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BLIND LOYALTY

Blind Loyalty

To the Editor:

Last month, state prosecutors charged former FBI agent Lindley DeVecchio with four counts of murder in what's been called one of the worst cases of corruption in law enforcement history.

What has occurred since those charges were filed is alarming. James Kallstrom, former FBI supervisor and now Governor Pataki's senior counter-terrorism advisor, has been quoted as saying that "Lin DeVecchio is not guilty and did not partake in what he's being charged with. It's as simple as that."

While Kallstrom admits he does not know what Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has in the way of evidence, he has dismissed the corruption charges against his fellow FBI agent as a bunch of old accusations that were investigated and discredited by the Justice Department and the FBI.

Loyalty to one's friends can be a good thing (Kallstrom has known DeVecchio for at least 30 years), but for a senior law enforcement expert and anti-terrorism expert to attack the Brooklyn DA for charging his friend - without knowing what the evidence is - is going over the line. Kallstrom is backing a Web site to raise money for DeVecchio's legal defense, along with scores of other active and retired FBI agents.

If DeVecchio is found to be guilty of the unholy and deadly alliance with psychopathic killer Gregory Scarpa Sr., Kallstrom should not be trusted with his job as a senior counter-terrorism expert. For Kallstrom's sake, I hope he's right. But if he is wrong, and is shown to have put loyalty to a friend over the search for truth about a suspected corrupt FBI agent and murderer, Kallstrom has no business in any area of law-enforcement or anti-terrorist work.

MICHAEL J. GORMAN

Editor's note: The writer is a retired NYPD Lieutenant and an attorney.