Robert Leuci was a detective with the New York City Police Department, known for his work exposing corruption in the police department and the criminal justice system.
23 Facts About Robert Leuci
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Robert Leuci taught and had residencies at over 40 universities and law schools.
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Robert Leuci was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 28,1940, to an Italian-American family.
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Robert Leuci was the son of James Leuci, a union official, and Lucy, a housewife.
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At nineteen, Robert Leuci took the test to enter the New York City Police Academy.
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Robert Leuci established relationships with street contacts, and he became one of the top arresting officers in the division.
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Robert Leuci was transferred to the Narcotics Bureau for undercover work when he was 24.
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Robert Leuci created a network of field informants that led him to work numerous important cases.
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Robert Leuci soon entered the Special Investigative Unit of the Narcotics Bureau, an elite unit formed by top detectives.
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Robert Leuci pointed out that the Knapp commission was focused only on the police and that that was unacceptable: the criminal justice system in New York City was corrupt as well, and the police were working within a system that had been in place for 50 years or more.
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Robert Leuci told Scoppetta he would not be involved in an investigation that focused solely on the police department.
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However, if Scoppetta was willing, Robert Leuci would do the undercover work into an investigation into the entire system.
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From that moment on, Robert Leuci wore a wire whenever he had to meet with any suspects.
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Robert Leuci's cooperation lasted two years, after which the SIU no longer existed.
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Some of Robert Leuci's colleagues committed suicide as the pressure mounted throughout the investigation.
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The investigation ended in 1972 and ultimately, the Federal Government decided not to prosecute Robert Leuci, noting his efforts and the risks that he and his family had taken.
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Robert Leuci's experience inspired former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Robert Daley, who had become a writer since his retirement, to write Leuci's recount of this story, Daley's best-selling book Prince of the City.
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Robert Leuci wrote seven successful books, while continuing to lecture at police academies and federal law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.
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Robert Leuci's books have sold in the US, France, Spain, England, Germany, and Croatia.
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Robert Leuci was an adjunct professor of English and Political Science at the University of Rhode Island.
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Robert Leuci was married to Regina, a woman of Italian descent.
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Robert Leuci married Kathy Packard in 2003, after he had moved to Rhode Island to pursue his writing and teaching career.
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Robert Leuci died on October 12,2015, at the age of 75 after complications from surgery.