12 Years For Crappy Coach Fakes

The Post reports on the arraignment of four police officers who were arrested for accepting bribes — in the form of counterfeit Coach bags and sports jerseys — in return for going easy on street vendors:

The officers, all from the 13th Precinct, turned themselves in yesterday to face charges — including receiving bribes — that could land them in prison for 12 years each.

All four — Detectives Rodney Lewis and Brian Bartlett and Officers George Santiago and Jaime Albertelli — pleaded not guilty at their arraignment last night. They were released without bail.

The cops allegedly accepted bogus Coach bags and sports jerseys as kickbacks from a street vendor who sold counterfeit merchandise around Broadway and 27th Street.

A fifth cop, Jashua Penalo, 32, was arrested earlier in the week.

. . .

The peddler at the center of the probe, Jamil Faied, 44, was charged with bribery.

. . .

In exchange for the bogus goods, Faied allegedly got favors for himself and his peddler friends.

Penalo tipped him off when search warrants were issued so he could hide his illegal wares, authorities say.

Bartlett and Lewis are accused of handing out a desk-appearance ticket to another vendor instead of making an arrest, because Faied asked them to do so.

Santiago and Albertelli made a competitor of Faied relocate, authorities said.

Are they nuts? Fake Coach bags? Why bother?