Nicholas Tartaglione
Nicholas Tartaglione
Nicholas Tartaglione is a retired Police officer from upstate New York. He was arrested for the killing of four men that were found buried near a rental house near Orange County, New York. [1]
Career
Tartaglione started his career as a law enforcement agent in the 1990s.
His first participation in a Police department began for Mount Vernon and Pawling Police department. He joined the Briarcliff Manor Police department in 1996. [4]
While at Briarcliff Manor, he had a tumultuous time as he was suspended in 1999 following his arrest on perjury charges Westchester prosecutors accused him of lying at a Department of Motor Vehicles hearing regarding a drunk-driving arrest he had made.
Tartaglione was acquitted at trial but the village fired him on departmental charges.
In 2003, he successfully sued to get his job back with $320,000 in back pay.
He claimed that authorities concocted the perjury allegation as a way to remove him from the force, but his wrongful arrest lawsuit against the village and District Attorney’s Office was dismissed.
He also had a feud with Clay Tiffany, a cable television host and gadfly who accused Tartaglione of beating and harassing him on numerous occasions.
Tiffany, who died last year, settled a federal lawsuit against the village and Tartaglione, receiving more than $1.1 million.
In addition to his law enforcement career, Tartaglione was involved for years in animal rescue efforts, helping his parents who ran a dog-grooming business, Dapper Dog, in Nyack, New York. He was rescuing horses and dogs on a 65-acre property he recently bought in Orange County. [4]
He retired from the police in October 2008 with an annual pension of $65,176.
He had applied earlier this year to join Mount Vernon Police Department and give up his pension.
Drug Conspiracy, Murder, and Death Penalty
On Monday, December 19th, 2016, Tartaglione was arrested and charged with killing four men whose bodies were dug up from a farm he bought after neighbors reported a horrific stench.
Their bodies were dug up the following day on December 20th in Orange County, New York. [4]
The killings were of Hector Gutierrez, Martin Luna, Miguel Luna and Urbano Santiago who were last seen in the town of Chester, New York back in April, 2016. Authorities used a backhoe to excavate the bodies at a 72-hectare farm in Otisville, New York. The property was purchased by Tartaglione for more than $500K in 2015. [5]
Federal authorities have stated that the murders were part of a conspiracy to sell more than five kilograms of cocaine, federal authorities state.
At the time of their disappearance, the men worked in construction and farming a the Likquid Lounge - owned and operated by the brother of Tartagalione, Michael.
He has been accused of murdering the men, and for his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Tartaglione has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody, and could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole if convicted.