anything at all is Meskill's own testimony.
A retired Cayuga County Sheriff's detective lieutenant, hired as a private investigator for the defense, testified that he visited the scene, photographed it, and conducted a field test using a lacrosse ball-sized white object suspended at the location where the alleged transaction occurred. From Meskill's claimed vantage point, he could barely make out that something white existed. He could not determine size, detail, or substance.

Meskill testified his eyesight is 20/20. He also testified the interaction lasted "a couple minutes," contradicting his own grand jury testimony that he was in position for "five to eight minutes." At the felony preliminary hearing he testified it took him "three to four seconds" to get into position. These timelines are not reconcilable.

The defense PI also discovered that Zello's console, the administrative backend that controls the channel Meskill's detail used, stores all voice communications by default for two years. The minimum deletion setting requires a conscious decision to change. Someone created and administered that channel. Not one of the three officers who testified at the suppression hearing acknowledged doing so or accessing the console.

Heath Phillips Jr. had no drugs on his person. No drugs were found in his vehicle. The cash seized was money set aside for his son's school clothes. His trial is scheduled for June 8th, 2026.
Meskill ordered the recordings disabled. Meskill made the observation that cannot be verified. Meskill's account is the foundation of this entire prosecution.

That foundation is now on the record as having been built on communications that Meskill himself ordered destroyed.

NYSCW has submitted FOIL requests for all records related to the GIVE detail, the Zello application, and the Heath Phillips Jr. case. FOIL responses are pending. Additional coverage will follow.

If you have information about Sergeant Michael Meskill, the Ithaca Police GIVE detail, or the prosecution of Heath Phillips Jr., contact NYSCW confidentially at [email protected]. All communications are protected.

All persons charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The stories we publish exist because someone came forward. If you know something, say something. Law enforcement misconduct, judicial injustice, government corruption, we investigate it all. Reach out to NYSCW at [email protected]. Your identity is protected.

09/03/2026

09/03/2026

Convicted Child Ra**st Remains Southport Volunteer Firefighter Despite State Law Ban, Sources Allege Cover-Up by County Officials

John “Mikey” Swanson, a level 2 registered s*x offender living in Elmira, Chemung County, has served as a volunteer firefighter with the Southport Fire Department since at least the 1990s, according to sources familiar with the department's roster. Swanson was convicted in 2002 of R**e in the Second Degree after grooming and repeatedly ra**ng a 14 year old girl. He established a relationship with the child only for the specific purpose of grooming her and s*xually assaulting her. He was sentenced to only 120 days in jail and 10 years of probation.

New York State law prohibits registered s*x offenders from serving as volunteer firefighters. Swanson's continued presence on Southport FD's roster, would place the department in direct violation of that law.

Sources tell SCS Group that department leadership has known of Swanson's s*x offender status for years and has declined to disclose it to the public. Volunteer firefighters routinely enter private homes during emergency calls, often in close contact with children and families in crisis. Residents in Southport's coverage area have not been informed that a convicted child ra**st has held a position granting him that access. Despite officials denying him being a part of the fire department - he was recently seen in the memorial day parade, with the Fire Department.

Officials Named in Alleged Cover-Up

SCS Group has received information from multiple sources, including current and former Chemung County fire officials, naming three individuals allegedly involved in protecting Swanson's continued membership.

Chief Tim Sweeney of Southport FD, who also serves as Civil Defense Coordinator for the Chemung County Emergency Management Office, is alleged by sources to have shielded Swanson from accountability. Assistant Chief Myles Baker, who oversees Deputy Coordinators within the same Emergency Management Office, is also named by sources. Mike Smith, a Chemung County Legislator representing the 14th district who additionally serves as a Deputy Coordinator with the EMO and holds an officer position within Southport FD, is alleged to have used his political standing to protect Swanson's membership in the department.

Sources also allege that local law enforcement is aware of Swanson's s*x offender status and has not intervened.

Part of a Broader Pattern

This is not an isolated case. NYSCW's sister publication NYSPA previously reported on the Murray Joint Fire District in Holley, NY, where convicted child ra**st and registered s*x offender Jeffrey Elsenheimer was accepted as a volunteer firefighter and later elected Fire Captain. Months after that reporting, Elsenheimer remains in the position, with some fellow members publicly defending him. Jenna Amering, the district's Vice Commissioner and the girlfriend of another member who has publicly defended Elsenheimer, stated proudly on a public page that she is a pe*****le.

Taken together, these cases point to a pattern across some New York volunteer fire departments of institutional protection, political interference, and a failure to enforce state law designed to keep registered s*x offenders out of positions of trust.

NYSCW is calling for the immediate removal of John Swanson from the Southport Fire Department roster, and for Chief Sweeney, Assistant Chief Baker, and Legislator Smith to publicly answer for their alleged roles in allowing his continued membership. NYSCW is also renewing its call for the Murray Joint Fire District to remove Jeffrey Elsenheimer from his position as Fire Captain and from the department entirely.

This investigation is ongoing. NYSCW will continue to follow this story and update as new information becomes available.

The stories we publish exist because someone came forward. If you know something, say something.

Law enforcement misconduct, judicial injustice, government corruption, we investigate it all. Reach out to NYSCW at [email protected]. Your identity is protected.

All individuals named in this report are presumed innocent of any wrongdoing not otherwise established by conviction or admission. Allegations described herein are attributed to sources and remain unverified pending further documentation.

NYSCW is a private organization overseen by SCS Group. We are not Government affiliated or Government funded.

08/18/2026

08/16/2026

Former Federal Corrections Officer Kyle Brown Charged With S*xually Abusing an Inmate

SCS Operator 1 | Zone F

A former federal corrections officer at FCI Otisville has been charged with repeatedly s*xually abusing an inmate under his supervision. Kyle Brown faces up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted.

Kyle Brown, 27, of Newburgh, Orange County NY, worked as a corrections officer at the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville. Federal prosecutors say he engaged in s*xual acts with an inmate on three separate occasions between December 26, 2025 and April 4, 2026. He was arrested and indicted July 15, 2026 on three counts of s*xual abuse of a ward.

The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. Prosecutors say Brown abused his position as a guard responsible for the inmate's custody to carry out the acts. Each of the three counts carries a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by the Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Morel and Madison Reddick Smyser handling the case.

Brown was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Victoria Reznik. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern.

Federal law treats s*xual contact between a corrections officer and an inmate as abuse regardless of any claim of consent. An inmate cannot consent to s*xual contact with the person who controls their custody and has to follow their commands. That is the entire point of the statute Brown is charged under. A badge and a set of keys are not license to abuse the people in which you have authority over.

This is a developing story. If you have more information on this case, please reach out to us directly by message or email at [email protected]. All communications are confidential.

If you are aware of Government corruption occurring within our state that you would like to bring to the public’s attention, send us a message or email.

08/15/2026

Two Prior R**e Allegations Against Former Ithaca Police Chief Pete Tyler — Neither Resulted in Charges - District Attorney Steps In - Then the Charges Disappear

SCS Operator 1 | Zone C - SCS Group Investigative Report

Court documents from a federal civil-rights lawsuit against the City of Ithaca contain sworn statements that the man who would later become the city's police chief, Pete Tyler, was the subject of two separate and very serious r**e allegations in the early 1990s — one investigated by the New York State Police and “closed” without charges, and one set out in a sworn affidavit that also accuses Pete Tyler of lying under oath about whether he knew his accuser. Pete Tyler was never arrested or charged in connection with either allegation, and no court has ruled on their merits. He has denied the central claims under oath.

SCS Group has reviewed the documents. The allegations disappeared when the victims decided not to move forward. What follows is drawn from the court record and the public record, along with private information.

A link to an electronic folder containing all relevant court documents, is available for citizens to view in the comments below.

The documents originate from Christopher Miller v. City of Ithaca, et al., No. 3:10-CV-597, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. That case was an employment lawsuit brought by former Ithaca Police Department officer Christopher Miller, alleging discrimination and retaliation. This is the repetitive pattern at the Ithaca Police Department. If you are not one of the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County’s chosen henchmen, a sociopath with zero moral compass - and you make the mistake of pushing back on their agenda - they will retaliate in every way possible and try to force you out of the department.

This is exactly what happened to Thomas Condzella - except with Tom, it resulted in him committing su***de.

It was litigated for roughly a decade. The individual defendants — including Pete Tyler, former chiefs John Barber and Edward Vallely, the police union and Tompkins County — were gradually dismissed from the case, and the City of Ithaca settled with Miller for $420,000 in 2020, according to reporting by the Ithaca Times. This is the pattern. They target a specific Officer - then that Officer either leaves quietly, they leave and fight back in court, or they stay on the department and fight back in court. Then the City of Ithaca hands them a load of cash so that they don’t speak out about all of the disgusting corruption and activities that are really going on within the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County.

The r**e allegations described below were never adjudicated in that case or any other.

Two documents are central. The first is a sworn affidavit, notarized in February 2012 by Miller's attorney, A.J. Bosman, given by a woman whose name is redacted in the copy reviewed by SCS Group. The second is a transcript excerpt of Tyler's own sworn deposition testimony, taken by Bosman.

In the victim’s sworn statement, the affiant says she met Pete Tyler at an Ithaca dance club in or around 1991, when she was 20 years old and Tyler was a probationary police officer. She states that on a later occasion she went to his apartment, repeatedly declined his s*xual advances, and that Pete Tyler forcefully r***d her. She states she told no one at the time because she was frightened and humiliated.

This is not only the r**e culture of the Ithaca Police Department, but of Ithaca and Tompkins County as a whole. Another example? Former Ithaca High School football coach Khyrie Brown forcefully r***d multiple women, and underage girls. Him and his buddies would have parties in hotels, get women and girls drunk, and r**e them. This is a regular occurrence. Then the victims will never report the s*xual assaults to the Ithaca Police Department - because they know it will go absolutely nowhere - the Ithaca Police Department actively and purposely sabotages any and all s*x crimes cases that are brought to them. Khyrie Brown on at least one occasion, dragged an intoxicated girl into a bathroom, and forcefully r***d her.

When NYSPA previously reported on Khyrie Brown, he fled the area, moved somewhere else, and deleted his social media. If any community members are aware of his current location, please send an email to [email protected].

Now, back to the other ra**st -

The affidavit's central legal claim is about Pete Tyler's credibility. The affiant states that Tyler testified under oath that he did not know her — and that this testimony is false. She lays out a series of encounters over the following two decades in which, she says, Tyler recognized her and addressed her by name. In her words, it is "not possible" that Tyler does not know her.

In the deposition excerpt reviewed by SCS Group, Tyler addresses a separate allegation. Questioned by Attorney Bosman, Tyler acknowledged that a woman — described in the record as an Ithaca College student at the time — had stated that he r***d her while he was a probationary officer. Tyler testified that the matter was investigated by the New York State Police, that he cooperated fully, that the complainant did not pursue charges, that he spoke with the District Attorney directly, and that the case was dismissed. He confirmed he was never arrested.

The District Attorney got involved - then the charges disappeared, and the victim fled from the area and moved elsewhere.

In the same testimony, Tyler denied knowing the affiant, said her name did not "ring a bell," and denied a separate question about having been at a bar after hours with an underage female. Asked whether anyone else had ever made a r**e allegation against him, Tyler answered no.

SCS Group notes that the affiant's sworn statement and Tyler's sworn denial that he knows her cannot both be accurate. That conflict is at the heart of the documents and is the subject of SCS Group’s Investigative Team’s review.

The public record on Tyler

Tyler joined the Ithaca Police Department in 1991 and rose through the ranks to sergeant, lieutenant and deputy chief. He served as acting chief after Chief John Barber's retirement and was permanently appointed Chief of Police on December 20, 2017, becoming the city's first Black police chief. He retired on May 31, 2019, after nearly 28 years. He has long been a volunteer firefighter and EMT with the Dryden Fire Department, and after retiring took on law-enforcement training work.

He continues to put himself in positions of public trust and authority - positions giving him access and trust to potential victims.

At the time of his 2017 appointment, Mayor Svante Myrick confirmed publicly that Tyler had not passed the required civil service exam for Chief of Police on his first attempt but remained eligible for appointment under New York's "rule of three" and was required to retake and pass the exam within a year.

What remains unanswered

The record reviewed by SCS Group raises questions it does not, on its own, answer: what the City of Ithaca and the Police Department knew about either allegation, and when; how the State Police investigation was opened and closed; and how these matters, if at all, factored into Tyler's promotions through the department and ultimately to Chief.

If you have more information, court documents or private information in regards to the r**e culture and s*x trafficking operation that has been going on within Tompkins County and the City of Ithaca - for decades - send any relevant information to [email protected]

SCS Group