An associate of disgraced former Queens politician Hiram Monserrate was tapped by Mayor Adams on Tuesday to become the city’s next sheriff.
Anthony Miranda, a retired city police sergeant who served alongside Monserrate in the NYPD, will replace departing New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito, Adams said in a statement.
“Miranda has spent decades protecting and serving the people of this city, and, as sheriff, he will bring his experience, expertise, and passion to ensure the office fulfills its mission and serves all New Yorkers fairly and equitably,” Adams said.
The sheriff’s department is the city’s primary civil law enforcement agency, tasked with enforcing mandates and orders from local and state courts. It also serves as the city Department of Finance’s enforcement arm.
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While in the NYPD together, Miranda and Monserrate co-founded the Latino Officers Association. The pair also sued the department in 1999 together over allegations of discrimination against minority officers in the ranks.
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Monserrate, who used to count Adams as a close friend, was expelled from his State Senate seat in 2010 after being convicted of assaulting his then-girlfriend and then pleading guilty to federal corruption charges.
The former state senator, who has launched a primary challenge against Queens Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry in this year’s election cycle, praised Adams’ decision to pick Miranda for the sheriff post.
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A spokesman for Monserrate’s campaign said he and Miranda remain close friends, but stressed that the ex-senator had nothing to do with his sheriff appointment.
After maintaining a friendship with him for years, Adams disavowed Monserrate last year while running for mayor and stated he does not believe the ex-pol should hold public office again.
Still, Politico reported last month that two members of Adams’ transition team approached Aubry earlier this year about becoming the mayor’s Department of Probation commissioner in an apparent effort to pave the way for Monserrate to more easily win election to the Assembly.
Aubry turned down the offer, according to the outlet. Mayoral spokesman Fabien Levy, meantime, vehemently denied that the Aubry outreach ever happened, calling the report “anonymous whispers from the shadows by those with an ax to grind.”
